After assaulting soda sizes, Bloomberg now wants to destroy tanning salons

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: Michael Bloomberg, tanning salons, New York City

(NaturalNews) New York City voters have certainly trended liberally over the past few decades, but they've never been much for totalitarianism - so it's really difficult to figure out how they managed to elect a guy like Michael Bloomberg a couple of times, given his authoritarian tendencies.

Hizzoner has made a name for himself over the past couple of years not so much for any legitimate accomplishments but more for his Nanny State mentality.

First, Bloomberg wanted to ban salt. Then smoking. Then trans fats. Then large sodas. Then guns (well, he still wants to ban those). Now, he's targeting tanning beds.

According to The New York Post:

The city is launching a new offensive to monitor tanning salons and warn customers of the dangers of skin cancer from overexposure to UV radiation, The Post has learned.

In what could be the Bloomberg's Administration's final health crusade, the anti-tanorexic plan will be submitted to the Board of Health on Tuesday,. The board - all appointees of Mayor Bloomberg - is expected to adopt the new rules, which would take effect in the spring following public hearings.

'We know what's best for you'

Hopefully, you caught that part about the Board being comprised of nothing but Bloomberg appointees. Talk about stacking the deck; now you know how this crazy little billionaire has managed to get all of his heavy-handed rules enacted.

According to the paper, the new tanning rules would:

-- Require the Health Department to inspect tanning salons, ultraviolet machines and timers a minimum of once every two years. Of course, machines that didn't meet the King's standards would have to be shut down.

-- Crack down on unlicensed operators (something that could be done now but obviously, for some strange reason, that is not happening - otherwise, what's the point of this particular rule?). "There are 106 tanning salons with permits, but officials suspect there are others operating illegally," the Post said.

-- In typical statist, big government fashion, the new rules include a mandate that, for the first time ever, require operators of tanning booths to undergo training (a rule that makes it clear that Bloomberg doesn't tan; if he did, he'd know that, in most salons and gyms, tanners themselves operate the beds).

-- Enforce current law banning adolescents under 17 from going to tanning shops (again, an unnecessary provision, given the fact that it is already against the law. This is like saying, "No, we really mean it this time.") And why can't teenagers tan, if they have their parents' permission? I assume that Bloomberg will next try to ban the sun to prevent bikini-clad teenagers from laying out in the summer.

-- Initiate a public education campaign aimed at tanning salons themselves, asking them to warn New Yorkers - and kids in particular - that too much UV radiation can be dangerous.

"There is no doubt that tanning increases the risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer," Daniel Kass, the city's deputy health commissioner for environmental health and a Bloomberg bootlicking lackey, said. "We want to make sure kids are not using these salons."

Sure you do - which explains why enforcement of this existing law is lousy.

But you see, there's a cancer epidemic - or something like that - and only King Bloomberg can fix it. With a ban.

Isolated case means it's time for a crackdown

According to the Post, almost 900 residents (in a city of more than 8 million) suffered from melanoma, the worst kind of skin cancer - a figure that supposedly has doubled since the 1990s. Kass added that 100 New Yorkers died from melanoma last year.

But so far, Bloomberg's Nanny State hasn't tied the increase in deaths to tanning booths. It sounds more like he just thinks that is what is causing the increased death rate due to melanoma, so he's going to act - because of an isolated case, apparently.

As reported by the Post:

Authorities increased their focus on tanning salons after tanning-addicted New Jersey mom Patricia Krentici was busted for bringing her 5-year-old daughter inside a tanning booth.

Oh. Well, then - time for a crack down. No sense in letting people live their lives the way they choose, outside the reach of the Nanny State.

Sources:

http://nypost.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://washingtontimes.com