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Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s regulations against large soda cups in restaurants may have been blocked by the courts, but local hip-hop artist Awkwafina is putting him on notice anyway.
“Hey Mayor Mike Bloomberg, help me understand!” she declares in a video released today. “Our giant margaritas are going to get banned. Are going to get banned … Please don’t take my freedom, my giant margarita.” Read More
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation’s biggest proponents of government-sponsored health initiatives, may have a new policy idea thanks to a caller on his weekly radio show: a weight-loss competition similar to The Biggest Loser television series. Read More
Earlier this week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg dismissed Mississippi–the state that recently passed an “anti-Bloomberg bill” to ban localities from requiring displayed calorie counts or restricting soda cup sizes in restaurants–as a “farce” with its efforts to block any importation of New York City’s health initiatives. And, on his weekly WOR radio show this morning, Mr. Bloomberg took his argument to the next level by pointing to the Magnolia State’s obesity rate and the life expectancy of its citizens.
“You’ve got to love it,” the mayor exclaimed. “In the state with the highest rate of obesity, they passed a law that says you can’t do anything about it. Life expectancy in that part of the country is 20 years lower than it is in our part of the country. Thank about that! The average person lives 20 years less and they pass laws to keep … from making that better? If you wrote a book about it–if you wrote a movie–nobody would produce the movie. It would be so inconceivable, it would be ridiculous.” Read More
Earlier this week, lawmakers in Mississippi overwhelmingly passed an “anti-Bloomberg bill” to stop local communities from copying two of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s signature public health initiatives–limiting portion sizes or forcing restaurants to post calorie counts. Needless to say, Mr. Bloomberg was highly critical of the legislation when he was asked about the bill this morning in an interview on CBS.
“You know, Saturday Night Live couldn’t write this stuff,” Mr. Bloomberg exclaimed. “How can somebody try and pass a law that deliberately says we can’t improve the lives of our citizens? It’s just farce. Nobody would believe it if you wrote it in the book.” Read More
Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be one of the world’s biggest proponents of government action to promote public health, but Hizzoner has his limits. In his weekly radio appearance on John Gambling’s radio show, the mayor was asked whether he would consider ordering mandatory gym memberships and he admitted that’s taking things too far.
“Well, you have to be practical about what legally you can do and what people will do,” said Mr. Bloomberg. “The nice thing about the soda thing is it’s really just a suggestion. So, if you want to buy 32 ounces, you just have to carry it back to your seat in two cups. And maybe that would convince you to only take one, but if you want two you can do it. I think government’s job … is to give you advice, not to force you do things.” Read More
Over the weekend, the New York Post chronicled some of the more unexpected side effects of the city’s upcoming ban on large soda cup sizes at restaurants, including an end to 2-liter soda bottles with pizza deliveries. Although the Post‘s pizza-loving interviewees were dismayed by the rule, Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly defended the beverage ban during a press conference today.
“When it comes to the pizza parlor, they cannot deliver more than 16 ounces in any one container. So if you want 32 ounces, they’ll deliver 2,” Mr. Bloomberg said, proceeding to tweak his questioner–the Post‘s David Seifman–over an earlier inquiry about the mayor’s new education initiative. “If you want 64 ounces, I’ll see whether your mathematical skills as a liberal arts major [are] adequate to be able to do that when I read your article.” Read More
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is in New York City as part of his book tour for his upcoming tome, Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds.This evening he spoke before a couple hundred fans packed into the Rebel nightclub on 30th Street and he made the case for restraining the federal government while slipping in a dig or two at the local municipal one.
“The whole thing is about submission,” Mr. Paul explained after a long rant about indefinite detention and security procedures at the Transportation Security Administration. “They want you to submit, they want you to listen, do what you’re told. I think we’ve had it up to here in New York because you’ve got ‘Nanny Bloomberg’ for your Mayor.”
The crowd booed and Mr. Paul went on to malign Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial plan to restrict the size of soda cups at restaurants and concession stands. Read More
“We may be getting too close to Big Brother,” a “clearly bothered” Speaker Shelly Silver told the New York Post about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s upcoming ban on large sodas at food establishments, but Mr. Bloomberg isn’t quite sure he’ll hold to that position.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, I assume the governor would veto it so I’m not sure how much of that is made up,” Mr. Bloomberg said this morning on the possibility of Mr. Silver introducing legislation to thwart his soda ban plan.
At Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s press conference touting his efforts to stop the sale of large soft drinks in restaurants, one reporter in attendance brought up the interesting fact that his administration also supporting “National Donut Day” Friday and inquired as to whether that muddled the mayor’s message on the issue.
Indeed, at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning, Entenmann’s will be unveiling “Custom-made Entenmann’s large donuts, 1-foot in diameter” at Madison Square Park at the same time they unveil a “Proclamation Letter by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.” Read More
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new proposal to ban soda servings over 16 ounces is generating plenty of controversy and discussion, and earlier today his administration pushed back hard on reporters asking whether this latest move could be labeled as part of Mr. Bloomberg’s “nanny state” philosophy.
“New York City has life expectancy that’s greater than the nation as a whole and it’s increasing at a rate greater than the nation as a whole,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York’s Health Commissioner. “We think this is going to be very popular, as the other things we’ve done — which were often initially controversial — have been.” Read More
