New York City seeks to ban big sodas

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g0tr00t
g0tr00t Posts: 192 Member

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  • RhythmGypsi
    RhythmGypsi Posts: 79 Member
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    =P This would be a dream come true for me, but I don't think banning anything from people ever works. I thought it was interesting how eloquent the response was from the McDonald's representative. I've always been at odds mentally with Mayor Bloomberg (being born and raised in CT, I've heard a lot about him over the past 10 years), but I can see how goodhearted a proposal like this is. Emotionally impractical, but still positive in its roots.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I find it sad that people would intentionally ingest things so incredibly horrible for them. Soda is sugar or chemicals and water. Other than the fact that it contains water, it has absolutely no redeeming qualities. It just serves to drive up obesity rates by encouraging people to ingest massive amounts of empty calories that do not get burned off.

    Having said that, I'm not a big fan of the government telling me I can't do something that is only affecting my health. There's no "secondhand sugar" to debate, this is a matter of personal responsibility, plain and simple.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    I think it's a good start. Just like trying to ban high fructose corn syrup and all that. It's a good positive move, and I think it sends strong messages to manufacturers, which is important.
  • g0tr00t
    g0tr00t Posts: 192 Member
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    That's why I can't wait for the response of the "people". I mean you can look at it from various angles. While some might think its a great idea and a start, others say its big govt moving in again and removing our freedoms.

    I would rather see them make public transportation free and promote healthy eating (teach people to read labels and understand what they are ingesting).

    There are a million things to do to help fight obesity, all I see this doing is making people angry and in-turn, they'll just by 3 large instead of 1 super. Wrong way to fuel the economy, IMO.
  • GBO323
    GBO323 Posts: 336 Member
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    Hmm, this is a major win for the restaurants. Why? I can always buy TWO 16 oz drinks. More money for them and sales tax to the government.

    We're a capitalistic society and should be able to buy what we want or not buy what we don't want. People need to take responsibility for their choices. Besides, I'm sure people would love a 32OZ Coke Zero ever so often.

    Why can't the politicians focus on things that are beneficial to the citizens like lower taxes, fixed streets, and lower crime?
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    I understand, but to me, this isn't a "I should be able to do whatever I want issue" but it is different, subtley different.

    It's telling manufacturers to stop making *kitten* products. I also get a little weary of people discounting advertising and it's affect on the people that consume that crap. The effect is huge. There is a reason why the larest portion of a companies budget is marketing and advertising. And, there is a reason why a company will pay big time money to be a large ad at a sporting event. If it didn't matter, like people always say, and shrug their shoulders and say, "it doesn't affect me:. Yeah right. OK, here's a challenge for all of you...today, for the rest of the day, count everytime you see or hear an ad. Every single time. POP up ads, billboards, radio ads, all of it. I bet you would get into the 5 digits. I forget what the statistic is, but it's insane. And, this is every single day. We're all brain washed without even realizing. There are kids, upper teens now, who go on family vacations somewhere away from radios, TV's and all that, and they actually experience real depression. It's because they are feeling a lack of stimuli that they are used to, and they don't know how to handle it. It's very sad. I could write about this forever. I'm very passionate about this topic.

    We don't really have free markets anyway, in case you haven't noticed lately.
  • GBO323
    GBO323 Posts: 336 Member
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    Choices have outcomes. People need to be educated, kids need educated parents that have healthy boundaries on what is acceptable on the amount of time the kids are exposed to TV, Internet, etc. Talking about why choice A over Choice B is better gives our kids the ability to think and logically reason vs being blindly sucked into the advertising vacuum that will eventually impact our lives as long as we keep spending that money on unhealthy things...again, a choice.

    If I can come to a place of realizing people are out to shill their products to me just for the sake of making money, then I've come to a place of choosing whether or not I need it, want it, or if it's good for me. So if I can, anyone can.

    Advertisers will never rise to the extreme level of responsibility because that means lost income.
  • LolaVersion2
    LolaVersion2 Posts: 114 Member
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    NYC does have a big coke problem.. hah hah hah...
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
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    I lived in NYC for 22 years in Manhattan. We never paid for water. If (and that's a big huge IF) this passes, New Yawkahs should expect to be paying for water. Just a thought. I like my Pepsi Max. Best tasting chemicals and carbonated water. I could always import it and make myself a bootlegger.
  • WiegandS
    WiegandS Posts: 99 Member
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    I think this is essentially useless. People will end up getting refills anyway. What NYC needs to do allow for consumers to have more fountain beverage options such as flavored waters/ carbonated waters/ coconut water. While I wouldn't call substitute sugared drinks healthy in a good for you sense, but for calorie conscious consumers it's a better option. Personally I have always been a water drinker so this does't affect me, but for the millions of new yorkers who will be affected I think this is useless.
  • fraser112
    fraser112 Posts: 405
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    I canny wait until they ban junk food.
    Start seeling it on the black market
    funding criminals and gangs
    no money for goverment

    Just like drugs today
  • scorchy808
    scorchy808 Posts: 26
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    Some of the sizes of drinks you order these days is ridiculous, I mean, a "medium" is 32 oz? Really?

    Bloomberg may be well intentioned but who will police it, and also, what about diet drinks? You can order a 32 oz diet soda but not a regular one?

    If people want to ruin their health by smoking, or drinking soft drinks full of empty calories, it's their body. Theoretically it's a free country, let them.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Personally I think it's a pile of crap. You should be able to buy a rain barrel of soda if you're dumb enough to want it.