Obesity stems from many issues, not just one 
"Big Brother" has found its real-life counterpart in New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Just last Thursday, the New York City Board of Health voted unanimously 8-0 in favor of banning the sale of all jumbo-sized sugary drinks — larger than 16 fluid ounces — in places such as restaurants and movie theaters.
But there's a catch. The ban doesn't apply to everyone, and there are always ways around it. A consumer could always just buy two 16-ounce drinks instead of one 32-ounce drink. Visiting your local convenience store — or even the nearby vending machine — can quench your thirst for larger drinks because the ban only covers establishments that receive inspection grades from the health department. It doesn't even stop the sale of drinks that sometimes contain more calories than soda, such as milkshakes, alcohol or even so-called "fruit" juice.
So why did New York City pass this seemingly useless ban? The answer lies in Bloomberg. Despite the fact that every single member of the Board of Health was appointed by Bloomberg himself, he has successfully passed numerous health policies in order to combat the increasing number of health issues that New Yorkers face. Under his leadership, New York City became the first in the nation to force food vendors to phase out the use of artificial trans fats, and it was one of the first cities to ban public smoking in the bars and restaurants.
These measures were both helpful and needed in the city, but this recent soda ban goes too far. Bloomberg believes this new edict will help cut down on the escalating obesity rates in the city.
This ban would make sense if obesity was simply the result of people drinking more soda than they should, but it isn't. Rising obesity rates in America — even here in South Carolina — are the result of poverty, lack of exercise, poor education and lack of access to healthy food, along with a myriad of other issues. You can't simplify a complicated issue into one catchy "end-all" and call it a day.
If Bloomberg and the New York City Board of Health truly want to change obesity levels in America, they need to do more than just ban large soft drinks one cup at a time. In implementing this ban, his administration not only ignores businesses whose main source of income come from the sale of concessions — think movie theaters and sporting venues — but also the will and opinions of about 60 percent of New Yorkers, according to a recent poll. In passing this ban, the Board of Health ignored the testimony of many as well as simple economic theory: The act of "banning" something doesn't remove demand for it from the market. People can, and will, just get their "fix" of sugar from other, maybe even more unhealthy sources.