What next???

[Pinot's Mom]

Is the Mayor crazy? Yeah.
Does he have a good intention? Possibly.
Will it pass? No.
Would it make any difference if it did? No.

But, more importantly, WILL IT GET HIM IN THE NEWS? ABSOLUTELY!!

[Catty1]

Translation: "Please excuse her?" (Google) or "Excuse me?" (Babelfish)

Pinot's Mom - yes, it IS all about publicity. Oscar Wilde: "It's better to be talked about than not talked about."

[momcat]

I'm tired of people like idiot Bloomberg trying to save me from myself!

[Lady's Human]

Is the Mayor crazy? Yeah.
Does he have a good intention? Possibly.
Will it pass? No.
Would it make any difference if it did? No.

But, more importantly, WILL IT GET HIM IN THE NEWS? ABSOLUTELY!!

WIll it pass? Yes, because it only has to be approved by a board made up of Bloomberg's political appointees.

As to New York being a nanny state? Come out to upstate, live here for a few years, and say that with a straight face.

New York City is NOT New York state, just like New Jersey isn't all Jersey Shore denizens and chemical plants.

As to obesity claims, according to their charts I'm obese. I should weigh about 170 lbs. I did, once, when I had the build of a distance runner. Those days are long gone, I weigh about 205, have for years, I drink soda, eat bacon, drink beer, wine, and other "bad" things, carbs, you name it....

By their charts, I'm obese. However, I challenge anyone to say that to my face and mean it.

[pomtzu]

But, more importantly, WILL IT GET HIM IN THE NEWS? ABSOLUTELY!!

You probably hit the nail on the head with this statement. I saw him on the news last night, and he said very smugly and with a stupid smirk on his face, that it got him a LOT of publicity! Perhaps this was his ultimate goal???

[smokey the elder]

*puts on NASCAR rated fire-suit*

When states started putting bigger and bigger taxes on cigarettes, and banned smoking in a lot of places, it did discourage people from starting to smoke, and got some to quit. A lot of people say "if it doesn't affect me why should I bother with it? Well, IMO it does affect you and me, in higher insurance premiums. This is the price for living in a society. Has Hizzoner gone a bit far with soda? Maybe...one could argue, what's next. I think a "junk food" tax may be a possible solution, but then who defines "junk food"? I think a lot of health problems could be solved if the US would collectively go on a diet, the billion lb challenge, maybe?

[Lady's Human]

STE, the "Distributed costs to society" argument is getting old. How long until the government decides that they have to regulate who reproduces based on the probable cost to society?

How much of our behavior are we as a society willing to have government regulate for "the greater good"? Seatbelts, sugar, alcohol, .....where does it end?

My kids drink soda. I'm a bad parent. However, they are also very active, and there isn't an xbox anywhere to be found in the house. Every once in a blue moon they get to use the playstation 2 upstairs. THey're both skinny as rails, yet they eat candy, cookies, drink soda, koolaid, chocolate milk, and other nasty things.

I somehow don't think the food is the issue.

[Varga]

I don't necessarily agree with his idea but I have to say this, you Americans do realise just how huge the portions they serve here are, right? I still get surprised, even after having lived here for two years.
What is considered a large soda here, is unheard of back in Europe. Even in the same chains - such as Burger King and McDonald's - you order a large soda and it's going to be the size of of U.S. medium soda. I don't know why it's like that though. I don't think anyone at any point banned larger sodas. The need for them just never popped up I guess? I dunno.


I gotta say I like the huge portions at restaurants though. And how it's just totally normal and acceptable to get a box to bring home the leftovers! That whole idea is just unheard of back home. At most, some people might ask for a doggy bag to bring scraps for their dog but even that is considered pretty odd.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I don't think he's considered that people will just go back for more refills if the drinks are smaller...

And has anybody considered that some people's obesity problem is genetic or due to a medical issue? Because a lot of people are overweight because of those reasons, not because they eat badly...

Education and information is what we need though, not taking away large drinks.

[mon]

I agree that people generally feel they shuold simply be able to choose whatever they want to ingest, healthy or no. Unfortunately there are many bad choices as well as good ones. It's pretty clear to me that some people will sell a person pretty much anything now a day to make a buck or two regardless if it makes the customer drop dead Large portions are kinda rampant in the U.S. though I think..

[moosmom]

I think it all boils down to personal choices. People have the ability to choose what and how much they eat or drink. Moderation is the key. JMO.

Catmom,

I've been trying to save you from yourself since I met you. I've finally come to realize that you just don't mess with perfection!!!

[Miss Z]

I don't necessarily agree with his idea but I have to say this, you Americans do realise just how huge the portions they serve here are, right? I still get surprised, even after having lived here for two years.
What is considered a large soda here, is unheard of back in Europe. Even in the same chains - such as Burger King and McDonald's - you order a large soda and it's going to be the size of of U.S. medium soda. I don't know why it's like that though. I don't think anyone at any point banned larger sodas. The need for them just never popped up I guess? I dunno.

I do have to agree with this statement... you certainly get value for money!

Since the drink 'refill' has been mentioned several times on this thread, perhaps it would be more beneficial (i.e. in terms of lowering incidence of obesity) to scrap that. I honestly don't know anywhere over here that does drink refills for free. When I was nine and holidaying in FL, of course I loved the fact I could run down to the hotel restaurant every morning and get a monster sugar rush before I'd even eaten breakfast . As an adult? It's a peculiarity. If I'd grown up with the idea and become accustommed to it, would I really feel like my 'liberty' was infringed upon? As a Brit, not a chance. As an American, I guess I can't say. One thing would be for sure - I'd probably be far less healthy than I am now (and I wouldn't count myself as the image of physical fitness as it stands!) Sometimes, one can be blinkered by an affinity for one's comforts. I respect the American passion for freedoms of all kinds, and can see how well ingrained it is in all American people that I have ever met. That is a wonderful thing; by no means is my opinion meant to cause offence. My stance is that I, personally, find that conservatism stretching to preserve drinks under the 'freedom-to-have-what-we-want' clause a little excessive.

We are more of a nanny state than you guys, no doubt. Sometimes that is indeed a bad thing. We are also an overweight nation.

What do most British obese people blame their weight on? Fatty and sugary foods being cheap, and accessible. They know the dangers of carrying so much weight, and many admit they don't even enjoy the food anymore - they just eat out of habit. And a habit, so they say, is impossible to break when it's staring you in the face most of the time.

Maybe some people need a little nannyin'?!

Again, NOT to flame. I have no sympathy for morbidly obese people hooked up to oxygen machines and unable to reach to put on their own shoes. On no basis is that condition genetic; terrible addiction, yes, genes, no. Addictions can, and should, be addressed before getting to that state. In this country, their care is financed out of the wallet of the taxpayer. We are bitter when we see millions spent on what we deem could have been avoided.

I believe the Delphic phrase is 'Nothing in excess', not that I know the Greek off the top of my head...

Perhaps I am beating around the bush. Our government recently tried to impose a tax on pasties and various other baked goods, depending on their temperature. Banning of supersized drinks seems such a more straightforward idea.

[Lady's Human]

Again, NOT to flame. I have no sympathy for morbidly obese people hooked up to oxygen machines and unable to reach to put on their own shoes. On no basis is that condition genetic; terrible addiction, yes, genes, no. Addictions can, and should, be addressed before getting to that state. In this country, their care is financed out of the wallet of the taxpayer. We are bitter when we see millions spent on what we deem could have been avoided.

Meet a couple of them sometime. It's easy to judge someone at a glance on the street.

Some of them do have issues, genetic or otherwise, that LEAD to the obesity, and not a problem with addiction.