New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on soda servings larger than 16 ounces. The soft drink industry together with conservative pundits have decried this "nanny state" threat to individual freedom. As with gun control opponents, this regulatory attempt does beg the question, "what's next?" You know, they may have a point in their selective outrage, and I'd be willing to make a deal. Let's toss this Bloomberg mandate aside if the soda industry can conclusively prove that there are no significant individual health risks and public health costs to a steady intake of fast food drinks that dwarf the standard sizes of a generation ago. All that talk about the rise of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes is just alarmist too, right? Oh, wait, we do know the facts. Why is it more important to protect subsidies of companies who make high fructose corn syrup than to stave off an epidemic caused by consuming sugar at toxic levels?
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