New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference this afternoon to defend his soda ban after a New York State Supreme Court justice invalidated it as “arbitrary and capricious.” (The press conference begins around the 23-minute mark on the YouTube video.)
Over the past 10 years, we’ve adopted many groundbreaking and controversial public health policies, and they've helped NYers live longer.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
Mayor: Life expectancy in NYC is now 3 years longer than it was in 2001 – and more than 2 years longer than the national average.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
Mayor: As far we’ve come, there is one public health crisis that has grown worse and worse over the years: obesity.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
Mayor: If we’re serious about fighting obesity, we have to be honest about what causes it and have the courage to tackle it head-on.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
.@nycHealthy has long been ahead of the curve, whether it's requiring fluoride, calorie counts and restaurant grades, or banning trans fats.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
Limiting the size of sugary drinks is consistent with @nycHealthy's mission, and we believe courts will find it consistent with the law.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
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Mayor: Being the first to do something is never easy. When we began this process, we knew we’d face lawsuits. That’s America.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
Lives are at stake, after all.
Mayor: Obesity kills. There's just no question about it.
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 11, 2013
"We're talking about lives versus profits" – #Bloomberg on #SodaBan
— Daniella Silva (@DaniellaLSilva) March 11, 2013
"Obesity kills, there's just no question about it," says #Bloomberg. "These are the signs, now we've got to do something about it."
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 11, 2013
https://twitter.com/seanagnew/status/311235282898939905
https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/311235565674696704
Bloomberg compared the soda ban to a previous ban on lead-containing paint.
Mayor Bloomberg just compared banning sugary drinks to banning lead paint & Fluoride from drinking water, in the interest of public health.
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 11, 2013
Bloomberg compares health dept bans on size of sugary drinks to bans on lead paint
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) March 11, 2013
And food is like nuclear waste. RT @IsaacDovere: Bloomberg compares health dept bans on size of sugary drinks to bans on lead paint
— Jim Antle (@jimantle) March 11, 2013
Until the appeals process is complete, can restaurants and stores still sell 17 oz. drinks?
Mayor Bloomberg suggests eateries should voluntarily stop selling drinks in cups larger than 16 ounces.
— Michael Howard Saul (@MichaelHwrdSaul) March 11, 2013
Voluntary bans. #MayorLeviathan RT @TheMatthewKeys: Bloomberg: Soda ban "voluntary" for restaurants, others until ruling reversed on appeal
— Josh Blackman (@JoshMBlackman) March 11, 2013
The brief press conference is over, but we have a follow-up question for the citizens of New York.
How in the hell did ppl let Bloomberg get a 3rd term
— ? (@_MissRandi) March 11, 2013
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