New York City May Ban Sodas Larger Than 16 Ounces: Smart or Stupid?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/05/31 20:00:00

Related Topics: soda, soda ban, Bloomberg, Mayor Bloomberg, New York, Health, Obesity, Diet, Nine, Mayor, Office, New York City, Diabetes, Restaurants, News, Drink, Grocery Store, Type 2 diabetes

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	Smart	185 votes	26%
	Stupid	536 votes	74%

Bad news, soda lovers. New York City may ban sodas and other sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces in a first-in-the-nation move meant to battle obesity. "More than half of NYC adults (58%) are overweight or obese," Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted on Thursday. "We're doing something about it."

The ban would outlaw drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and other eateries, but not grocery stores. And the Board of Health is expected to OK the proposal in the coming months, which would mean a $200 fine for establishments that violate the ban. "Restaurant owners will have nine months from the adoption of the proposal until they face fines," Bloomberg's office said in a statement.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics says sugary drinks "have been linked to poor diet quality, weight gain, obesity, and, in adults, type 2 diabetes." And let's face it: In the U.S., a "large" soda often looks more like an extra extra large. Sixteen ounces seems like more than enough. Do you agree? Or do you want the food police to leave you alone?

+34

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laura 2012/05/31 20:07:42

Stupid

+11
Stupid. Just buy two. We do not elect our government officials to take care of us as if we're too stupid to do so ourselves. We elect them to protect and preserve our freedom. Utterly ridiculous.
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TheBorg to Huntclan 2012/08/07 02:14:32

That logic works great. I make my alcoholic drinks half the size so I drink half the amount of alcohol and I only put in half the amount of sugar in my iced tea so as to take in only half the amount of calories. Unfortunately the smallest sized soda at any restaurant is over 2 servings so that option is not available.

Thanks for making my point for me.

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CJackson to TheBorg 2012/06/04 14:55:05 (edited)

+2
How many fat people do you know of that you ACTUALLY got the doctor bill for??? Hmmm, just as I thought, NONE!
The way I see it, once the money has been deducted from our paychecks, it's gone...aka: not our's anymore. If you're so worried about your tax dollars funding some fat guy's addiction to 32 oz. sodas, go find the fat guy YOU paid for and picket on his lawn. Until then, get over yourself...damned communists...smh

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ajraces... to CJackson 2012/06/04 16:54:25

Exactly! Well stated fact.

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TheBorg to CJackson 2012/08/07 02:19:10

"once the money has been deducted from our paychecks, it's gone...aka: not our's anymore."

You sound like a lib'rul when they talk about taxes.

I suggest you stop smoking the pot you lib'rul hippy.

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Monty to TheBorg 2012/08/05 00:34:52

your actually for that? here we go again with the health insurance thing again

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TheBorg to Monty 2012/08/07 02:32:20 (edited)

I am not for or against over-sized drink in New York; I could care less what New Yorkers do. What I am for is a community like New York having the freedom to decide for themselves how they want to live. Government IS the will of the community so if a community wants to ban over-sized drinks who the hell are we to force or tell them not to?

That is what I hate about so called right-wingers and self proclaimed Libertarians, they profess the virtues of individual freedom and choice but if individual freedom and choice is used collectively by a community through the ballot box, libertarians and right-wingers go nutz and cry foul. Real libertarians or right-wingers would respect the will of the people through the ballot box. The people elected the politicians who want to ban over-sized drinks so the will of the people is being done. If it is not, then next election they can elect someone else to remove the ban.

What you are advocating is

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RawRsaurus 2012/06/04 06:02:42

Smart

I only say smart because the temptation for someone like me would be too great. I love the taste of soda. I hate how awful it is for your body.

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CJackson to RawRsaurus 2012/06/04 15:34:32

+1
It's never smart for a government to control what the people do.

The whole concept of a law is to provide consequences for those who break the law...not to prevent people from living their OWN lives as they see fit by imposing laws to restrict their freedom.

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ajraces... to RawRsaurus 2012/06/04 17:00:14

Others should not have to suffer for your lack of self control. Not to be rude but you have to be accountable for your own actions. We can not let laws like this pass, laws like this is dictatorship, that is not what this county is about and if we allow this then all our men and women that have given there lives in the military have done so in vain.

