New York City proposes ban on sale of large-size sodas
May 31, 2012 at 3:53 am in Duluth News Tribune
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in the city’s restaurants, delis and movie theaters in the hopes of combatting obesity an expansion of his administration’s efforts to encourage healthy behavior by limiting residents’ choices. Continue Reading

Dang…is there any area of our lives that Dumb-o-crats DON”T want to control? Now the Dumb-o-crats want to tell us how big our soft drinks can be? What next? The Dumb-o-crats seem he*l bent on controlling every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave. Excuse me, but I prefer freedom rather than Dumb-o-crat domination.
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how about conservatives wanting to control womens reproductive rights, gay rights, and marijuana usage??? If you think republicans dont want to control you as well your naive my friend.
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You think it’s only the R’s wanting to control MJ? Really? REALLY?
Have you paid attention at all to what Odumbo has been doing in terms of breaking every promise he ever made about it?
What did Clinton do to help move the US to a sensible policy?
What did Carter do?
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Levi: So you want to kill innocent unborn children and you want to use illegal drugs? That says a lot about you, and it ain’t good!!!
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You must not be much of a real Republican, Ulysses, or you’d nod sagely and mutter about states’ rights instead of caring about his or her specific views. Keep up with the playbook.
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Dear Mr. D, did you just land on this planet? If you have read my posts in the past you should have noticed that I am fiercely independent of any party alignment. I have always voted for whom I considered to be the best person, regardless of party, for decades. I will admit I am fiscally conservative, but that alone does not make a person a Republican. I am also loyal to this country and am dismayed by the number of people who want to tear it down. Did you ever think about what would develop if those who want to destroy this counrty were successful? For that reason I reject domination and will fight for this country and for peoples freedom. Freedom…a principle many people, including many of my close friends, have paid the ultimate price. I will not throw that principle away.
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Somebody who’s “fiercely independent” wouldn’t use the term “dumb-o-crat” four times in a single comment. I’m afraid you have made your stripes very clear, ulysses.
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What’s wrong with the term earned by the left, “dumb-o-crat”? It is one of those terms that is a timeless classic.
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Dumb-o-crats have worked long and hard with flawed economic polices, flawed jobs polices, flawed international relations, flawed political platforms which are designed to divide and conquer this nations populace. With so much effort put into flawed ineffective and downright destructive idealogies the dumb-o-crats have strived for, and certainly earned, such title.
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Ulysses said- “Dumb-o-crats have worked long and hard with flawed economic polices, flawed jobs polices, flawed international relations, flawed political platforms which are designed to divide and conquer this nations populace”
You’d have better luck I think convincing people you’re Mother Teresea then that you’re fiercely independent.
To your statement above- Actually Dems haven’t worked as hard as Repubs in addling your brain and brainwashing you to actually believe the above is true….it isn’t and the complete opposite is true.
Democratic presidents have increased the national debt by an average of 3.7 per year since World War II. Under Republican presidents, the national debt has increased by an average of 10.1 percent. For the same period, unemployment rate was 4.8 percent under Democrats compared to 6.3 percent under Republicans. Reagan, George H. and George W. all increased the size of Government, Carter and Clinton shrank it. Clinton started his first term inheriting a mild recession and removed the Republican supply side tax breaks and ended his second term with creating 23.5 million jobs and the largest budget surplus in our history. George W. started his first term inheriting a mild recession, reinstating the supply side tax breaks of which 43% of the gains went directly to the top 1% and ended his second term with worse job creation record in modern times,1.3 million, and the largest budget deficit in our history.
‘You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on” George W. Bush
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i dont know but i support the right for others to CHOOSE FREELY without government coercion…and if prohibition of alchohol was bad how is prohibition of marijuana not as well? If a law was wrong or unjust would you still follow it?? I dont support the ban on soft drinks mind you, im just making a point that you claiming dumbocrats (as you call them) are the sole problem is false. And you stating the government cant tell you what you can drink but then in next post claiming they can tell you to have a child (and cant smoke weed) says alot about you….as in your a hypocrite. Legal drugs caffeine, nicotine, alchohol, drug alternatives (which will always be synthesized legally as long as the natural drug is made illegal) are all way worse for you then marijuana. And before you reply i hope you read this…i am anti abortion but im pro choice (freedom from interference from others). And yes i do indeed smoke the wacky tobacky and proud to say i do and have even told a cop straight to his face that i smoke weed because i dont follow laws i feel are unjust. And no i wasnt arrested for it…in fact it was for failure to appear in court for a fix-it-ticket, another law i felt was unjust and refused to abide by. Im not afraid to sit in jail for a night to exercise my right to freely ignore an unjust law.
