Take Mike Bloomberg With a Grain of Salt (Or Ten Thousand)

There’s a party in Mike’s mouth, and everyone’s invited.  Everyone except New Yorkers.  Via JWF comes the news that Mayor Michael Bloomberg, nanny extraordinaire, has targeted yet another OMGit’sSObadforyou substance: salt.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg stuffing his pieholeMayor Bloomberg, the mayor who declared war on tobacco, sugary drinks and trans fats, has identified a new public enemy — now he wants to protect New Yorkers from salt.

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley launches a campaign today to cut New Yorkers’ sodium intake by one-fifth over five years.

“If we achieve our goal, we would talk about saving tens of thousands of lives,” Farley said, predicting that deaths from strokes and heart attacks will dramatically fall.

The City Health Department is spearheading the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which will cajole food manufacturers to voluntarily cut sodium content 20 to 25 percent by 2014.

But let’s not forget, Bloomberg loves salt almost as much as the fat laden junk food he uses as a delivery system:

He dumps salt on almost everything, even saltine crackers. He devours burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. He has a weakness for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, washing them down with a glass of merlot.

And his snack of choice? Cheez-Its.

Do as I say, not as I do, Mayor Bloomberg?

On another note, I may need a new blog category: Reasons I Left NY.

Published by Jenn Q. Public on January 11, 2010 at 8:02 pm

Filed Under Nanny State

Comments

5 Responses to “Take Mike Bloomberg With a Grain of Salt (Or Ten Thousand)”

  1. Afrocity on January 12th, 2010 6:03 pm

    Jenn, when I heard about NYC and the salt thing, I laughed out loud. I do not use salt much at all. Only when I am using a recipe but if I want to it is my business. How much government nutrition policing do we need. Sure, it may have kept my mom from dying at 68 yoa from high blood pressure but she wanted it that way. I am surprised that we did not have to pry those mesquite baby back ribs out of her cold dead hands.

    Life is about free will. I love ice cream. I drink bottled water. The city of Chicago charges me a $1 per case. Meanwhile there is some youth killing someone in the city as I write this.

    Enjoy my $4 water sin tax Chicago C(r)ook county.

  2. Jenn Q. Public on January 12th, 2010 6:13 pm

    Afrocity, happy new year, woman!

    I don’t use table salt at all, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before I let the government make that decision for me. You’re right, if we don’t have free will, what do we have?

    And don’t people get goiters if they don’t consume enough iodine-fortified table salt? Someone ought to remind Mayor Mike about the law of unintended consequences!

  3. Trish Deneen on January 13th, 2010 2:58 pm

    Michigan is headed towards more sin taxes as we speak. I hope we get that tax ’em ’til they die crowd out of office next year. I’ve never been to New York, but somehow I don’t see New Yorkers taking this salt campaign too seriously. Am I wrong?

  4. Jenn Q. Public on January 13th, 2010 6:30 pm

    Trish, you’re right that New Yorkers won’t take it seriously … until they’re forced to take it seriously. Just like with the trans fats ban, if Mayor Bloomberg can’t nag people into getting with his program, he’ll legislate them into it.

  5. Afrocity on January 14th, 2010 12:24 am

    Or if Bloomberg can weasel himself into a 3rd term, he can do anything.

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