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Shelby C. 2012/06/04 05:53:20

Stupid

+2
Dumb... just make the small sizes back to small instead of GIGANTIC, and then adjust the larger sizes appropriately. Doesn't matter how big the big ones are, if someone wants to drink a buttload of soda, they're gonna. S'their money, their choice. If they're not being forced to consume it, it's their own problem.

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Raithere 2012/06/04 05:42:25

Stupid

+2
It's worse than merely stupid.

"Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Examples of Totalitarian States:

Germany under Hitler
Italy under Mussolini
Japan under Tojo
USSR under Stalin
Romania under Ceausescu
North Korea under Kim Jong-il
Spain under Franco
China under Mao
Cuba under Castro
Portugal under Salazar

Anyone see a pattern here?

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Skywalker 2012/06/04 04:17:01

Smart

+1
Who drinks super sized? It makes my tongue shrivel up

Obesity is a big prob and this could help

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Raithere to Skywalker 2012/06/04 06:01:21

+5
Why not just regulate everything everyone eats? Super sized sodas aren't the only bad food out there and food isn't the only thing that's unhealthy.

LET'S MAKE AMERICA FIT!!!
Hereby Banned

Red meat
Football
Alcohol
Marathons, Triathlons, etc.
Salt
Fatty foods
Not enough sleep (mandatory 7 hours)
Coffee
Sugar
Candy
Pasta
Gymnastics
Worry
Lacrosse
Hard physical labor
Being in the sun without sunblock
Pastry
Eating/Drinking too fast
Sitting too long
Rugby
Processed foods
Going outside in cold without a hat on
Butter
Eggs
Bacon
Pancakes
Spending too much time at the computer or tv
Driving a car

Cake...

Are you getting the point yet?

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Skywalker to Raithere 2012/06/12 22:38:12

good thing im not allowed to eat most of that stuff ;)

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CJackson to Skywalker 2012/06/04 15:02:56

+3
Actually, obesity is the obese persons' problem, not everyone else's to dictate how to control it.

As Americans, we have control over 2 aspects; ourselves and our children. All the rest are none of anyone else's business.

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KittyKat 2012/06/04 03:14:47

Stupid

+1
It's the person choice to get the super-sized soda or drink soda at all.

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A7xanimerocker 2012/06/04 03:00:33

Stupid

+2
I see no point in banning them. If a person works all day in the sun and they have to purchase multiple cans instead of a big one your just being stupid. There are different sizes for a reason. What will banning them accomplish? and 200 if you have one bigger than 16 ounces. Just plain STUPID.

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TKramar to A7xanim... 2012/06/04 14:15:13

Yep, got to keep your fluids up. Especially in summer.

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Cmo 2012/06/04 02:38:26

Stupid

+1
When a government must step in and regulate something like the size of the beverage your allowed to drink; that is a government that has gone too far and gotten too big. People will continue to consume the same amount and plastic waste from the containers will rise causing inflation.

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Anarchico Anthony 2012/06/04 02:19:14

Smart

+1
somebody needs to do something about the companys super sizing everything

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CJackson to Anarchi... 2012/06/04 15:15:49

+1
China does something about it!!!, They regulate the size of everything in the country...of course, they also regulate the size of your household as well (if you get pregnant without permission, they show up at your door, haul you in to the "clinic" forcibly abort the fetus, and then you can find your own ride back home) they regulate the ratio of males to females, and they regulate how much money you're allowed to make at any one time.

Free enterprise is a privilege that TOO may Americans take for granted.
If you don't approve of what others do, ignore them...if you want to control what they do, move to China and get into government. I don't want anyone telling me what I can buy or how big I can buy, or how many I can buy...of anything.

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Anarchi... to CJackson 2012/06/04 19:52:17

+1
lol I didn't say anything that extreme, I'm just saying the average size of a coke in the '50's was 7oz. And people need portion control, thats why we are the fattest nation in the world because people can get a $2 50oz drink at a gas station. McD's supersized their whole menu, the food itself is 3 times is as big as it was when it first opened. This nation is one big fat joke, which nobody takes seriously and sizes need to go back to the way it was

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Torchy 2012/06/04 02:05:29

Stupid

I'm all for healthy eating and the rise in obesity in this country I find disgusting and shameful. However, people don't shop for these things in 16 oz. or more. They might get them at a gas station or a movie theatre on occasion -- but does he realize how much it costs for a large soda at the movies?? People who are consuming large quantities of these bad-for-you drinks are doing so at home in 12 oz. cans or bottles that they purchase at the grocery store. On average, it's going to cost them $6 for a 12-pack. So, that's 144 oz. for the same price as some watered down drink you get at the theater. Which is worse: 16+ ounces ever once in a while that they purchase when they're out, or 144 ounces they probably go through in a week? It's not the occasional Big Gulp buyer we have to worry about.

