No Changes To Mayor Bloomberg's Proposed Soda Ban
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to ban large sodas and sugary drinks still has people riled up, especially after he revealed this week that he won't be considering any changes to the controversial proposal.
When asked whether there would be any changes to the proposal before it went to the Board of Health in two weeks, Bloomberg responded with a resounding "no," reports the Wall Street Journal. His response only fired up critics of the proposal more, arguing that Bloomberg is unresponsive to criticism of the bill and will do whatever he wants. City council member Oliver Koppell said to the WSJ, "The mayor doesn't care what people think — if the mayor cared what people think, he would have withdrawn it altogether."
Then, the Board of Health responded to the media, saying that changes to the bill won't be revealed until after the bill is voted on Sept. 13. "The Health Department's recommendations about any revisions to the proposal will be presented to the Board of Health at the meeting on the 13," said Dr. Thomas Farley, the board's chairman and the city health commissioner. (Farley was also key in building the proposal, the WSJ notes.) It's hard to believe there won't be any changes, seeing as more than 60 percent of NYC residents strongly oppose the ban.