I am wondering just what the hell happened here, that's for damn sure. No time machine necessary.
What has happened is that two generations of big-government statist liberals ("Progressives") have gradually and intentionally imposed restrictions on freedom that Americans never would have accepted had they been proposed all at once.
Now, they have worn us down to the point where people will glumly accede to nearly any regulation placed upon voluntary, peaceful personal behavior. Why? Because those imposing such restrictions are powerful, motivated, and highly-organized.
Because they control the rule-making bureaucracies, our educational establishments and the news media, and are often very well-funded.
Because over time their intentional efforts have made Americans comfortable with dependency and increasingly fearful of responsibility.
And because fighting back is not only difficult and time-consuming, but exposes those who are willing to oppose statist powers to public derision, ridicule and ostracism. Besides: it's "for the children".
A government big enough and powerful enough to dictate the maximum size of the beverage you are allowed to purchase is more than powerful enough to do whatever else it may wish to do to you. For your own good, of course.
Now, what do you suppose might happen if thousands of convenience stores and restaurants in NYC banded together and refused to comply with the proposed law, under threat of withholding their city tax payments? What if smokers defiantly lit up in public parks and on streets and simply walked away from any cop who tried to write them a summons?
What if delicatessens posted signs on their windows offering "1/2 Price Giant-Sized Drinks and All the Salt You Could Ever Want!!!"
Civil disobedience works. We ought to try it more often.