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The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is attempting to pass a law banning "Big-Gulp" sodas. Bloomberg wants to ban sodas over 16 ounces because of the rising obesity rates in America and because of the rising health care costs the obese are causing.
I am all about eating healthy and lowering the obesity level, but I am not for banning the right people have to choose what they eat and drink. Now I don't know why anybody would need a "Big-Gulp," but if they want one then they should have the right to have one. Plus, I know plenty of people who are not obese and they drink soda all day long. So just because soda has an adverse effect on some people's weight, it has to be banned for all people?
Another problem I have with this law is that it is merely a ban on a soda size, not quantity. So a person can buy as many 16 ounce sodas as they want and drink them. I know the point is to stop people from drinking a large quantity of soda in one sitting, but if a person wants to drink a large amount they are going to. Just because it takes multiple containers to obtain the same amount doesn't mean it's going to stop them.
Yes obesity is a huge problem, but banning a soda size probably isn't going to do much. Cutting soda out of a person's diet can cause significant weight loss, but if the person has a major weight problem, cutting soda isn't going to fix it all. It is a person's choice to eat and drink what they want. If they want to eat unhealthy food and shorten their lifespan, that is their choice. It may not be healthy for other people's pocketbooks, but I think banning a soda size is a very slippery slope.
What's next? Banning ice cream, cookies, and cupcake consumption? I sure hope not. I am a dessert addict and would be extremely upset if I was told I would be limited to consuming one serving of ice cream a week. I live an otherwise healthy lifestyle so I can indulge in dessert. If the government decided that even though I was healthy I still couldn't eat dessert I would become irate.
First comes the limitation of sugar consumption then comes the fat police? I feel like there will be officials going around deciding who weighs too much to eat certain foods and who doesn't. This may seem a little extreme but I think the government is getting a little extreme. I don't think banning a soda size is the correct way of getting people to live healthier lifestyles. If anything it is just going to piss people off and make them eat even unhealthier. A person is not going to lose weight unless they make the decision to do so themselves.
I think the promotion of healthy alternatives would be much more effective than telling somebody they can't do or have something. It's like telling a little kid they can't eat cookies before supper. What is that kid going to do? Go straight to the cookie jar as soon as you leave the room. Again, I know obesity is a problem and causing problems with the health care system. I am also a major advocate for living a healthy lifestyle. However, I am also an avid baker and dessert lover. There is no reason you can't indulge once in a while if you live an otherwise healthy lifestyle. I think this ban that would lead to many other bans that would punish the moderate indulges for the mistakes of the over indulgers, and that is not fair.