And 8.5% in New York.
It’s no surprise that we have an obesity problem in the U.S, and New York carries a lot of it. But is banning supersize sodas really the answer? What about supersize milkshakes or frappacinos, oversized burgers and fries, or super sugary donuts and pastries? Or maybe that all-you- can -eat pasta bar should be part of the Mayor’s infringement on personal responsibility.
Bloomberg argues he is not taking away our right to consume unhealthy and high calorie beverages, but rather requiring us to make a conscious decision to do so, by having to order a second cup of the drink instead of having all of it in one cup. And that extra thought process is supposed to curtail excess? I doubt it. But what really concerns me is the Mayor’s priorities. With problems like the city’s barbell economy, a public school system full of bad teachers and kids who can’t read, a garbage problem that is out of control, unaffordable (and often unlivable) housing, and a continuing threat of terrorism in the Big Apple, why is Bloomberg spending time on something that is, by comparison, just frivolous?
Because it represents another way to nudge us closer to the blind obedience and subservience consistent with a Big Brother society. And a way to strip away personal responsibility and choice while doing very little to strip away pounds. Maybe if the Mayor spent more time addressing the city’s real problems, people would have less time or less inclination to drown themselves in effervescent gluttony.
