New York Mayor Admits Large Soda Ban Won’t Stop People From Drinking All The Soda They Want
You really have to wonder, what’s the point?
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg got his wish: The city’s board of health voted to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces Thursday.
Under the ban, restaurants, food carts, cafeterias, and concession stands, such as those in movie theaters, won’t be allowed to sell sodas larger than 16 ounces in the city.
Fans of super-sized drinks will have a while to adjust to the ban and stock up: it won’t take effect until March 12, 2013; the city will start fining businesses that violate the ban in June.
In a statement last week supporting the ban, Bloomberg took a stand against super-sized sodas.
“As the size of sugary drinks has grown, so have our waistlines,” he said. “Our proposal for reasonable portion sizes won’t prevent anyone from buying or drinking as much soda as they want, but it will help people keep from inadvertently taking in junk calories simply because the small drink they ordered was actually very large.”
I predict that soda consumption will rise as people who want larger servings of soda buy or refill two 16-ounce servings instead of buying one 24 ounce serving.
I also predict that this will do nothing to make anyone skinnier. Because the problem with obesity in America – to the extent that there is a problem, I don’t believe it’s the crisis some claim it is – has nothing to do with people being tricked into drinking more soda than they want and everything to do with the fact that Americans eat and drink to much junk in general, and don’t get enough exercise.
The solution to obesity is simple. Eat a responsible diet and exercise. If Americans wanted to be skinny they could be, it’s just that many of us (myself included) don’t have the will power to make that choice for ourselves.
The point being, government policy isn’t going to make us skinnier. We have to want to be skinnier.
Tags: Asshats, michael bloomberg, nanny statism
