Would you like a large side of government with that?

We all should know about the NYC Soda Ban by now. If not from the news, I hope that you at least payed attention during sociology, or at least will not admit that you did not pay attention during sociology here.

 I would like to start of by addressing the link. The link is flooded with comments such as "this country is now turning into a 'dictatorship' and now telling us what we can and cannot eat..." and "do you pay for my health insurance?" followed with a snark comment like "the government needs to keep its nose out of our stomachs".

We can see America as a whole is angered and feels violated . We are entitled to freedoms as an American. Freedom to speech, freedom to petition, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and to peacefully assemble are all promised in the First Amendment. However, we do not see freedom to consume large quantities of soda that puts our lives at risk as a freedom listed. Yes, Americans for many decades have been able to consume these quantities. However,  as the chart shows obesity has been scarily and quickly rising since those days. One of the governments many roles is to protect us citizens even if they have to intervene with the "norms" of society.

The video explains that this legislation only affects food establishments regulated by the city. This actually means that 711 can sell what ever size Slurpee they feel like (even the BIG GULP!) because they are not regulated by the city. Along with 711 you can also walk to a grocery store and buy what ever size bottle you please. And did they even account for refills at fast food establishments! Even Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts will not be affected because the consumer adds the sugar and not the establishment. So what I think is going on here is Governor Bloomberg was not looking to take away New Yorker's freedoms in any way, but to force New Yorkers' to realize that they are becoming obese. Although, New York falls at number 43 in the ranking of obesity by state they still have 24.5% of New Yorker ADULTS being obese. This is without even our generation added in yet! With out the generations below us added in yet! HOLD UP!

If almost a quarter of the New York population is obese with out accounting for our generation and the ones below us the number will rise! This is crazy! We already saw the graph that showed the increase through the years and now a quarter of just adults are obese in New York City. Remember, this is a city where the main way of transportation is walking.

But why New York? Well, a ban like this has to take place somewhere. New York is a state that generally passes controversial legislation first (i.e. gay marriage). And New York, you could say, sets a trend or paves the road for other state legislation similar or completely the same to be passed.

So is the US really becoming a "dictatorship" or are we going to fall to Communism, I doubt it. The legislation is vague enough to still give us the freedom to buy these beverages we please, but force us as Americans to open our eyes to the problem among us, obesity. So you can fight "what next" all you want, but when I'm asked "Would you like a large side of government with that," I will gladly say yes because I value my own health and this Sugar Ban really opened my eyes to where the country's health is heading.