"NYPOST Wrote:Party pooper!
First, Mayor Bloomberg went after smoking in public places. Then trans-fats, salt and sugary drinks.

Now Bloomberg — known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time — wants to crack down on alcohol sales to curb excessive drinking, according to a provocative planning document obtained by The Post.

The city Health Department’s far-reaching Partnership for a Healthier New York City initiatives proposes to slash the number of establishments in the city that sell booze.

Community “transformation” grants provided under President Obama’s health-care law would help bankroll the effort.

One of the goals listed in the “request for proposal” document to community groups is “reducing alcohol retail outlet (e.g. bar, corner store) density and illegal alcohol,” the document states.

“Talk about a nanny state. Why don’t they just close all the liquor establishments?” quipped Mike Long, a former liquor-store owner in Bay Ridge and head of the state Conservative Party.

“This is absolutely insane. They want to run the retail establishments in New York,” said Long, who likened the effort to the temperance movement of more than a century ago.

Health officials and advocates have also discussed banning liquor advertising seen by millions of straphangers in the transit system.

“Reduce the exposure to alcohol products and bar advertising and promotion in retail and general (trains, buses, etc.) settings (stores, restaurants, etc”, the department’s document says.

The department yesterday, declined to discuss specifics on how it would implement the controversial proposals.

“The city’s goals for the Partnership for a Healthier New York are in line with our ongoing strategies of promoting healthy eating and physical activity and discouraging tobacco, excessive alcohol use and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages,” a spokeswoman said. “Specific proposals, however, are still in the planning phase.”

Scott Wexler, president of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association, vowed to go to court to fight any unilateral action by City Hall.

“More social engineering by Mike Bloomberg. What a surprise!,” Wexler said.

But health officials cite an army of statistics to defend the crackdown.

Alcohol-related hospital emergency-room visits doubled for underage New Yorkers from 2003 to 2009, and one in 10 hospitalizations are booze-related, while one in six adult New Yorkers report heavy drinking.

Alcohol is a factor in nearly half of homicides and 28 percent of vehicle-crash fatalities.

Community leaders hailed the effort.

“Any effort that enhances community input in issuing liquor licenses is a good thing. The . . . process of approving liquor licenses is problematic,” said southern Queens Community Board 10 chairwoman Betty Bratton.

Sn1perJohnE Wrote:Sure feels like prohibition in here.

Sn1perJohnE Wrote:Sure feels like prohibition in here.

Corn Wrote:Sure worked 100 years ago right?

FenixR Wrote:Wait, hes trying to Veto all form of Alcohol Selling/Buying or just limit it?

Rob Wrote:retarded people

how do you even vote them to get their asses in the office?

happylight Wrote:lol not only that. This guy extended the limits on how many times people can run for mayor so he can stay in office longer.

Satellite Wrote:I've always been against a "nanny state" myself.

But it's funny how people go insane over plans to restrict alcohol use. Alcohol is not restricted near as much as tobacco-products, even though alcohol usage has way bigger costs to society. Shouldn't law focus on the effect of an product on third party, not on how healthy it is for the person themself? Smoking may be more risky when it comes to the health of the smoker, but not when we talk about outsiders. Alcohol is way more harmful for other people and I don't mean health here. rapes, murders, molesting, traffic accidents, crimes... etc etc Many of the deaths caused by alcohol are -unlike in smoking- premature. The difference between smoking and drinking is that ethanol is a psychoactive drug.

The attitude on drinking, especially underage drinking is more approbative. Finnish study found that 1/3 of adults in Finland would actually accept teens drinking alcohol. Teenagers don't know how to drink moderately. Most of the time they will get drunk. Don't deny it, the stats are with me on this. Teenage drinking will also greatly increase chances of developing alcoholism or other problems in adulthood.

I really think that alcohol industry (just like Tobacco industry of course) is trying to defend their rights and trying to take down all laws that would affect their business. It's also harder for politicians, because most of the people drink alcohol, while smokers are clearly in the minority.

KhainiWest Wrote:Cigerettes are poison, alcohol has benefits to you in terms of health, in moderation of course. I would like to also bring up the point of why it's okay for the government to send me to war at the age of 18, yet I can't drink until 21, while britain is doing fine drinking age at 16. There's some truth to what happens if something is legal there's less risk of moderation problems. You don't have to over indulge because you don't know when that oppurtunity comes again, you can drink whenever you want. Blaming a substance that does have benefits on an individuals personal responsibility is exactly why your belief of "reason" isn't common sense in intellectuals eyes.

Satellite Wrote:Related?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085609/Researcher-working-benefits-red-wine-falsified-data-100-times.html

Satellite Wrote:But it's funny how people go insane over plans to restrict alcohol use. Alcohol is not restricted near as much as tobacco-products, even though alcohol usage has way bigger costs to society. Shouldn't law focus on the effect of an product on third party, not on how healthy it is for the person themself? Smoking may be more risky when it comes to the health of the smoker, but not when we talk about outsiders. Alcohol is way more harmful for other people and I don't mean health here. rapes, murders, molesting, traffic accidents, crimes... etc etc Many of the deaths caused by alcohol are -unlike in smoking- premature.

Satellite Wrote:The difference between smoking and drinking is that ethanol is a psychoactive drug.