Many have tried to define it, still more to quantify, personify, symbolize, epitomize, or often these days, to eulogize it. But now we know how much it weighs: four ounces. A few days ago, a New York Supreme Court judge struck down Bloomberg's now infamous ban on sodas larger than 16 ounces. He simultaneously struck a stand for freedom that may not go down in history as memorably as Thomas Paine's, but nevertheless signifies a rejection of a government control no less oppressive, invasive, and arbitrary as the British manipulation of their imperialism-driven colonies. Bloomberg will appeal and expects to win.
For those not familiar with the fast food backdrop to this current upheaval, there already exists a long and richly textured history of government suppression of freedom as it pertains to unhealthy fast food indulgence. One of the most prominent case examples can be found at Las Vegas' Heart Attack Grill, where more than one patron have succumbed to ambulance rides and even a couple subsequent deaths.
These issues, once national healthcare becomes firmly entrenched, will only rise more and more to the forefront. Previously sane, live and let live citizens, will begin asserting control over what snacks you house in your refrigerator under the (somewhat rightful) premise that they have to pay for your ill-advised obsession with deep fried cake. Yet this judge has provided a beacon of hope for the people of New York (provided they don't re-elect Bloomberg) that maybe, just maybe, the government never had the right to decide how much you eat and drink.
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