Soda-Free Idiocy Hits San Francisco

In their apparent quest to make sure that no one has to think for themselves, San Francisco has edged a little bit closer to a non-sustainable, faux utopia now that the mayor, pretty, pretty Gavin Newsom, has signed an executive order that "...bars calorically sweetened beverages from vending machines on city property." So says the folks across the bay at SF Gate.

Of course, this nanny state directive was fueled in part by a study which found that "...adults who drink at least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than those who don't". Uh-huh. And? I kept reading the article hoping that it would explain to me how it is the soda that is at fault and not the people who are drinking the soda, but it never did. I guess that sort of explained why Gavin Newsom didn't just ban those who are dim and, in this case, overindulgent.

If only there was something that might indicate that it isn't the soda that is the problem as much as it is a lifestyle choice of those that are choosing to drink the sodas. I mean, after all, diet sodas are readily available. And don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not implying that any soda, including diet soda, is going to be good for you. None of them are going to be great for you, but some are going to be not as bad as others. Oh, I know they taste like crap at first, but you get used to the crap taste. After a short while, you grow so accustomed to the crap taste that you forget what a decent tasting soda tastes like. That's when the overindulging can really begin...when it won't hurt you! But yet folks still indulge in the sugar laden sodas. Yep. That definitely sounds like it's the sodas fault.

The article also mentions that the study "...also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens drink at least one soda daily." Hmm. And of course, those children and those teens get their sodas from the machines that are on city property. Oh, wait a minute. No, they don't! You moron, Gavin. Could you explain this ridiculous decision?

Well, he couldn't but one of his spokesholes could. A one Tony Winnicker said that "There's a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crises in this country." Really? A direct link between what people EAT and OBESITY? Fascinating, sir! Absolutely fascinating. Do you have more words of wisdom for the sheeple? Of course he does. He said, "It's entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property." Hmm.

You're telling me that for a city government to step in and tell a private citizen what the best choices for him or her are is perfectly OK? Because the government knows best? What happened to the land of the free? Free to make choices, right? That doesn't say that we're free to make only the best choices. We're just free to make choices. But only choices that the government deems to be appropriate. Yeah, I have a problem with that.

Good luck with your utopia, Mr. and Mrs. San Francisco. Let me know how it works out for you when the city starts deciding that other things are bad for you and starts banning those as well. It starts with the sodas. What's next? Chips? Fries? White bread? Red meat? Gravy? Next thing you know, you're only going to be able to get raw vegan fare within city limits because that has been deemed by the government to be the best choice because the people are too inept to make their own choices. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But you let me know how that turns out. You know where to find me. I'll be inside of my walled off compound protecting myself from the likes of Gavin Newsom.