Helicopter government is at it again.

New York city mayor Bloomberg is a super-sized jackass & should be banned.  I'm just sayin'.   I have been so insanely looking forward to posting about this ever since I heard about it last week.  I'm just about fuming.  As you may well know, New York Mayor Bloomberg has recently proposed to ban the sale of large size "sugary" drinks at all restaurants, movie theaters, and street carts in New York city.

Uh-huh.  Go ahead. You can say it. Ludicrous. And, no, I don't mean the rapper.

Seriously, W. T. F. ????!!!  This has gone so far beyond the point of making sense that I don't even know where or how to begin.  I mean, at what point is enough enough??  I don't know about any of you but I am all for regulating things that actually have a need to be regulated.  Whether or not you order a large Coke with your value meal is not the business of the New York mayor anyone else for that matter! 

Are large sodas the actual and only cause of obesity, anyway?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  Why can't stupid politicians just deal with the issues their constituents want them to without complicating things?  Since when is going to a movie and ordering a large Cherry Coke a crime? It's not. I am not obese and I LOVE to order large sodas.  Are you telling me that it makes any sense at all to restrict the rights of others just because you feel that such a restriction would help a few? Nope.

While we're at it let's just ban double slice orders of Sbarro too!  And, how much sense does it really make to ban the sale of large sodas but yet allow the person unlimited refills and additional drink orders?  If that's the case, instead of the 1 large Coke, can can I order 15 smalls then?

Why don't we just ban Sponge Bob too since he aparently makes you stupid?  Or, let's ban friggin' people who drive in the left hand lane even when they aren't passing? Or, how about let's ban the sale king size candy bars?!  I mean seriously, when does it EVER END??

We've already got a ridiculous epidemic of helicopter parenting out there, we don't need to add "helicopter government" to that list.  Banning the sale of certain drinks just simply bans the sale of them. It does not and will not suddenly make a city or state less obese. Nope, I hate to break it to you Bloomberg, but the only thing that can change that are the people themselves.

One of my favorite brands, Coca-Cola, recently released a statement about this proposed ban:

“The people of New York City are much smarter than the New York City Health Department believes. We are transparent with our consumers. They can see exactly how many calories are in every beverage we serve.

We have prominently placed calorie counts on the front of our bottles and cans and in New York City, restaurants already post the calorie content of all their offerings and portion sizes -- including soft drinks.

New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase. We hope New Yorkers loudly voice their disapproval about this arbitrary mandate.”

As you also may know, I recently attended Conversations with Coca-Cola, a social media moms event.  I was so enlightened by how well their brand promotes and supports living positively.  Much information about their "Live Positively" initiatives can be found on their website here.  

In a nutshell, I am not saying that ordering a large soft drink with every meal is necessarily healthy or that it couldn't contribute to obesity.  Rather what I am saying is that if you're going ban the sale of them simply because they have the potential to contribute to obesity, then you have to start banning just about everything else in eating establishments because of the same link!  And when the words "goverment" (whether it's federal, state, or local) and "ban" are used in the same sentence, that always gets me fuming.  I mean, if they can't yet figure out how to stabilize and prioritize the Social Security system, how on earth could they possibly be equipped enough to tackle the obesity problem?!

What are your thoughts on the proposed ban?

Comments

[texmex]

The link to helicopter parenting doesn't seem very helpful, I don't know what helicopter parenting is.
I agree government should not regulate the size of your coke. Governments are so corrupted anyway... by the money of the lobbyists.
But what is your solution to stop the obesity epidemic? That would make an interesting article.

[Screwed Up Texan]

Thanks Candy! While government is at it, why don't they also ban pizza, hamburgers, and every other high calorie, high fat food out there? I just may have to link to this post.

[Screwed Up Texan]

The solution to the obesity epidemic lies in physical fitness and food awareness education, and then parents teaching their children healthy eating and exercising habits. Taking away choices does not cure the problem, self-control does.