Covered at Reason 24/7: Drink Up, New Yorkers, for Tomorrow You Shall Diet

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's condescending and complicated large sugary drink ban (the wrong sugary drink, anyway) begins tomorrow. It's chock full of so many guidelines and exceptions that it's a nightmare for businesses to comply, but a boon to government bureaucrats looking for busywork to justify their salaries.

The New York affiliate for CBS News talks to businesses that are going to feel the impact:

"I definitely believe it's going to hurt my business ," said Mary Cira of Pronto Pizza, who said she had to toss nearly a $1,000 worth of 20 ounce and 2 liter bottles of soda. She'll also have to reprint her menus.

"I have a combo special with a 2 liter soda," she said.

"Personally, I think it's ridiculous," a coffee cart operator named said Peter told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck "It's going to slow things down because I'm going to have to put the sugar on the side."

Yes, that's right, you can put as much sugar as you want in your coffee, but not in your soda.

UPDATE: Never mind!

Follow this story and more at Reason 24/7.

If you have a story that would be of interest to Reason's readers please let us know by emailing the 24/7 crew at [e-mail], or tweet us stories at @reason247.

Comments

[R C Dean]

This should pretty well put paid to the image New Yawkers like to have of themselves as a bunch of tough guys who don't take no guff from nobody.

What a bunch of fucking pussies, to put up with this nanny a-hole.

[Almanian!]

I've been told by multiple New Yawkers to STFU cause I don't live there, and Bloomie's doing a GREAT job, and it's a BIG city, and SO complex, and if I don't like it, I must be a three year old.

I just shake my head in wonder. Oh, PS, these are all transplants from elsewhere, not natives. So maybe that's it...although my sister lived there for 15, 20 years and never got all butthurt about things.

Who knows...fuck 'em.

[wareagle]

yes, a city so complex that its denizens need Hizzoner to tell them what size soda they can buy. Do they
need the appropriate number of toilet paper squares dictated to them, too?

I'm with RC; all the talk about NYC being home to the tough guy is nothing but talk. They're the same bunch who tolerated the Occutards so screw 'em; eat the cost of the govt you elected.

[Generic Stranger]

Did you say toilet paper? no, see, there's this little shelf with three sea shells...

[A Serious Man]

Honest question: why do people voluntarily live in New York City?

[Almanian!]

STFU, Serious MAN! YOU don't live there? Then you can't comment! It's a little more complex than [wherever you live], and Bloomberg's doing a pretty good job. The stats agree, so....science.

/butthurt NYC'er

[SugarFree]

why do people voluntarily live in New York City?

Because--like everywhere else--all you hear on the macroscale is the loudest and dumbest voices. If you like city life, it's a great place. Tons of food, tons of things to do, tons of places to explore.

I love to visit NYC, but I don't think I'd survive living there.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

Plus, jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs. If you like city life, it's incredible. Food. Booze. Anything you might want to buy (other than a 32 oz. soda or a gun, of course). More languages spoken more commonly than virtually anywhere else in the US. Did I mention jobs? Especially, jobs in high-status industries that people from all around the country want to work in.

There is massive in-migration to NYC from all over the country. If people didn't want to live there, the rent wouldn't be too damn high.

[Pro Libertate]

Is that right? Because it wasn't very long ago that I read that people were leaving the city in fairly substantial numbers. We're certainly overrun down here.

[Episiarch]

Young people move in, old people and families move out. Thus it has always been.

[Pro Libertate]

I can't speak to this with any authority, but the influx of New Yorkers in this part of Florida is mostly of the younger variety.

I'm curious to hear what the actual demographics of any shift are.

Incidentally, aren't you a counter-example to your example?

[Episiarch]

How am I a counter example? I moved there when I was 23, and moved out at 30.

[Pro Libertate]

Unless this is Logan's Run, 30 isn't old.

If it is Logan's Run, I'm actually 12, everyone. Twelve.

[jesse.in.mb]

Shhh ProL if you tell him it's not Logan's Run he won't go in for Carrousel.

[JW]

All I know is that fucking Yankees fans are everywhere. It's a plague, I tell you.

[wareagle]

not only are they everywhere, they usually want (insist?) to bring what they left along with them.

[R C Dean]

There is massive in-migration to NYC from all over the country.

On net, the population is only about 5% greater than it was in 1960. The country has grown a lot more than that.

[JW]

I love to visit NYC, but I don't think I'd survive living there.

This. A great place to visit...

[Zeb]

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

[$park?]

No shit. I hate going to the mall around the holidays because of all the people. NYC is like the mall x 10000000000.

[Hyperion]

Her's the best way to see NYC. Take a bus to the Port Imperial pier on the NJ side. There's a nice bar there and they serve Ayinger Heffy on tap. Sit at the bar, drink beer and look at NYC out the window. Get back on bus and go home.

The last time I was there, I took the ferry over, and stayed in a hotel at Times Square. Everything is ridiculously expensive, and there were so many people you can barely walk around on the streets. It's prettier from the NJ side.

[Hyperion]

Here's, damnit!

[Capt Ace Rimmer]

I flew past it once. That place has natural-disaster apocalyptic zombie death trap written all over it.

