TAKE A BIG GULP: THE NYC SODA BAN

Today (March 12th) should have been the day when NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on the sale of sugary drinks (sodas, fruit juices, sweetened teas) greater than 16 ounces went into effect. Thankfully a NY State Supreme Court judge, citing the new regulation to be “arbitrary and capricious,” has blocked the NYC soda ban. Although the mayor viewed the prohibition as a way to fight the city’s growing obesity epidemic, what he failed to realize is that his own dictatorial urges do not and will not overrule each citizen’s ability and right to decide for themselves. Let’s face it—excess sugar is a threat to wellbeing and no person in their right mind should consume soda or any other sugary drink at all if they have the slightest concern over their health (I’ve already blogged about the many dangers or sugar in February’s post). The intent behind the ban may be honorable, but we are all adults equipped with the unalienable right to our own person and property. Only we get to decide what we do with ourselves, regardless if that choice is good or bad. Free will is a private issue and the consequences of said decisions shall remain with its executor.

The issue of individual liberty and the ban has beaten like a dead horse, but what about the concept of mutual agreement and voluntary contracts? If John Doe walks into a store and wishes to buy a 999-ounce soda from the store clerk and the two parties agree on a price, who is the mayor (or anyone else for that matter) to tell either party otherwise? Why should the State have any say in the voluntary contract between two individuals? This ban not only infringes on personal liberty, but it infringes upon capitalism as well. Is the mayor an anti-capitalist? The road to destruction is paved with good intentions, and we should all ask ourselves: If the mayor (or governor, senator, president) thinks something to be “for our own good” and acts unilaterally to legislate his own mandates, what distinguishes him from a complete despot? What else is in store for us all “for our own good?” What if the same mayor told us we can’t wear blue shirts past April because it’s in the public interest? What if the mayor, in an attempt to “combat crime and gun violence” assumed men who looked a certain way ought to be “stopped and frisked” “for the public good?”

 

Dr. C.H.E. Sadaphal

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4 comments on “TAKE A BIG GULP: THE NYC SODA BAN
  1. Garig says:

    Yes, yes, yes! If you want to eat crap all day, that’s your problem. When I run 5 miles in the morning, no once puts a gun to my head, I just do it because I am an adult and can decide for myself. It doesn’t matter if the choice is good or bad, but anyone living in a free and liberated society maintains the power of choice. Once we begin to sacrifice that, the road to serfdom begins …

  2. NS says:

    Disallowing people to drink an xtra large soda because that’s what’s good for them is the same thought process people have used to segregate schools, commit genocide and enslave other human beings. Not only that, this law did not result from a popular vote, but came from the whim of one egotistical man, who fraudulently gave himself a third term as NYC mayor. I encourage all the moral snobs to get off their high horse. You are not above humanity and do not get to override each person’s freedom.

  3. LN says:

    The mandates aren’t stopping nor will they ever stop. Our mayor turned father is now is on the warpath to conceal cigarettes from view in stores throughout the city. I think he’ll truly be happy when we all line up at his command and sheepishly say, “Yes, Master.” Manhattan was not molded in Bloomberg’s image; he is simply trying to do as much as he can before his term expires.

  4. Oscar Marcilla says:

    I agree sugar is the enemy (actually I am a “carboholic” so I’ve had to completely curb my carbs and avoid all refined foods to maintain my physique). And Bloomberg is a megalomaniac. But there is a component of public health that compels us (physicians and by extension public officials when following evidence based guidelines) to help those that can not help themselves. The Moss article was excellent and points out that fat, sugar & salt is not only addictive but marketed extensively and scientifically to make sure we succumb. So free will, will power, and individual freedom is not enough to overcome the “Calorie Industrial Complex”.

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