Panelists answered the question: Do you support the New York mayor’s idea to ban the sale of sugary soft drinks over 16 ounces in an effort to curb obesity?
Richard Herrera: “No. I agree with his intention but it would limit our freedom to choose.”
Richard Place: “This is just another distraction for the voters so they don’t pay attention to what’s really important. It’s the pot holes stupid. Fix the pot holes. Hey that’s an idea. Maybe we can take all the t-shirts we didn’t sell and mix them with tar and fix all the pot holes in Hollister.”
Marty Richman: “No. I was lucky enough to have good parents, I don’t need the government to be my second set. p.s., I only use diet sodas.”
Nants Foley: “No. I don’t like government dabbling in personal decision making.”
Steve Staloch: “No. It’s déjà vu of prohibition, and while I probably can’t make Pepsi in my bathtub, under this harebrain proposal I could apparently down four 16 ouncer’s at one sitting and avoid being tagged as a potential threat to society by Homeland Security. It’s one more example of the dire need for a Department of Common Sense in our dysfunctional government.”
Julie Morris: “Banning soft drinks, really? What’s next? We should be safeguarding personal freedoms that do not harm other people. Instead of managing for what we don’t want (obesity), let’s be creative and manage for what we do want: health. How about free yoga classes for all New Yorkers Mayor Bloomberg?”
Bill Mifsud: “No. I am tired of politicians making decisions for individual consumers. Someone who wants to indulge in a sugary soft drink is up to the individual. It does not affect me. When someone blows smoke in my face now that affects me and I don’t see Mayor Bloomberg banning smoking.”
Ruth Erickson: The mayor can have his own feelings about large, sugary soft drinks, but he doesn’t have the right to stop other people from buying them or businesses from selling them. If a person wanted to buy such a big drink and it was banned in New York, they could buy two drinks instead! When McDonald’s restaurants were asked not to sell children’s Happy Meals containing prizes, they just sold them for a few cents extra for each one, instead. That idea didn’t last long and kids have their prizes back in their Happy Meals.”
