DAN’S PAPERS
Page 60 June 15, 2012
danshamptons.com
Drinking in Obesity Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that he wants to place a ban on the sale of big soda drinks and limit their sizes to 16 ounces or less. The idea is that if he bans these big drinks, somehow this will help stop the obesity epidemic. I…I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It’s just filled with so much wrong. Let me take a breath here. Okay…hang on…oh, damn it I can’t control myself…NO! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! All right, now that it is out of my system, let’s talk about why I don’t agree with this idea in any way, shape or form. It is not the government’s role to tell us how much food we are allowed to eat. I think it’s their role to tell us what is healthy and what is unhealthy, but this is simply going WAY too far. I believe in government and think it’s important. Having a rule that you can only smoke outdoors is a good thing, but if it suddenly became illegal to sell certain amounts of cigarettes in stores, that would be a bad thing. What’s the next step here? Making large hot dogs illegal? Making ice cream cone sizes illegal? Making it illegal to buy large bags of potato chips? Pizza? Milkshake sizes??? AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES IT THIS WAY??? Obesity in America is a real public health
problem, but it isn’t the fault of think that drinking extra virgin food companies—it is on all the olive oil by the teaspoon is a individuals for not taking care good idea (olive oil is one of of themselves. The next time the most calorie dense foods you walk into a restaurant, ask in the world), or that drinking yourself how many meals are vinegar by the teaspoon is a extremely unhealthy and if the good idea, because they read it portions are way too big. Try to from an “expert” who is looking have a restaurant meal under 2,000 to make a buck. People seem calories and purchase one drink, to believe anything. It always an appetizer and an entree, plus a amazes me. few rolls from the breadbasket. It’s Look, food is important. You absolutely impossible. Should we have to eat to live—you just ban the sale of THOSE oversized don’t need to eat so much. And meals also? if you overeat, you will make Of course we shouldn’t. yourself fat and sick. Anybody If you are going to ban anything, that debates that needs to it should be made illegal for an There are better ways to fight obesity have his or her head examined. “expert” to advise you to go on a This soda ban will probably go “diet” where you can “eat as much as you want” through, and nothing will happen. Obesity in of a specific type of food, like certain low-carb the United States would be better fought if diets. I know people who eat cheese, meat, fish the message from our health authorities were and salads all day long and stuff their face as to simply eat less. But my fear is that too few much as they can, remain overweight, and don’t people would want to do that, because it’s too understand why it’s not working for them. I was “hard.” one of those people for a long time. Last time I checked, I’m supposed to be Diets work if you eat fewer calories. Period. A living in a country that likes to embrace things lot of people don’t understand that. I don’t know that are difficult to accomplish. Taking on if even Bloomberg understands that. But there challenges that are hard is what has made our are a lot of things like that. I know people on nation great. Long Island who are so afraid of the tap water I guess I just got off topic there. Back to that they would rather drink water that has my point—a soda ban is dumb. It smacks been sitting in a plastic container for months of the political posturing I’m just so tired of at a time and believe that somehow, because it seeing. Mayor Bloomberg has been great for is from Vermont, it’s better. I know people who New York, but this idea isn’t. neomodermist/Flickr
By David lion Rattiner
“It’s Not Just An Awning, It’s Your Image” Servicing Nassau & Suffolk Licensed & Insured
SUMMER SALES EVENT
Enjoy an additional 30% off our already low outlet prices on all Spring and Summer Collections
Patio awnings, store front awnings, solar panels, boat canvas party tents, and patio furniture. Water repellant. Uv protectant. Removal of black streaks and mildew bird droppings. Clean any outdoor fabric or material. Winter specials for take down clean and storage.
1-855-2SCRUBIT(272-7824) 14841
Enter the Dan's Papers $6,000 Literary Prize for NonFiction for details go to
Worth New York | Tanger Outlet Center 200 Tanger Mall Drive, Suite 510 | Riverhead, NY 11901 16487
danshamptons.com/literaryprize