“When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” is technically a tautology: a simple fact (in this case a definition) stated as if it were a logical deduction. .The strip is not a gun reference as much as it’s a reference to New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg wanting to ban the sale of any soft drink bigger than 16 ounces in the city’s restaurants, bars, hot dog stands, ball parks, etc. Bloomberg explicitly says his rule permits you to buy TWO 16 oz drinks, but not ONE 32 oz drink. Years from now, we’ll find he invested in companies that make paper cups….And finally, remember: when marriage is outlawed, only outlaws will have in-laws.
To get away from gun issues, it’s poking fun at the idiot Mayor Bloomberg of New York City who is banning the sale of any soft drinks larger than 16 ounces to fight obesity.
The ban on large sodas is an inelegant and somewhat off-target attempt to solve a legitimate problem. One would hope that NYC would instead aspire to a “perfect market” solution – provide perfect information so that people can make informed choices, and find ways to mitigate negative externalities. As to the perfect information, let people know just how terrible the soda is for them. If somebody still wants to kill themselves by consuming huge quantities of that crap, then that’s their problem. But if that choice adversely affects society – increasing health care costs, for example – then there should also be some mitigation, such as increased insurance premiums for people who have an unhealthy diet (very hard to track) or a tax on unhealthy food. Of course, all of this is further complicated by a lack of consensus on what actually constitutes a healthy diet, not to mention that the big companies obfuscate any findings that may adversely affect their bottom line. It’s much better to kill your clients off over the course of years or decades than to have them choose not to buy your product in the first place.
@8ballYou know, that strikes me as very effective aversion therapy. Do you suppose we could positively affect the obesity rate by practicing nutritional waterboarding? The idea has real potential.
margueritem over 12 years ago
SNERK!!!
The Nihilist over 12 years ago
Here Brewster — I’ll let you have it…
Phatts over 12 years ago
… no problemo … obviously Cliff is holding a 64 ounce soda …
pcolli over 12 years ago
@Ionizer, yesterday:
Thanks, I know this one but, sadly not the one. The one I’m thinking of has the mother and son in exile for various nefarious misdeeds.
Varnes over 12 years ago
No. Run! Resist! Don’t turn that into a Vichy French Fry…………………………………………………………………………………………….Run! Chew!
Francis Lapeyre Premium Member over 12 years ago
Nutrition Bot – sponsored by Bloomberg.
McGehee over 12 years ago
32-ounce sodas don’t kill people — unless you push their faces down into them and hold them down really hard for a long enough time.
Spudart over 12 years ago
What planet does the crew of R.U. Sirius get their soda?
puddleglum1066 over 12 years ago
“When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” is technically a tautology: a simple fact (in this case a definition) stated as if it were a logical deduction. .The strip is not a gun reference as much as it’s a reference to New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg wanting to ban the sale of any soft drink bigger than 16 ounces in the city’s restaurants, bars, hot dog stands, ball parks, etc. Bloomberg explicitly says his rule permits you to buy TWO 16 oz drinks, but not ONE 32 oz drink. Years from now, we’ll find he invested in companies that make paper cups….And finally, remember: when marriage is outlawed, only outlaws will have in-laws.
corzak over 12 years ago
The costs we ALL pay for the indulgently obese:http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-obesity-idUSBRE83T0C820120430
WaitingMan over 12 years ago
The same folks who oppose the “nanny-state” are the same ones who want a Republican senator in everyone’s bedroom and doctor’s office.
boba44 over 12 years ago
To get away from gun issues, it’s poking fun at the idiot Mayor Bloomberg of New York City who is banning the sale of any soft drinks larger than 16 ounces to fight obesity.
gfredrickson85 over 12 years ago
I guess that Nutritionbot must be related to Mayor Bloomberg.
fishbulb239 over 12 years ago
The ban on large sodas is an inelegant and somewhat off-target attempt to solve a legitimate problem. One would hope that NYC would instead aspire to a “perfect market” solution – provide perfect information so that people can make informed choices, and find ways to mitigate negative externalities. As to the perfect information, let people know just how terrible the soda is for them. If somebody still wants to kill themselves by consuming huge quantities of that crap, then that’s their problem. But if that choice adversely affects society – increasing health care costs, for example – then there should also be some mitigation, such as increased insurance premiums for people who have an unhealthy diet (very hard to track) or a tax on unhealthy food. Of course, all of this is further complicated by a lack of consensus on what actually constitutes a healthy diet, not to mention that the big companies obfuscate any findings that may adversely affect their bottom line. It’s much better to kill your clients off over the course of years or decades than to have them choose not to buy your product in the first place.
rugeirn over 12 years ago
@8ballYou know, that strikes me as very effective aversion therapy. Do you suppose we could positively affect the obesity rate by practicing nutritional waterboarding? The idea has real potential.