First he wanted to hide cigarette cartons in bins or closets behind store counters. Now, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to raise the age to legally buy cigarettes to 21 from 18.
The proposal, announced Monday by city Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley and city council Speaker Christine Quinn, is the latest in a string of attacks on Americans' vices, from salt to soda.
Check out the full list of things Mayor Mike doesn't like:
| Young Smokers, Colorful Cigarette Cartons |
Bloomberg's new proposal to raise the age to legally buy cigarettes would give New York the toughest tobacco rules of any major city. The mayor has also proposed legislation that would require stores to keep cigarettes out of sight, hidden behind counters or in bins or closets so that children and former smokers would not be tempted to buy them.
"Such displays suggest that smoking is a normal activity, and they invite young people to experiment with tobacco," Bloomberg said.
Mayor Bloomberg's soda ban, which would have outlawed the sale of sodas larger than 16 ounces, was struck down by the New York Supreme Court. The court ruled that the ban was "arbitrary and capricious," but Bloomberg vowed to continue the fight.
Bloomberg touted his health policies after the law was struck down, saying they "helped New Yorkers live longer, healthier lives."
"Life expectancy in our city is now three years longer than it was in 2001 and more than two years longer than the national average," he said.
| Cannoli and Cheesecake (Made With Trans-Fats) |
Cannoli are a bedrock of New York food culture, but their flaky crusts came under scrutiny in 2008, when the city's health-conscious mayor banned trans-fats from any foods prepared and sold in the city. Famous bakeries including Ferrara's and Junior's adjusted their recipes, along with fast-food giants like McDonald's and Burger King.
Mayor Bloomberg has long touted New York's subway system as the best way to get around the city. He even rides the subway to work at City Hall. In 2007, the mayor proposed a "congestion charge" in which drivers would have to pay $8 to drive their cars into Manhattan. The plan was nixed by state legislators.
When Bloomberg opts for wheels instead of the subway, he is chauffeured around the city in his trademark black SUV, and prefers that the vehicle be kept cool. Rather than run the car's air conditioning system, however, which would require the engine to be on, Bloomberg aides turn the car off and attach a home air conditioner to the car's front window.
"This is an experiment to be used on extremely hot days like the types we saw last week," spokesman Stu Loeser told the New York Post, which first spotted the strange cooling method. "Even with the vehicles parked in the shade, the temperatures inside can quickly rise to more than 100 degrees."
Rather than banning his beloved salty snacks from New York City (the mayor is an admitted Cheez-Its fan), the Bloomberg administration introduced a voluntary salt-reduction plan in 2010 to encourage food producers to cut down on sodium. Campbell's, Heinz, Starbucks, and dozens of other companies have voluntarily complied with the guidelines.
During his 2013 State of the City address in February, Mayor Bloomberg said the next item he would like banned from the city is polystyrene foam, used in take-out containers and to-go cups in businesses throughout the city.
It is "something that we know is environmentally destructive," and "is something we can do without," he said during the speech. "We will work to adopt a law banning Styrofoam food packaging from our stores and restaurants."
New Yorkers can no longer ignorantly indulge in the city's fast-food offerings. In 2008, Mayor Bloomberg helped usher in a new law requiring all chain restaurants to post calorie counts showing how many calories are in Big Macs, Subway sandwiches and Dunkin' Donuts' Munchkins, for example.
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