Sugary Drink Ban

[Stratos]

Actually, the topic of seat belt laws brings up an interesting point I believe. Seat belt laws pretty much forced car manufacturers to make safer cars with seat belts and air bags, yada yada yada. In the future could "bans" like this force soda companies to make more healthy soda? Thoughts?

have you not seen commercials for dr pepper 10, coke zero, diet coke, diet sprite, sprite zero etc?

There's already a ton of healthier sodas out there it's just that some people don't like to drink them for one reason or another.

also @ lee: i'm not a woman haha, and my "bmi of a ballerina" is due to genetics (my dad and brother both have very similar body shapes) and the fact that i run cross country/track.

 

[Gengan]

How did we go from soda to seatbelts in so few posts?

 

[mattj]

They're both examples of the government making health decisions for its citizens. Glen asked a good question / had a good point. If someone opposes this ban they "ought" to oppose seat-belt and helmet laws. If they support seatbelt and helmet laws, why do they oppose this ban?

 

[Metal Bagon]

I'd rather have people drinking sugary drinks then alcohol but ok...

 

[Aura Guardian]

They're both examples of the government making health decisions for its citizens. Glen asked a good question / had a good point. If someone opposes this ban they "ought" to oppose seat-belt and helmet laws. If they support seatbelt and helmet laws, why do they oppose this ban?

The purpose of seatbelt and helmet laws is to save lives directly. The sugary drink 'ban' is more of a long-term thing. So there's that crucial difference that justifies supporting one and being against the other.

 

[verbatim]

There's also the issue of seatbelt negligence being harmful to those around you, if you crash at high speeds without your seatbelt on, the sheer amount of thrashing turns you into a living projectile, with potentially devastating consequences for those around you.

 

[Eraddd]

There's also the issue of seatbelt negligence being harmful to those around you, if you crash at high speeds without your seatbelt on, the sheer amount of thrashing turns you into a living projectile, with potentially devastating consequences for those around you.

That's a bad argument; I'd be a lot more concerned about loose objects in a car in the event of a crash as opposed to a person crashing into me. But in general seat belt laws are good practice.

As for the law itself, I would be more amenable to a health tax that would offset health care costs for the inevitable diabetes, and other health complications that will probably rise in a good percentage of those indulging in their unsavory habits as opposed to an outright ban which isn't the best way of going about it. (We already have taxes for environmental disposal of electronics etc). I am leery about the government imposing a rather abrupt ban on these products since I'm not too big of a fan on government intervention in everything, so I can't say I agree with this.

Though watching Mattj ask why seat belt laws are necessary has increased my enjoyment in this thread 100x . Also rofl at pwnemon saying that diet sodas are healthier alternatives.

Also reading through this tread I find it hilarious that Mattj is asking what is the harm in sugary drinks while completely overlooking the fact that obesity probably defines America and its overbloated expensive health care system. Also conveniently skipping over the gay issue (by the way marriage issues shouldn't be "an important issue" to America; they should be allowed to marry whomever they choose SURPRISE).

 

[cookie]

bigger problems in the world

terrorism

lol

 

[iDunno]

have you not seen commercials for dr pepper 10, coke zero, diet coke, diet sprite, sprite zero etc?

There's already a ton of healthier sodas out there it's just that some people don't like to drink them for one reason or another.

These sodas are still legal under the law because they aren't classified as "sugary drinks".

The proposal defines sugary drinks as beverages that are "sweetened with sugar or another caloric sweetener that contain more than 25 calories per 8 fluid ounces and contains less than 51 percent milk or milk substitute by volume as an ingredient."

EDIT: Also if states have the right to ban gay marriage, they should also have the right to ban sugary sodas...

 

[Fishy]

coke zero is the nastiest fucking thing i have ever tasted, they should make that wholly illegal to buy/consume

seat belt laws are a great thing. i do not want to be on the road with someone that cares so little about his own safety, and have that attitude translate to the road where he could possibly affect my own.

also this one time i was missing vanilla pepsi really badly, so i poured a glass of regular pepsi and added a tsp. of vanilla extract. take THAT, government

 

[Trax]

Seems completely and utterly pointless to me.

 

[cim]

Seat belt laws are a little more complicated than a soda ban because in an accident, a driver or passenger who isn't wearing a seat belt poses a threat of bodily harm to other passengers and possibly even the occupants of the other vehicle depending on where they fly in a crash. So it's not quite a "victimless" crime.

There's a few things about the soda ban that in my opinion make it defensible:
1. It's not illegal to possess large volumes of sugary drinks, just to buy them from restaurants. 2-liters are not illegal, neither are bulk packages of cans. Only large-volume containers at restaraunts.

2. There has been a lot of research into the effects of portion size on human psychology and eating habits. These have shown that people will eat what they are given and will eat more of a larger portion than a smaller portion regardless of hunger levels. For soda, which generally doesn't make people full despite being calorie dense, this is particularly problematic.

3. Parts of NYC, especially Queens, have massive obesity problems that, if nothing is done now to help address the epidemic, will lead to soaring health costs for the city and deteriorating quality of life for all.

Thus, I can understand the logic in the soda ban and weakly support it.

 

[Stagnant]

Ban cigarettes as a whole. Harsher punishments for littering and speeding. No eating or drinking in moving vehicle (this would put and end to obesity alone).