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Autumn 2012/06/04 00:22:35

Stupid

People can just get multiple sodas...

Some people have said, "Why are we focusing on small matters when there are so many more important things to take care of?"

Well, I wouldn't say obesity is a small matter. (Ba dum chhhhh)

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BoomLover 2012/06/03 23:53:47

Stupid

Very..

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Discord 2012/06/03 23:48:51

Stupid

I like my drinks like I like my men: tall.

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Jo 2012/06/03 23:33:48

Stupid

theres no benefit to this; if you drink 3 sodas at 8 oz each, you've consumed more than the dreaded 16 oz, so whats the point?

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sm237 2012/06/03 23:04:03

Stupid

F _ _ K' IN STUPID....

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Kirby 2012/06/03 22:34:51 (edited)

Stupid

+1
Why does the government either city, state, or federal think that they have the right to tell people what they can and can not have. This is idiotic. so you can't have a soda larger than a 16oz what's going to stop someone from ordering 3 ? Not a damn soul ! Hey Bloomberg pull your head out of your ass !

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★earthbound_misfit★ 2012/06/03 21:49:51

Stupid

+1
More like "completely ridiculous." All this is going to do is make people get two drinks instead of one, and frankly, it's none of the government's damn business how large of drinks a restaurant can sell.

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keliffa 2012/06/03 21:43:58

Stupid

+4
GOVT NEEDS TO MIND IT'S OWN DAMN BUSINESS.

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Picasso's Cat 2012/06/03 21:23:13 (edited)

Stupid

+1
Yupp, that's one of Americas most pressing things to change and make right, lol
Like we haven't got anything more important to look into, well like our foreign aid policies that give millions to nations that want to kill Americans.
Yupp, and that's why things will always be screwed up in America, because we try to fix to small stuff, and let the big problems go by.
If i can't buy a 32 ounce, I'll buy "TWO" 16 ounce sodas, lol, that's not against any law, lol!!!!!!
And hide and watch if the "Two-for-one" logic does not kick in, lol!!!!!

After this crap is all said and done some political leader is gonna take credit for it, like it's going to do some good, lol, fat chance on that one!!!!

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Greg to Picasso... 2012/06/04 01:03:08

+1
Yep! I can see it now. Buy one 16 oz and get the second one half off. The only thing bad for McDonald's is the cost of the extra cup.

Good post.

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Gangstersteve1993 2012/06/03 21:16:43

Stupid

What's the point of introducing that crap and we can have better things to ban.

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1wickedwitch 2012/06/03 20:42:33

Stupid

I think its sad.. mom and dad need to take care of the kids..( hey mom & dad) your kid is fat do something.. I also believe parents need to be held responsible for their kids weight and Health..who does the food shopping..?

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Night 2012/06/03 20:23:30

Stupid

+1
It's called a refill.

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sandra 2012/06/03 20:22:33

Smart

+2
Does anyone actually need a supersized drink?
It just means more un-needed liquid junk and
More ice,
And it costs more , for the extra ice.
People aren`t actually getting more of the drink, it just seems that way.

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mmmholl... to sandra 2012/06/03 20:41:42

+3
Who are you to decide for me?

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sandra to mmmholl... 2012/06/03 22:32:20

I`m not deciding for you, or for any body else, just trying to help people to stop paying into the ridiculousness of supersized anything. Bigger doesn`t always mean better or more. It does usually cost more though, it is a common thing though for people to think their getting more for their money , it`s a well known marketing scheme, don`t let them get the better of ya.

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TKramar to sandra 2012/06/04 14:17:15

+1
actually, cost per unit, it's usually less expensive to get the larger size. Assuming it doesn't go bad on you. Hence Costco, and their 24 roll toilet paper.

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