Question

Read this argument from The New York Times opinion pages. Does the author of this article agree or disagree with William Bramhal, the artist who created this cartoon:
Bramhall, William. "Bramhall's World: The Soda Ban." Illustration. 14 September 2012. New York Daily News. Josh Greenman. 30 September 2012. Nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. 28 March 2012. Web.

Use evidence from each article to support your answer. Answer in a minimum of five sentences.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has done a lot to help improve the health of New York City residents. Smoking is outlawed in workplaces, restaurants and bars. Trans fat is banned in restaurants. Chain restaurants are required to post calorie counts, allowing customers to make informed choices.

Mr. Bloomberg, however, is overreaching with his new plan to ban the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. He argues that prohibiting big drinks at restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums and other food sellers can help combat obesity. But as he admits, customers can get around the ban by purchasing two drinks.

The administration should be focusing its energies on programs that educate and encourage people to make sound choices. For example, obesity rates have declined slightly among students in elementary and middle schools, with the city's initiatives to make lunches healthier with salad bars, lower-calorie drinks and water fountains in cafeterias. Requiring students to get more exercise has also helped.

The city should keep up its tough anti-obesity advertising campaigns—one ad shows that it takes walking from Union Square to Brooklyn to burn off the calories from a 20-ounce soda. The mayor has also started adult exercise programs and expanded the program for more fresh produce vendors around the city.

Promoting healthy lifestyles is important. In the case of sugary drinks, a regular reminder that a 64-ounce cola has 780 calories should help. But too much nannying with a ban might well cause people to tune out.

Citation: "A Ban Too Far." New York Times 1 June 2012, New York A26. Web. 3 Apr. 2013

Answer 1

The author of the article disagrees with the artist who created the cartoon. The artist believes the soda ban is necessary because of the epidemic of obesity that we have seen in the country. He emphasizes this point by showing obese people unable to get up from the couch while drinking soda. On the other hand, the author of the article believes this to be an exaggaration. He thinks that enough has been done already to promote healthy lifestyles and that a soda ban is "too much nannying."

Answer 2

The author of this article disagrees with what Bramhal's art seems to convey. The image shows someone unable to "rise up against the soda ban" because they have become to large to stand up. The point of this image is to show exactly why the ban is necessary. The author of the article thinks that the ban is unnecessary and will just end up tuning people out to the cause. They think that Bloomberg should just focus his efforts on the ad campaigns that promote healthy lifestyles instead.