News that at the last minute, a New York City judge has blocked a new law a day before the law was to take effect.
The law would forbid the sale of drinks larger than 16 ounces (473ml) in food-service establishments.
The rather pompous Mayor Michael Bloomberg has whinged that they judge got it all wrong, and is going to appeal, saying he's on some mission to "save lives" and this will do it.

I am not in favour of people consuming huge portions of anything and becoming dangerouslay fat, but this is no place for the law. But I think we are going the same way in this country too, with health police impinging ever more widely, smokers being treated like lepers when seeking treatment, drinkers being the next target with all this Units nonsense.

I fear though it's only a matter of time. Eventually, every aspect of your life really will be micromanaged, Orwell was right, and 1984 is well on the way.

They should just charge people for healthcare. That would make them realise how being fat isn't great.

Yep, or how getting cancer is gods will, especially for the impoverished.

Thought they did pay for their health care. Even fat people pay NI.

Are you trying to confuse him?

Fat people also pay proportionately more tax, since if they drink a quart of sugary drink, they pay 400% more VAT than someone who just has a half. Not to mention the additional tax generated by the extra profit made by the retailer, and by the manufacturer who has to make more to satisfy the fat bloaters' demand, and the haulage companies that have to transport fatties' extra rations about, etc etc.

This effect will of course be magnified considerably since its not as if all the fatties will have is the drink, is it, same argument applies to the double cheeseburgers, extra large fries and puddings.

They already pay for it (I want to call you a numbnuts but I won't) as what do you think taxes pay for ?
Infact eating more means they pay more tax in VAT.

Can I ask is your username how others feel after they try and have a sensible conversation with you?

This is typical of centre right think tanks, anything they don't like they wanna tax, because education and changing peoples ways costs way too much.

Don't think he needs any help from me on that score. Seems to do very well all by himself.

Not sure where I read it but there was a loophole in this new clause allowing the major fast food chains to continue selling large cups and small independent stores had to quit.

One could argue that legislation is the only viable option when health lobbies try and take on corporations that spend billions in product placement, advertising and political lobbying while knowing that the huge amounts of corn syrup fructose they put in their drinks is killing people.

"all this units nonsense"?
I can appreciate that no-one knows whether 21 units is the correct boundary ... but it's a fact that as alcohol consumption has increased, so has cirrhosisof the liver.
People used to die in their fifties and sixties of it, now we are increasingly seeing people dying of it in their thirties.
I think we need another thread for this topic.


Give over.

If it is, then legislate to ban the use of corn syrup fructose.

Or legislate to put tobacco-style warnings on all products containing it.

Do something that might actually work.

What is the point of banning the sale of greater than 16oz drinks? What if I get one, then am still thirsty, so get another? Or two? It is futile and pointless, as well as likely to make no difference at all to obesity health issues, as well as ridiculous since hardly every purchaser is obese, and no purchaser is obese because they buy big drinks at takeaways. It is ridiculous because if you were really wanting to have an anti-obesity effect then you should restrict the entire calorie content any individual is allowed to buy. What is healthier, a large Coke, or a small diet coke with a double big-Mac meal, extra fries, extra onion rings and a McFlurry or two? You simply can't micromanage these things, it's silly, it is an unwarranted intrusion which does nothing to achieve its stated aims, but makes an ass of the law.

I'll drink to that, and so will only comment that I seriously doubt that any person who died of cirrhosis of the liver recently did so without having known that the government recommends 3 or 4 units or whatever limits

Also alcohol misuse is not the only cause of the condition and I don't know of any evidence proving the link you make although would accept that especially the young who want to drink alcohol at alarming rates and in huge quantities are clearly at great risk of doing themselves long term harm. Every single one of them knows all about units, and it's printed on every bottle they buy, but it doesn't modify their behaviour.

Oh and btw it is nonsense, given that we learned a year or two back that in actual fact, the unit limits were pulled out of a hat, on the basis of no evidence at all, by government health experts that were put on the spot and asked to come up with a figure. It could have been any figure.



Says the man whose phone calls are all on tape in America, whose every outdoor movement is logged by mobile providers and tracked by CCTV, whose every purchase from supermarkets can be logged tracked and purchases targeted, who even while browsing this site has his postings continually monitored and ads flashing up depending on context.