New York City, ever the leader in healthy living, is about to ban the sale of super-sized sodas and other sweetened drinks by its restaurants, movie Donald_Kaultheaters and street carts.

As part of a continuing campaign against obesity, it's going to prohibit beverage containers bigger than 16 ounces.

"Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public officials are wringing their hands saying, 'Oh, this is terrible,'" said Mayor Mike Bloomberg. "New York City is not about wringing your hands; it's about doing something."

Good luck with that, Mayor.

There are two competing theories on how to pull us out of the economic slump we're in, but you'd hardly know it from the debate going on in Donald KaulWashington. Conservatives, who want us to cut our way to prosperity, keep drowning out those who think we should be pumping money into the economy by spending more on teachers, research, roads, bridges and other public works.

The small-government, budget-cutting "austerity" advocates speak in strident, confident voices, while the proponents of more government spending — the people called "Keynesians" (after the 20th-century British economist, John Maynard Keynes) — speak in apologetic, barely audible tones, as though they're afraid of offending someone.