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Tell it, Levi.
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The pro-life people aren’t telling you to have a child. What they are saying is if you are going to scr*w around, you will inevitably scr*w up, at that point you have to accept the responsibility for your actions. The wacko left would like the nanny state to cover us on all of our needs and all of our mistakes. Well life is not a “no fault” proposition. There definitely should be consequences to be paid for by those who scr*w up due to their own actions. Don’t want a kid? Keep a nickel between your knees girls just like if you don’t want a hole in your head don’t play Russian Roulette. It is called COMMON SENSE, something severely lacking among dumb-o-crats.
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Brain addling drugs, Sodomy, and the butchery of the unborn is fine with Levi, but don’t you dare touch his big gulp! And the Left wonders why they have no credibility? Maybe it’s the drugs. I dunno.
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lol once again hugh u make no sense and dont actually read the post (or comprehend it) i said i dont support the ban on big gulps god READ PLEASE…lol and i also said i am anti abortion…matter of fact im anti condoms as well lol. Im just not like you where i (or the government) feel the need to intervene in other peoples lives when it doesnt harm other people.
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and yea i know your reply will be that abortion is hurting other people, and so some extent i agree but i am a realist on this issue, if women arent allowed to they will just resort to old wives tales tactics to resolve their perceived “problem”. But when it comes to weed and sodomy (you brought that up not me bud …where did that come from??? your hidden desires dept of your brain???) it doesnt involve anyone that is not a willing partner…and that goes for prostitution as well. So abortion yeah you may have a case for intervention but not for any others.
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So by your reasoning, if something is illegal but still generally practiced despite its illegality, we should cave and make it legal? Does the term anarchy ring a bell? Or has your already been wrung once too many times? (can you say “bong”)
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“Oh gee, I can’t buy a 1L soda anymore. Guesssss I’ll just get two 20 ounces”
Morons.
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It just makes stuff more expensive… Get a large soda and an extra cup, get a large fry and and split it. Everyone doesn’t need to have an individual item. You don’t need a kids meal…just get a large size for yourself and split it with the kids.
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Hmm…the two people that gave me thumbs down must be the same people that spend all the money in the grocery store to buy overpriced single serve things such as fruit cups (just get a can of fruit), lunchables (30 cents worth of crackers/meat/cheese costing $3.49), and 8 oz cans of pop (the 12 oz cans are actually cheaper)
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Oh Ya, the old General has it down. Look at what a big fiasco that cigarette ban for the sake of health was, what a waste of time an research to prove the baloney around second hand smoke too. And now they worry about all the corn syrup we eat, its a natural product dontcha know, just like carbon dioxide, all natural – all good to me, Ulysses is Da Man…………….
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I guess Bloomberg thinks New Yorkers are too stupid to buy two drinks if they can’t get one large one. But they keep re-electing him, so they’re getting exactly what they asked for. Kind of like Duluthians who keep electing the same people and then complaining when nothing changes.
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This ban reminds me of Superior City Councilor Greg Mertzig’s failed attempt to ban toys given away in fast food restaurants. The young up and coming politician was quickly scuttled out the door during his last re-election attempt. It sometimes takes a while for people to wake up to stupidity, but even liberal NYC barely re-elected him last time by only 2%. Just goes to show the power of money still reigns supreme in elections these days.
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Actually, Mertzig failed to file his re-election papers on time. Which goes to show how organized and on top of things he was.
Regardless, his backing of that policy showed exactly how ill-suited he was for the job. If parents can’t keep their spawn from eating food that isn’t healthy, then they’re probably poor parents to begin with. Perhaps social services should refocus their efforts on crappy parenting.
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That’s true too. His mom attempted to turn in non-noterized papers on the last day which is always risky to wait till the end, but he still campaigned as a write-in and that fell on deaf ears. I have a couple of East End friends and I can remember they all going crazy over what he was attempting to do. If I remember right, San Fransisco was trying to ban the McDondalds kid’s meal toy and I think he was trying to ride the wave. I’m glad to see that Superior isn’t nearly that liberal, but there are certainly a lot of Democrats in that town that unknowingly succumb to the liberal agenda just by voting straight ticket all the time.
