Discussion: Bloomberg's Ban On Large Sugary Drinks

[childeroland]

What are the chances Bloomy wins his appeal?

 

[Marvolo]

None.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Oh lord.

"Lawmakers in Mississippi — the most obese state in the nation — have overwhelmingly approved what they’re calling the "anti-Bloomberg bill.""

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ions-posting-calorie-counts-article-1.1286804

Naturally, the author of the bill owns a BBQ chain.

 

[Kelly]

Oh lord.

"Lawmakers in Mississippi — the most obese state in the nation — have overwhelmingly approved what they’re calling the "anti-Bloomberg bill.""

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ions-posting-calorie-counts-article-1.1286804

Naturally, the author of the bill owns a BBQ chain.

Mississippi is also one of the poorest states....

It is fact that the poor do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables (those in urban areas) so they buy from corner food stores that do not have those types of things, mostly junk food that leads to obesity. You would think that the government of Mississippi would push for that type of thing, not this stupid stuff.

Also, Wal-Mart has been trying to move into urban areas with smaller, but well stocked stores that could provide people in those areas access to fresh fruits, vegetables and better quality foods.....unfortunately they are being blocked at every turn.

 

[enterthemadness]

Mississippi is also one of the poorest states....

It is fact that the poor do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables (those in urban areas) so they buy from corner food stores that do not have those types of things, mostly junk food that leads to obesity. You would think that the government of Mississippi would push for that type of thing, not this stupid stuff.

Also, Wal-Mart has been trying to move into urban areas with smaller, but well stocked stores that could provide people in those areas access to fresh fruits, vegetables and better quality foods.....unfortunately they are being blocked at every turn.

Walmart and now Costco are teaming up to put small business owners out of business by wanting to increase min wage. Block both of them out of the community just for that.

 

[Kelly]

Walmart and now Costco are teaming up to put small business owners out of business by wanting to increase min wage. Block both of them out of the community just for that.

MAYBE.....JUST MAYBE, if those small business would offer those communities what they needed....low cost clothing, low cost foods, fresh vegetables and fruits......then maybe they would actually be helping the community they want to be a part of. YOU DO REALIZE THAT THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES, are Stop and Go stores on the corner. WHO OWNS THOSE BUDDY?????? Tell me.

Head down to the REAL URBAN AREAS....what small businesses are down there? Pawn shops? Quite a few, little grocery stores (that usually have very little refrigeration, and no true fresh food items)??? quite a few...What else? What prices are they having to put on their items to stay above water, or at least come up for air every once in awhile???? Pretty damn high... Who are they people that nearest to them???? Usually poor, minorities that cannot afford what they sell, but hey a few .89 cent big gulps, and a few $1.00 hot dogs will feed the children that night...

I'm sorry, but that whole "they are running mom and pop stores out of business" IN URBAN AREAS???? is BS.

 

[enterthemadness]

MAYBE.....JUST MAYBE, if those small business would offer those communities what they needed....low cost clothing, low cost foods, fresh vegetables and fruits......then maybe they would actually be helping the community they want to be a part of. YOU DO REALIZE THAT THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES, are Stop and Go stores on the corner. WHO OWNS THOSE BUDDY?????? Tell me.

Head down to the REAL URBAN AREAS....what small businesses are down there? Pawn shops? Quite a few, little grocery stores (that usually have very little refrigeration, and no true fresh food items)??? quite a few...What else? What prices are they having to put on their items to stay above water, or at least come up for air every once in awhile???? Pretty damn high... Who are they people that nearest to them???? Usually poor, minorities that cannot afford what they sell, but hey a few .89 cent big gulps, and a few $1.00 hot dogs will feed the children that night...

I'm sorry, but that whole "they are running mom and pop stores out of business" IN URBAN AREAS???? is BS.

Where I live we hardly have small businesses. Cause people never support the restaurants due to high prices and lack of ads to get word out. We do have a coffee place. Cups N Cones. Been going well for about 2 years. Prices bit high. Nice place.

-_- why u yell at me. Now I make joke. Did a lousy high school student cheat on a test in your class? not a joke, just something those darn kids and their pup named Scooby-Doo do. #Redeye

 

[hippie_hunter]

Okay, this law is (or I should say, was) moronic from the get-go.

First of all, it's overregulation (the nonexistent kind people on the right usually cry about, but this is an actual example). Government overstepping its bounds, and all that. Secondly, it's not going to do a damn thing, since in America they have this wonderful thing called "free refills". And I could go on, but the whole thing is just so stupid and petty, that simply talking about it is exasperating.

You want to tackle obesity? Great. Don't make stupid, petty, arbitrary laws. Like the guy eating junk food is going to lose weight because he can only get a 16 ounce cup (which he can refill as much as he likes).

Well somebody here hit the nail on the head perfectly.

 

[Kelly]

Where I live we hardly have small businesses. Cause people never support the restaurants due to high prices and lack of ads to get word out. We do have a coffee place. Cups N Cones. Been going well for about 2 years. Prices bit high. Nice place.