[JD the elder]

"stayed in a hotel at Times Square. Everything is ridiculously expensive, and there were so many people you can barely walk around on the streets."

Now why the heck would you do that, you son of a silly person? You stay in the most central, most touristy place you can find, and then you complain about it being expensive and crowded?

[Anomalous]

The American Beverage Association is suing to keep this from going into effect.

[Almanian!]

Haters gonna hate. Kochporashunz all getting up in New Yorker's bidness - they VOTED for this, Beverage Association (if that's your REAL name). So back the fuck off, aight?

Always the resort to the lawyers - ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, BEVERAGE KOCHTOPUS.

/derp

[Hyperion]

The American Beverage Association is suing to keep this from going into effect

Why? It's just PenalTaxes all the way down...

[buybuydandavis]

"but a boon to government bureaucrats looking for busywork to justify their salaries."

More and more laws exist to employ regulators and create criminals.

[Anomalous]

Sic semper tyrannis.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I definitely believe it's going to hurt my business ," said Mary Cira of Pronto Pizza, who said she had to toss nearly a $1,000 worth of 20 ounce and 2 liter bottles of soda. She'll also have to reprint her menus.

Broken windowsmenus are the engine of economic growth.

[Almanian!]

The Printer's Union thanks Mayor Bloomberg.

[Hyperion]

But, Mikey said that it's only a suggestion. If they really still want 32 oz., then they can just go back again for another 16 oz. And if there's no bread, let them eat cake, cause there's no end to what they'll take.

[Ruckus]

So, let me see if I understand these regs correctly (which is likely going to be impossible since I'm an outsider).

It applies to restaurants, bars, stadiums, etc; places that serve "prepared food", but not grocery stores. So could a restaurant owner say "Sure you can bring your 20oz mt dew you bought down the street into my restaurant", to facilitate to the people who want sugary drinks?

It doesn't apply to diet soda, but it equally applies to fountain and bottle. So if you have a soda fountain, do you only have 16oz cups, no diet, or do you have to taste test all 17oz+ cups before you complete the transaction to ensure no sugary drinks made it in there?

Are cops going to harass people walking down the street with big gulps, trying to investigate whether the soda was purchased legally or not?

I'm embarrassed I live in a world where what I just typed is not fiction.

[DJF]

Psst, hey buddy, yeah you, you look thirsty, how about some of the good stuff in a big gulp cup?

[Invisible Finger]

It does sound just like a Get A Life episode.

[Warty]

I once went to New York City and I did not hate it as much as I expected to. AND NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED.

[Episiarch]

If only you could say that about Cleveland.

[Warty]

Nothing else happens in Cleveland all the time, you idiot.

[JW]

What? I heard that it rocks.

[Warty]

You leave Drew Carey out of this.

[JW]

Who am I supposed to believe? One of the foremost comics and game show hosts of our times or hirsute, cross-species sexual predator with questionable musical tastes?

[Warty]

Questionable???

[Almanian!]

YOU LEAVE STEVE SMITH OUT OF THIS. STEVE SMITH NOT CROSS SPECIES PREDATOR - JUST CAMPER HIKER PREDATOR.

[A Serious Man]

Why is it that Cleveland of all places ended up the with the coolest anthem ever for a city?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vl5FWUMnNM

[RG]

I thought this was Cleveland's anthem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

[jesse.in.mb]

No trawling The Brambles for victims? That sounds like a lame trip to NYC.

[Hyperion]

Are cops going to harass people walking down the street with big gulps, trying to investigate whether the soda was purchased legally or not?

They could combine a new 'stop and slurp' policy to go along with their current 'stop and frisk' policy to ensure that there are no rogue soda drinkers on NYC streets, for the children.

[LTC(ret) John]

Not so fast!

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....74394.html

[Ruckus]

FREEDOM

[RG]

Apparently, a judge just blocked the ban.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/.....it-illegal

[LTC(ret) John]

HA, got ya by one minute!

[RG]

No fair! You were jacked up on 20 oz of Mountain Dew.

[Hyperion]

Well, this judge apparently has never heard of a Penaltax! Just wait until SCOTUS has their say!

[Invisible Finger]

Why throw out the 20 oz. cups? Can't you just put more ice in them (or not fill them up all the way)?

Or does Mayor Stoopidberg think that 16 oz of soda plus 4 oz. of ice equals 20 oz of soda?

[Tim]

As a business owner, you "throw them out" and write off the loss on your taxes. Of course nothing was actually thrown out, but that's what you tell the reporter...

[JD the elder]

Also, the city health inspectors are/were going to go around with measuring cups. I wish I were making that up.

[John]

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....74394.html

No so fast

[LTC(ret) John]

And I got YOU by 2 minutes, AND the same catch phrase.

[Tim]

Never go up against a Sicilian with death on the line.

[Almanian!]

Never engage in a land war in Asia.

[Hyperion]

PENALTAX!

/John Roberts

[Scott S.]

I take a lunch break and look at what happens.

[jesse.in.mb]

Lunch breaks and all the monocles and top hats you can carry? Reason is just too generous an employer.