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That’s what happens when all people do is sit around with their hand out. The left has created a class of dependent leftists that won’t do a thing for themselves.
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Where are you getting your information from? Some of the most health conscious people I know are Democrats. And, if anything, it’s the right-wing’s “pro-businesses” stance that has outsourced millions of U.S. jobs, driving people to public assistance.
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You openly advocate the free use of dope, but decry obesity. Are you so senile that you’ve forgotten how bad the munchies are when you’re stoned?
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I wonder if the irony of a large soft drink ban, with the exclusion of alcohol is lost on the reader.
Not me.
Goofy nanny politics. You want to amend the ban and only apply it to minors, I’ll listen.
Til then, you are kidding, right?
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Levi, thank you for finally admitting you’re a dope-head burnout, I always wondered. That crap kills the old brain cells, obviously.
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yet it opens up your mind to other possibilities something you could never do apparently.
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I have yet to witness and positive possibilities as a result of having been stoned. Sloth, lack of ambition, paranoia, confusion. Yeah, we should all be open to such wonderful “possibilities”. Heck, we might even get elected president.
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ANY positive possibilities. See what drugs can do, even 30 years after the fact.
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theres no positive possibilities from alchohol and soft drinks as well (maybe besides calories which leads to obesity though) but they are legal so whats your point. And just because something isnt positive doesnt mean it should be banned, taxed to all hell maybe to discourage its use and age restrictions as well but prohibition? cmon now…..and just because you were lazy, lacked ambition, are parnoid, and confused (id say youve changed on first two…last two not so sure) from smoking weed doesnt mean other people get that way.
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Why just last week I read where a teenager was arrested for driving under the influence of Pepsi.
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lol you do realize the last three presidents have admitted to doing drugs as well as many of our founding fathers right? so one can smoke it and still become president id say it cant be that bad.
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I believe you just made my point better than I could. Take a look at the accomplishments and behavior of our last three presidents. Hardly something to be proud of, eh? But hey, they all partook of the herb.
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wow hugh wow..just last week thousands were arrested for consuming alchohol , so why is that still legal ? your logic is still flawed indeed. And about our past 3 presidents doing drugs who do you think is more proud of their sons the moms whose sons became presidents or hugh js mom who just might still be tucking him into bed.
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Take another hit man, you’re harshin’ my buzz!
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nice try hugh but the face eater was on bath salts not weed keep misinforming though it seems to work well for conservatives especially in wisconsin
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Hugh~ “I have yet to witness and positive possibilities as a result of having been stoned. ”
Didn’t know you were a stoner. Oh…Music would be one.
Hugh~ “Sloth, lack of ambition, paranoia, confusion. Yeah, we should all be open to such wonderful “possibilities”. Heck, we might even get elected president.”
Well it worked for George W. though he did seem adled and confused a lot. We’ve actually had 4 US Presidents that I’m aware of that smoked weed and besides Clinton and Bush, whose adled little brain and constant confusion was like synaps weren’t firing on time I would actually attribute to his mixing alcohol and cocaine and not the weed but also Lincoln and Jefferson did but it was legal then.
“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” – Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)
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How long are you gonna milk that one quote taken entirely out of context? Is that all you’ve got?
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how is it out of context…please explain and we will milk it as long as is needed until it is decriminalized.
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Levi, give it up. You advocate for dope, and you advocate for the crud that TLPO was selling. Now we have a doped, out face eating cannibal shot while enjoying his biddies face. I seriously doubt any of this would have happened had not both parties been under the influence. To the best of my knowledge, Face eating has always been illegal, but that did stop this hungry dude.
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Why do Republicans always resort to personal insults? Do you think it makes you seem more credible?
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Why ban soda when you can tax it?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-ban-soda-when-you-can-tax-it/2012/06/01/gJQAT27E7U_blog.html?wprss=rss_ezra-klein
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Interesting comments that are nearly evenly split between the government totalitarian/authoritarian overreach or sound public policy trying to curb an epidemic. There are intriguing arguments on both sides.