-_- why u yell at me. Now I make joke. Did a lousy high school student cheat on a test in your class? not a joke, just something those darn kids and their pup named Scooby-Doo do. #Redeye

I'm not yellin' at ya....just making a point.

I don't know if where you live is an urban area that I'm talking about....but you pretty much make my point. Why not allow a chain like Wal-Mart or Costco build a smaller version of their other stores in areas where there are NO OTHER STORES.

 

[Cosmic]

Bloomberg fills me with disgust. He should resign from his post, and retire from politics forever. His senior advisors/staff members should also fire themselves.

 

[enterthemadness]

I'm not yellin' at ya....just making a point.

I don't know if where you live is an urban area that I'm talking about....but you pretty much make my point. Why not allow a chain like Wal-Mart or Costco build a smaller version of their other stores in areas where there are NO OTHER STORES.

I live in a military town. So most of stuff is named brand with a few successful small business. Crabby Pattys is a local sea-food/burger sit down place. I heard they might shut down due to you...-_-...know...-_-....what.

 

[SV Fan]

I live in a military town. So most of stuff is named brand with a few successful small business. Crabby Pattys is a local sea-food/burger sit down place. I heard they might shut down due to you...-_-...know...-_-....what.

Why do I picture this

 

[Handsome Rob]

Yop that's why you have things like speed limits, airport controls, gun control (well not yet, but hopefully for you guys it'll come) ...

It's not about choice, it's society being responsible for individuals when individuals obviously cannot take responsibility for themselves. Wether you want to hear that or not, economicaly speaking, obesity and overweight are a liabilty for the entire community, it has an exponentially increasing cost supported by your evergrowing taxes and actions must be taken to reverse that morbid trend, as derisory as they may seem.

You're taking your personnal example, seriously that's good for you man as being in shape is important, but when I check the frightening obesity rates in the U.S. I cannot help but think that, obviously, not everyone is in the same situation, and that some regulation is actually more than wanted in this case.

It's not about freedom, more about collective responsability.

Not that I care a lot anyways since I live in a country that took care of that matter awhile ago and strangely has an obesity rate about half of what it is in the U.S. Not trying to sound like a prick though

I haven't forgotten about your response. I've got a general idea of my own response, but I want to flesh it out more before I do so. And, things are pretty busy for me right now.

As to the bolded part, though? No, I don't think you are.

 

[Handsome Rob]

Yop that's why you have things like speed limits, airport controls, gun control (well not yet, but hopefully for you guys it'll come) ...

It's not about choice, it's society being responsible for individuals when individuals obviously cannot take responsibility for themselves. Wether you want to hear that or not, economicaly speaking, obesity and overweight are a liabilty for the entire community, it has an exponentially increasing cost supported by your evergrowing taxes and actions must be taken to reverse that morbid trend, as derisory as they may seem.

You're taking your personnal example, seriously that's good for you man as being in shape is important, but when I check the frightening obesity rates in the U.S. I cannot help but think that, obviously, not everyone is in the same situation, and that some regulation is actually more than wanted in this case.

It's not about freedom, more about collective responsability.

Not that I care a lot anyways since I live in a country that took care of that matter awhile ago and strangely has an obesity rate about half of what it is in the U.S. Not trying to sound like a prick though

America does have an obesity problem, no doubt. And, I live in the South, too! So, I see it everywhere. The solution, however, is not going to found in a soft-drink-size ban that punishes everyone for the irresponsibility of a minority (which I acknowledge may well become a majority in the future).

America's obesity problem has many roots, and sugary drinks are only one of them. I believe the following impact weight in some respect:

1. Our city/town layouts are designed primarily (and sometimes only) for motor vehicle travel. These disincentivize any other form of travel--some of the neighborhoods and major streets in my town don't even have sidewalks! You either walk on the road, a narrow shoulder, or in the ditch off the side of the road.

2. Technological advancement. This is both a blessing and a curse. Example: For the disabled and the feeble, elevators are a great, useful tool. They can help people who literally cannot use the stairs. Yet, I can't tell you how many smokers and obese co-workers (sometimes they're one and the same) get on the elevator to ride up ONE FLOOR. People who use technology to do tasks that would otherwise have to be done manually sacrifice calorie-burning activity in order to save time.

3. Fast food. Once again, a good and bad thing. Less than 25% of the calories I mentioned in my fast food meal in the previous post came from the large-sized drink, itself. Fast food is great in a pinch, but it should never become a dietary habit.

4. Time. Americans are typically rushed and are doing many different things, and so the time spent to prepare a meal is often pushed by the wayside for quick-prep meals, and those tend to be high in sodium, fat, or sugars. Calorie bombs. Fast food falls into this category, as well. For myself, I've pretty much designated Monday evenings as "cook for the week" evenings. Sure, I have leftovers until the weekend, but my other evenings are pretty busy with cycling, church, going out, etc.

