Soda Size Ban Dead and Gone in New York

One group of people that Bloomberg did not consider in his ban on large size sodas were construction and maintenance workers. And boy are they pissed.

Construction and maintenance workers have a daily routine of going and filling up a huge cup of soda, which they will drink all day, along with their lunches and snacks. The were highly offended when Bloomberg did not even think to ask them how this would affect them. In such jobs, which are exposed to outdoor weather, one doesn’t have time to run to the store for another 6 oz soda.

They came out against this ban in droves and have been voicing their opinion for the past few weeks.

It seems ridiculous, in my opinion, that grown men, working hard are told what to drink. A lot of these men are the ones that keeps the very buildings the mayor walks around in in tip top condition.

At the heart of the ban is actually more taxes. It is the largest tax grab in the history of the city, and New Yorkers are clueless about it.

By this legislation, since people are used to 32oz and 64oz barrels of soda, the ban calls for sizes 16oz or smaller.  People will have a tendency to purchase multiples of the same soda. While the price of the soda might go down, the overall taxes will triple or even quadruple. And, since some people purchased multiple 64oz jugs of soda each day, these purchases will continue unabated, and the tax revenue will skyrocket.

However, petitioners went to the New York State Court, beverage makers and minority businessmen and the judge rescinded the legislation. First of all, one cannot really call it legislation. Bloomberg never went to the city council to have the bill even voted on. He went directly to the health board. This is the same health board that he appointed the members to. Unsurprisingly the health board voted the bill in. They stated that of 38,000 comments submitted to them, 32,000 were all positive. Yet, when casual surveys were taken by city news papers, very few favorable comments were found.

The judge said the Mayor did not have such authority to unilaterally pass such legislation, and nor does an appointed health board.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone: the Death Of Ron Silver

Political activist, father, son and actor Ron Silver, aged 62, died today March 15th, 2009.  He lost his battle with esophageal cancer.     He is said to have died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him.   He battled the cancer for two years.  He is survived by both parents, brothers Mitchell and Keith, son Adam, and daughter Alexandra.    He was always a beautiful man, outside and in.  He had a head full of hair, a disarmingly big smile and a charm and wit for the best of them.

Ron Silver was a prolific actor, yet a staunch political activist.  Not only was he just an activist, but he is reported to have had a breadth and depth of political knowledge that would dwarf the most astute and charismatic politician to date on the world stage now.  A terribly fierce independent [a man after my own heart] and consumate debator, yet caring intellectual.  He was no stranger to the political pundit world, a most erudite and eloquent ambassador of politics if ever there was one.  Campaigned for Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential race. He had been, in his words “a lifelong Democrat of the Truman mold”.  He broke away from the Democratic Party concerning the War on Terrorism.  He spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

Ron Silver was also a fine and consummate actor. He began his acting career on the New York stage in 1971.   He won Broadway’s 1988 Tony Award for  Best Actor as Charlie Fox in David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.”

Some of his film and t.v. work includes:

his portrayal of defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in “Reversal of Fortune”;	Click here to purchase the dvd
1998, starred opposite Kirstie Alley for the last 2 seasons of Veronica’s Closet;	Click here to buy the DVD
his portrayal of Muhammad Ali’s boxing cornerman Angelo Dundee in Ali 2001.	Click here to buy the DVD
from 2001 to 2002 and 2005 to 2006, he portrayed presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on The West Wing.	Click here to buy the DVD

“By inclination I am more of a politician than I am an actor. I care more about public policy. I care more about pro-choice, the environment, homelessness, and nuclear issues than I do about any part.” – Ron Silver (July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009) rip

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