Arguments in favor of the ban include sugary beverages clearly contribute to obesity which is to blame for a significant portion of our health issues including strokes, heart attacks & diabetes. The proposal is targeted towards the city’s poorer residents who may not have a sophisticated understanding of nutrition. The medical costs are largely borne by the the public in the form of higher premiums or higher taxes for public healthcare. We have barely begun to see the impact of an entire generation being raised on empty calories and run-away obesity. Similar to seat belt laws soda bans reduce cost to society.
On the other side, freedom loving people believe Nanny Bloomberg’s solution is appalling and he’s stripping away our freedoms inch by inch. Paternalistic public policy is creating a new wave of intervention and who knows where it could lead? Ban hamburgers, donuts, skydiving, limit the time pent on the beach? But such moves represent a constant creep of sending the country down the slippery slope of more government control and less individual choice.
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Bloomberg is a fascist pure and simple.
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Something’s amiss when brash, tough New Yorkers have to ask Bloomberg’s permission when selecting an otherwise-legal and nonlethal beverage. Bloomberg’s is no stranger to dictating consumer choice with health care crusades banning smoking indoors and outside businesses and parks as well as banning trans fats from restaurant cooking. Many cites and states have followed Bloomberg’s leads in the past but this is a draconian overreach – Big Brother is no match for Big Gulp.
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“Big Brother is no match for Big Gulp” sounds like an axiom if I ever heard one.
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Before you blame the democrats for this you may want to check the mayors party! He was a democrat however he switched to the republican side when he ran for office! If I can’t have a 32oz coke I’ll have 2 16oz please..
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Food nanny Bloomberg was a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2001, the year he was first elected mayor. In 2007, he left the party while flirting with a possible presidential run as an independent. He was re-elected mayor as an independent in 2009.
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Quote David Anderson “Bloomberg is a fascist pure and simple.” good term for republican! LOL!
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hmm, ‘your comment is awaiting moderation’….wonder who works for Mickey Dee or Booger Queen?
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the fast-food places should just switch to sugar free Kool-Aid in a 40oz cup and the customers can add liquor to it – i bet that would be healthier . and bake the fries instead of frying and dipping cups with tartar sauce .
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Yeah, bring your own bottle!
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I have come to the conclusion that the people of Duh-luth are a bunch of crabs….except Nathan….he seems like a regular guy. The rest of you are not worthy of my friendship…especially what’s his name (D.I.). Continue on with your sad lives…I’m going home where people are nice to me.
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Calories in a 16oz soda, about 190. Calories in a Bigmac, nearly 600. Calories in a double whopper, nearly 1000. And the left thinks banning soda will save us? Do the math!
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I don’t really see this as a Democrat/Republican thing because they both are all about crowd control in some form. I see this as a silly piece of legislation. This is a case of his heart is in the right place but his head is in another certain area. THere is a MAJOR health issue in America and I think the government shouold have a vested interest. I admit I am not exactly running Grandmas Marathon this year. But forget soda, has anyone else noticed energy drinks seem to be cheaper than soda in some instances. You can’t tell me there isn’t going to be a long-term effect of those things. I had one once and my stomach hurt for 4 hours. I don’t think banning large soda is going to do much. I am in rare agreement with the “conservatives” on this one if I had to take a side. I think of it this way, if you have a morbidly obese person out there who goes to a restaurant and orders the biggest cheeseburger, extra fries, and a dessert……I am not exactly worried about the 32oz diet soda they are going to crush along with the meal.
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He’s so worried about people’s health that he bans smoking in restaurants, bans trans fat in foods, forbids New Yorkers from giving food to homeless people because the city can’t regulate it and now he wants to ban large sodas. But you can go to the same restaurants featuring all the latest bans and you can have as many alcoholic drinks as you want and then drive home. You know, because he cares about your health.
Really?
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Blomberg is so out of touch that both major parties deny any affiliation with him. You know, if Reagan hadn’t opened up the asylums, we probably would be having this discussion.
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ROFLMAO…there are 4 conservatives that sit roost here constantly every day and all of them here having a tirade and saying same thing and assuming that Bloomberg is a Democrat…kinda makes one go….mmmmm? Coincidence?
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You’re not especially well informed, are you. Blomberg said he was a republican, then he said he was a democrat, now he says he’s an independent. What will you say when he says hes a doper?
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here’s a thought. Blomberg want’s to ban large sodas because he thinks that they are the cause of this obesity epidemic. Well a disproportionate number of those affected by his decree are on public assistance. If they can afford to buy too much food, maybe public assistance is paying too much.
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