New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg believes that the local government should crack down to help those with a coke addiction…but he’s not talking about drug addicts. On May 31, 2012, Mayor Bloomberg proposed banning the sale of large-sized sodas, sports drinks, sweetened tea or coffee, and other sugary beverages as an antidote to the rising obesity problem. Bloomberg noted that more than half of NYC adults (58 percent) are overweight or obese.

The ban would outlaw sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, food carts, or any other establishment that receives letter grades for food service. It would not, however, apply to grocery or convenience stores. The New York City Department of Health will submit the measure to the Board of Health on June 12. If the measure is approved following a three-month comment period, the city’s proposal will take effect six months after enactment and will be enforced by the city’s regular restaurant inspection team. Establishments will face fines for noncompliance.

Consumers should be outraged at the mayor’s latest attempt at an egregious government overreach. The nation’s founding fathers are surely rolling over in their graves at the thought of the government telling its citizens how much of certain type of liquid they may consume. Mayor Bloomberg is not only infringing on individual liberties, he is insulting New Yorkers by insinuating that Big Brother knows best.

The attack against sugar-sweetened beverages is unfair and unjustified. Data shows that soda has actually become less of a dietary problem over the years. The New York City Beverage Association notes that “as obesity continues to rise, CDC data shows that calories from sugar-sweetened beverages are a small and declining part of the American diet.” According to Beverage Digest, in 2011, sales of carbonated soft drinks dropped by 1 percent, a steeper decline than in 2010, and total sales are down to 1996 levels. Additionally, per capita consumption is at its lowest since 1987.

The Institute of Medicine has pointed to the “difficulty of quantifying [sugary drinks’] relative contributions to the obesity epidemic” and acknowledged that the “exact mechanism of how sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to obesity are not fully known.”

The mayor’s proposal simply won’t yield results. New Yorkers can still buy large bottles of sugary drinks in grocery stores; they can still order a refill in their small cup; and they can still purchase a wide array of fattening foods in restaurants and other establishments.

Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart even took the time to bash the mayor’s latest proposal, claiming it “combines draconian government overreach people love with the probable lack of results they expect.”

It is outrageous that the beverage industry is being targeted and forced to bear significant responsibility for the obesity epidemic in this country that is clearly attributable to multiple factors. It seems ridiculous to slap a ban on large sodas without imposing (dare we even suggest) a similar moratorium on family-sized packs of Twinkies, donuts sold by the dozen, or buckets of fried chicken.

Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal is a slippery slope toward the total policing of food and lifestyle choices that individuals have the right to make for themselves. He has already banned trans fats from restaurants, smoking from parks, and placed graphic ads targeting junk food and tobacco in public transit. New Yorkers and consumers across the nation should oppose Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on large-sized sugar-sweetened beverages and cling to the last bits of personal liberty to which they are entitled.

- Erica Gordon