A champion and a congressman

Sugar daddy

Councilman Oliver Koppell sent Mayor Michael Bloomberg a letter to tell him that government should not dictate the size of New Yorkers’ sodas. 

Last month, Mr. Bloomberg proposed that the city limit the size of sugary drinks sold in food establishments to 16 oz. in an effort to combat obesity.  This means restaurants food carts, delis, movie theaters, stadiums and arenas would be banned from selling big sodas.

Mr. Koppell, with colleague Councilman Dan Halloran, wrote a letter to the mayor saying the ban is an example of the government going too far.

“Should the government mandate that vegetables be served with every meal, regulate the size of candy bars and pizza slices, or ban bars from serving any customer more than two drinks all under the pretense of protecting our health? It is not the role of the government to tell us how to live our lives …” reads the letter.

Mr. Koppell and Mr. Halloran also argue that it’s not necessarily unhealthy to drink a 20 oz. soda with lunch.

Since announcing the proposal, Mr. Bloomberg has been on the defensive.
Since June 1, his office sent out six press releases, each filled with quotes from politicians, public health experts and anti-obesity advocates expressing their support of the ban.

The first such release read, “more leaders, public health experts and anti-obesity advocates express support for Mayor Bloomberg’s new anti-obesity initiative.’
that soon changed to “more and more leaders…” which most recently changed on Monday to “more than fifty leaders…”

He also defended the ban on his weekly radio show on Sunday.

“We get more excess calories from sodas and other sugary beverages than any other individual source. What’s worse, these calories flood our bodies with sugar without making us feel full,” he said, according to a transcript.

He even gave a shout out to the Bronx. 

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