Government Health Issues

MacDonald September 7, 2012
2. When critics refer to NY as a “nanny state” they’re emphasizing how the state of New York City is being treated as if we were children. Mayor Bloomberg and Thomas Farley, New York City’s health commissioner, are taking direct responsibility on making decisions on our health choices, from what we consume to how much exercise we do on a daily basis.
3. Mayor Bloomberg has taken actions towards making people behave in healthier ways. For example, one plan is to “restrict the size of sugary drinks to 16 ounces or less nearly everywhere they are sold…” thus reducing the amount of sugar we consume in our bodies from ice coffees to a bottle of Mountain-Dew. Another action trying to be enforced is “a push to have hospitals promote breastfeeding by making baby formula less available to new mothers.” Therefor mother’s choice to breast feed is trying to be taken away from our choice to a mandatory action to help benefit our children’s health.
4. As a contribution to “help” New Yorkers smoke less, there have been restrictions on places as to where you can smoke. Smoking isn’t allowed in public areas such as building and school grounds.
5. According to Farley, by creating a healthier environment around the lives of New Yorkers, this allows us to go about with our business without having to worry about our own health behavior. However, if government made more of our decisions for us, in my opinion I feel as if we have to worry more about government having too much power and control over our daily life choices rather then promptly only on our health. I would feel as though we are less free because pro-choice will no longer be viewed as the people’s decision, instead it would be more for government’s idea of what’s “best” for their people.
6. Mayor Bloomberg’s goal with his health measures is to provide the city of New York a healthier living environment to help expand our life expectancies since 2000. Opponents believe that his policies...