As time goes on, it has become increasingly clear that the American people have a problem. America, the land of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell, has been allowing its citizens to overindulge on foods and drinks that have been negatively impacting their lives. New York City has been at the forefront of trying to improve public health through various means, such as being one of the first cities to ban smoking in public restaurants and bars, a ban that soon spread around the country. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been the architect of these solutions, which have been extremely successful in the past, but this is the beginning of a solution for the new epidemic.
Mayor Bloomberg is at it again with a controversial new regulation that limits the size of the cups that restaurants and various other eating establishments must use to serve sugary drinks to 16 ounces. The New York City Health Board decided to implement this due to the enormous growth in the percentage of overweight people in New York City, which, according to the Health Board, amounts for 58 percent of the city’s population. The Health Board claims that by implementing this rule, the city as a whole will cut out almost 2.3 million pounds from its diet per year. The Health Board is made up of professors of medicine from all of the top schools in the region, which is why it approved this rule by an 8-0 margin (there was one abstention).
However, this regulation doesn’t cover everything. Convenience stores are notably excluded from this deal, which means that 7-11 can continue to sell its notorious Big Gulps. Also excluded from this regulation are alcoholic beverages and diet drinks, which is interesting, considering that research clearly shows that diet sodas are worse for the human body than regular ones are.
The polling done on the issue shows that 60 percent of New Yorkers disagree with the regulation. This is usually bad news for any politician, but Bloomberg is in his last term. This regulation will not be the last one, since Bloomberg will use his last term to enact legislation that is politically toxic because he no longer has to worry about winning reelection.
This regulation isn’t meant to stop people from consuming all soda or drinks of that nature, but to help show people moderation. There’s nothing stopping someone from ordering a second drink, but it causes the individual to realize how much sugar they’re actually consuming. This is a great way to educate the public, and Bloomberg will most likely take additional steps in this direction, and I applaud his efforts.
