First it was smoking.
New York City's Mayor Bloomberg want on a personal quest against smoking. Needless to say, you can no longer smoke in bars, restaurants and other public places (public buildings like city agencies). So in the Winter, you see hoards of people standing on the streets in the cold in order to grab a few puffs. Well, not so much now because the price of cigarettes have gone up to nearly fifteen bucks a pack.
Then it was salt.
New York City's Mayor Bloomberg went on another personal quest to slay the salt dragon. He admonished residents to cut down on their salt intake. He took it a step further by putting restrictions on restaurants to cook with less salt and not to offer it to customers. The same went for trans fatty acids.
Then it was the Bike Lanes and Pedestrian Walkways.
Mayor Bloomberg decided to redesign our fair city, narrowing our already narrow traffic clogged streets, by adding bike lanes. He encouraged people to use them, after all, bikes are better for the environment, and healthier for you too.
Mind you, all of this headless of the fact that 90% of New York City bike riders not only don't know how to ride, they don't know the rules of the road.
Yes, the rules of the road also apply to bike riders. They are supposed to stop when traffic stops, and they are to bike WITH the flow of traffic not AGAINST it. Is it any wonder there's an upswing of pedestrians being killed or seriously injured by bikes slamming into them or drivers who (I believe) intentionally run them over. New York City is not exactly a bike friendly town, especially with bikes and yellow taxis competing for the same space on the streets..........
Fortunately or unfortunately this program is mostly active in Manhattan. There are bike lanes in Brooklyn, but I don't see them used as often. There was a referendum to construct some in Queens and the residents came to the meeting with pitchforks and torches (figuratively speaking) and voted it down. Hooah!
Now this latest thing about soda and sugary drinks. Our dear Nanny Mayor Bloomberg has decided that he his not going to his chillen to sully their lips and bodies with sugar laced swill. Anything above 16 ounces will no longer be sold in restaurants, bars, sporting events, etc. What does that mean for us? No more Big Gulp, unless it's water.....
What an incredible intrusion on our personal privacy! Perhaps it's me but since when being the Mayor of New York City included being my Mommy? I understand our city has a fiscal crisis and Mayor Bloomberg is trying to cut costs and corners. But this has gone beyond the pale.
I understand that obesity has reached an almost epidemic proportions. Everywhere you look you see "weight challenged" people (you can't say fat anymore - too politically incorrect). But, it is their decision to be that way. Unfortunately the already overwhelmed health care system gets to deal with the consequences.
The best solution is to remove the public teet. If you insist on eating yourself to the point where you need to be weighed on a truck scale, then you should pay for your own health care. When you have a stroke, you pay for the care. When you have a heart attack, you pay for the care. When you suffer from diabetes, you pay for your own care. When you suffer from kidney failure and need dialysis, you foot the bills, not the city, state and federal government. And certainly not us, the hard working citizens of New York City!
The bottom line? Make everyone responsible for their own lives for a change. Instead of imposing restrictions on everybody, like the teachers used to do back in the day ( when they punished the whole class for something one student did wrong, but wouldn't admit), do like what the mother eagle does. She spends time flying and soaring in front of her eaglets, showing them how to fly. Then one day, she kicks them all out of the nest. Now, they either have to fly or die.
While the mother eagle was taking care of her eaglets, it was their responsibility to watch her and learn how to fly. If they goofed off and didn't watch, woe be unto them.
No, New Yorker's don't need Mayor Bloomberg to be our nanny. All we need to be is RESPONSIBLE for our own lives. Period.
