Strong Words From Both Sides at Soda Ban Hearing (New York City)

[alp227]

Last edited Wed Jul 25, 2012, 04:24 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: NY Times

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to restrict sales of big sugary drinks in New York faced its first formal test with the public on Tuesday.

In the end, however, few of the dozens of speakers who turned out at a hearing before the city’s Board of Health represented the average soda-drinker on the street.

Instead, politicians, soft-drink industry officials and public health experts dominated the presentations, along with several union officials, consumer advocates and at least one lobbyist from Auntie Anne’s, the soft-pretzel chain, who noted in his remarks that “nothing compares to a golden-brown Auntie Anne pretzel and lemonade.”

When Daniel Simon of Manhattan testified toward the end of the hearing, he felt compelled to note that, “for the record, nobody is paying me to be here,” adding that he had even spent $2.25 to make the subway ride over to Long Island City, Queens, where the hearing was held.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/nyregion/at-hearing-on-soda-ban-strong-words-both-sides.html

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A certain New York City RW Internet celebrity named Bob Thompson, behind the "Drinking with Bob" YouTube channel, would have testified:

[Akoto]

1. All I'll say on this is ...

I am, for some reason, very amused by the Auntie Anne lobbyist. Talk about an opportunist, giving his sales pitch in the middle of a battlefield. Haha.

[longship]

2. ... in the middle of battlefield HaHa

Maybe better phrasing?

Sometimes politics can get ridiculous. Then, ridicule is the only rational response.

[valerief]

3. Why do people care about this at all? Hey, everyone, the elites have bankrupted us all

and shipped our jobs overseas! This drink nonsense is just another distraction from the Treasury Raiding.

[KurtNYC]

6. this is what happens when someone is mayor of NYC for more than 5 years

they become self-appointed life coaches, personal trainers and art critics and then use the legal system to dictate how others should live.

Bloomberg would do better by promoting more healthy options.

[Javaman]

7. while I agree it maybe nonsense, coke cola doesn't think so...

and this is less about a few people "outraged" over their sugar water being taken away as it is coke making sure they don't have their profits cut into.

eliminate lobbying and the world gets better.

[Remmah2]

4. What ever happened to personal responsibility and self control?

Nanny Bloomburg. Sheesheeeeeeeeee.

[Javaman]

8. read up on the coke cola company

then get back to me.

this has less to do with a "nanny state" than you think.

[Remmah2]

9. The products are not natural.

High fructose corn syrup, caffeine, aspartame, artificial colors. Diet or regular cancer please.

I remember back in the late 60's when the American Cancer Society told me tobacco products were bad for me. Yet America continues to smoke. The list of process foods not good for the human body grew and grew. Periodic table on a cereal box. I do realize that Coca-Cola is all about the corporate profits, the info about their greed and toxins has been out there for years. I don't understand why people don't wake up to the facts. I do object to Bloombugger (anyone) sticking their nose in anyone else's business and mandating anything.

Brew your own brother.

[Javaman]

10. I just started making my own root beer and ginger ale. :)

I took a vow to only drink soda that I make.

I think there should be a "snack tax" on the crap that is not required for good health.

Cheers.

[Remmah2]

11. Way back

Way back I switched to sun tea or iced coffee. I've never been a sugar fan. I like it a little bitter. Hot coffee in the morning is the afternoons iced coffee (energy efficient). I know caffeine is not that great for you, but a cup of iced joe will last me 2 hours plus. With no sugar, no dental decay. Just coffee/tea stains.

My wife was a juice drinker, thought it was better for her. Turn out the natural sugar and fruit acids were harder on her teeth than the tannic acid in the tea/coffee.

Life use to be simple.

[Neoma]

13. Tea isn't supposed to be bitter.

Practically-a-tea-expert just throwing it out there.

[Remmah2]

14. How would it be described?

Seriously, I like cold tea w/no sugar, honey, milk. This'd be the general grocery store generic brands. (My uncles grew up in the depression/WWII era , they'd squeeze 2 days tea out of an assortment of bags.) It kinda grows on ya.

BTW I worked in England for 6 months back in 1980; excellent tea thanks to my then GF.

[Neoma]

15. The bitter taste is due to burning the tea leaves, as the water can be too hot.

It takes practice to make a proper cup of tea, they even have contests in China to who can make the best cups.

China and Indonesia are the only places that tea will grow. Tea can come as black, green and white. It comes from the same plant. Anything else technically isn't tea. Just herbal stuff thrown around.

There are currently no words to describe how tea tastes. It's not sugary or bitter, it's just lovely.

I'm a hot tea/loose leaf lover. Hung around an independent tea shop every day once upon a time. Learned a lot.

[Remmah2]

17. My taste buds are probably burnt, not the tea.

I love camping and making my first cup (loose leaf) in my cup and sipping down to a near the bottom.

My GF from England at the time was very methodical and precise about the process of making tea. I think I still have my ceramic tea pot from my travels.

[Neoma]

18. I have a Japanese tea set.

Good gift from my mother in-law when she was cleaning out her basement.

[Remmah2]

25. In my retirement I'd like to travel and work on other countries farms.

I'd like to pick coffee beans and tea leaves. I'd work for room and board just to travel. I would draw the line at stomping grapes.

[AlecBGreen]

21. whaaaaa?

"China and Indonesia are the only places that tea will grow."

What about India? Sri Lanka? Japan? Not to mention much of Africa...

[Neoma]

22. Red tea comes from Africa.

That was the information I got from watching a documentary on tea...

[FrodosPet]

24. What about Wadmalaw Island, SC?

http://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/About-Us.aspx

~ snip ~

Home to The Charleston Tea Plantation, Wadmalaw provides the perfect environment for propagating tea. With its sandy soils, sub-tropical climate and average rainfall of 52 inches per year, Wadmalaw possess idyllic conditions for the Camellia Sinensis plant. This plant is currently used to produce both black and green teas and exists in over 320 varieties on the 127 acre grounds of the Charleston Tea Plantation.

~ snip ~

[4th law of robotics]

5. A physically active individual who occasionally wants a 24 oz drink on the go will be hit by this

a sedentary person who drinks 16 ozs every day and at every meal will not.

Which one is more likely to be obese and cause healthcare problems?

If you want to do this just tax people by their fat percentage.

Not that you should do that either but it makes more sense than going after one of many possible contributing factors.

[Baclava]

12. I must confess, I've never once bought a 24oz sodapop, anywhere

but I can shoot down two 12oz cans of Dew for a caffeine buzz if I want - what's the difference?

[Neoma]

16. There was a time when I HAD to have lots of mountain dew.

My spinal fluid was leaking and I had the worst headache you can ever imagine...because my brain wasn't floating in enough spinal fluid.

Caffeine dulled it slightly. Oh Mountain Dew, how I loved you.

[FrodosPet]

19. Price

I can get a 2 liter Coca Cola (TM) at the Family Dollar (TM) cheaper than I can get a 20 oz Coke (TM) at the party store.

Yes, there are healthier choices, but, for better or worse, I like Coca Cola (TM), and quality of life seems more important than length of it. In other words, I would rather die living than live dying.

[Baclava]

23. oh, I buy the 2 liter Coke jugs for taking home sometimes

mainly for mixing with cheap whiskey - Dew don't make a good mixer

[slackmaster]

20. This guy looks like he REALLY needs his Big Gulp