5. Overuse of TV/Internet/Video Games--also known as "a sedentary lifestyle." 'Nuff said.

As long as you have these factors, even getting rid of soft drinks won't meaningfully impact obesity rates. There's also one more factor that can't be overlooked:

6. The removal of consequences for personal misbehavior. This may be seen as cruel or heartless, but we need to make the obese financially responsible for the health care costs incurred by their obesity (I say the same goes for smokers). Even if it bankrupts them. A society cannot survive if it advertises "freedom" but absolves people of having to bear the weight of the negative consequences that come with using that freedom to make irresponsible choices. If people want to live an obese lifestyle, fine by me. But make them pay for it--don't take away my liberty on account of their bad behavior.

And finally, where would it end? Soft drink limits today . . . maybe mandatory exercise classes tomorrow? Calorie intake limits? I don't want to be indoors in some stupid class just so the government can track my attendance when I could be outside riding my bike of my own free will. And calorie limits? Well, I can guarantee that any limit set by the government will be lower than what I personally need every day.

So, that's my response. Do you really think these people cannot take care of themselves? Or, is it that they just will not do so?

 

[enterthemadness]

Why do I picture this

Cause of this bro...

http://www.crabbypattysnc.com/

Oh..I don't need a stupid Liberal/Conservative Govt telling me what I can or cannot do with my time and body. Those two parties can piss off into a lake...and by lake, I mean a volcano. You tell me what to do...telling me what to do...telling me, me, me, me?! ***** please, you cant even balance your damn checkbook or pay off your credit card.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Well, if you live in the South it doesn't take a genius to see why you have an obesity problem. Look at what you're eating.

Fried chicken, BBQ, potato salad (which really isn't salad), chitlins, baked beans, ... the bible belt could stand to lose a few belt sizes.

You could run to work every day, it wouldn't make a difference.

 

[Thought Crime]

What happened to people's will power of quitting something that might not be healthy for them?

 

[Thundercrack85]

Depression and ignorance.

Plus many fat people are poor. Healthy food is expensive, and takes time to prepare.

 

[Thought Crime]

How expensive is "healthy" food? I don't have a great diet. I'm poor. And I'm not a fat. Somehow, I continue to manage to not be a fat. Part of it is heredity, I understand that. But walking is free. At least the person would be in motion.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Are you challenging the assertion or actually curious about the economics?

 

[Thought Crime]

CHALLENGE!

No, I'm not challenging. I'd really like to know thought what specifically is the healthy food were talking about. It probably is going to be limited to organics. Because everything canned contains salt. And I hear over and over how damaging salt can be.

 

[hippie_hunter]

What happened to people's will power of quitting something that might not be healthy for them?

It's very, very, very hard. I just recently gave up on the sodas and significantly reduced the amount of bad foods I take in. The result ended up in me acting like a junkie for a good couple of days. One of my good friends told me that I looked like I was going to die.

Thankfully, I didn't give in. But even with the worst of it being over, I will still stare at a soda or a fast food restaurant when I see one. And the first time I had a cookie felt orgasmic. So yeah, after going through all that, I really find myself having a better understanding as to why it's hard for people to quit.

 

[Thought Crime]

It's very, very, very hard. I just recently gave up on the sodas and significantly reduced the amount of bad foods I take in. The result ended up in me acting like a junkie for a good couple of days. One of my good friends told me that I looked like I was going to die.

Thankfully, I didn't give in. But even with the worst of it being over, I will still stare at a soda or a fast food restaurant when I see one. And the first time I had a cookie felt orgasmic. So yeah, after going through all that, I really find myself having a better understanding as to why it's hard for people to quit.

I understand that it can be hard. Like with with soda, I'm asked how much of it I consume. I haven't been told to quit it, just keep consumption of it minimal. Even 2 a day is said to be too much. I know which one's to stay away from. I enjoyed the Dew. But the last few times I had it, I didn't feel quite right. So I stay away from it from now on.

Were you advised to quit soda?

People got to want to change, is my point. It's hard. But the want has got to be there and it has got to be greater than the difficulty.

 

[Thundercrack85]

CHALLENGE!

No, I'm not challenging. I'd really like to know thought what specifically is the healthy food were talking about. It probably is going to be limited to organics. Because everything canned contains salt. And I hear over and over how damaging salt can be.

Well for one thing supply and demand. But subsidies are a large part of it (most people have no idea what is subsidized... or what subsidies are). Specifically things like high fructose corn syrup.

The prices of healthy food have increased steadily. Ask your grandparents, about fresh vegetables. If Americans go to Europe, they may be surprised to find for example how cheap vegetables are (given how expensive everything else is).

And here is a fairly dry article

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/04/us-food-costs-idUSTRE7734L620110804

 

[Thundercrack85]

Thankfully, I didn't give in. But even with the worst of it being over, I will still stare at a soda or a fast food restaurant when I see one. And the first time I had a cookie felt orgasmic. So yeah, after going through all that, I really find myself having a better understanding as to why it's hard for people to quit.

Eating that cookie feels odd doesn't it? Well, I had that with ice cream. Went on a diet, cut out most sugar, two months later, I had ice cream. Damn that was good (wasn't even a flavor I liked). But once you go back to eating them they lose a lot of their appeal. It's like a certain drug...