Confronted with revelations that his ban on jumbo-size soda is far more extensive than New Yorkers have realized, Mayor Bloomberg showed that his thirst for control remains unquenched: If he can’t impose his preferences on everyone, then the state should do it for him.
His remarks come as restaurants and other food establishments prepare for the day, less than two weeks hence, when they’re banned from serving sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. But as The Post’s Brad Hamilton and Susan Edelman report this week, Bloomberg’s ban extends to more than just individual drinks.
Take the two-liter soda bottles people often have delivered with their pizzas. Or the large pitchers of soda served at bowling alleys. Or the carafes of mixers served in city bars and nightclubs.
If you buy any of these, Bloomberg’s ban will affect more than your sweet tooth. That two-liter bottle of Coke for your daughter’s birthday you used to pay $3 for? An equal amount of soda will now set you back $7.50.
So what was Mayor Mike’s reaction when The Post asked him about all this? Any objections, he said, are “just made up because somebody on Sunday wants to write a column and they can’t find any news that day.”
And the gaping hole in his plan — the fact that grocery stores and supermarkets will be unaffected by his ban because they’re regulated by the state and not the city? “The state should do exactly the same thing in stores,” said Bloomberg.
In other words, the answer to problems caused by big government is even bigger government.