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Bloomberg On Anti-Soda Ban Sentiment: "If You Want To Kill Yourself," Go Ahead
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 9, 2012
Modified Jul 10, 2012
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NYC Mayor's Office
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 9, 2012
Modified Jul 10, 2012
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Right, now, there's a rally called the "Million Big Gulp March," giving people an opportunity to work off some calories while they rail against Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban against the sale of sugary drinks over 16 ounces. Of course, while Big Gulps are 50 ounces, 7-Elevens may actually be exempt from the ban! Still, Bloomberg isn't amused about the march and emphasized he just wants to save lives.
At a press conference about creating new housing today, Bloomberg was asked about the demonstration and he replied, "If you want to kill yourself, I guess you have a right to do it. We're trying to do something about that. We've got to do something about this but they can have a march and they can make a joke out of it but there's a story in the post today where the hospitals are having to increase the size of their gurneys and strengthen them— they can't even handle the patients some of the patients are so heavy." (According to the Post, "So many grossly overweight patients are showing up at the city’s municipal hospitals that administrators have been forced to buy heavy-duty equipment that can safely hold them — from $5,500 wide-body motorized wheelchairs to a $650,000 X-ray machine for New York’s XXXL-size customers.")
He added, "This is going to be worse than smoking ever was. Smoking deaths in NYC are now down to 7,000 a year, obesity related diseased are 6,000 and skyrocketing while the smoking ones are coming down. In NYC alone we're going to spend $4 billion dollars of your money to treat obesity related diseases. If somebody wants to have a march, I suppose it's funny but it's so tragic that the humor escapes me." But Big Soda loves humor!
Tagged
big soda
mayor bloomberg
million big gulp march
soda ban
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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