Stigmatizing the "poor"

Mayor Bloomberg of NYC has proposed the novel idea of prohibiting food-stamp users from buying sodas and other sugary drinks with taxpayer dollars. The reason: at least 40% of children in NYC are overweight or obese, most of these are poor and on food stamps, and any fool knows that drinking cola and other such crap is a leading cause of obesity. The Ag Dept is said to be "seriously considering" this request.
Now Ned's readers, and those who read his companion blog, nedshealthandfitness, know of Ned's commitment to health. So, Bloomberg's proposal would seem to be a no-brainer, since the people on food-stamps would not have their benefits cut one cent. And they could still buy sodas if they wanted, only not at the taxpayer's expense, who is also paying for their diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses. And their emergency-room visits, etc.
As one might expect, however, the usual whiny bleeding-heart suspects have crawled out from under their rocks to decry this as an attempt to 'stigmatize' welfare users. Some idiot with the Center For Science in the Public Interest (!) was quoted thusly, "there are a great many ethical reasons to consider why one would not want to stigmatize people on food stamps."
Ned wold respond, after slapping his foolish face, that obese children are already terribly stigmatized, and anything that contributes to reducing obesity will help their self-esteem enormously.
Now, of course the "beverage" manufacturers oppose this proposal, saying it is 'just another attempt on the part of government to tell people what they can and can't have.' (One wonders why the cigarette makers don't use the same ingenious argument.)
No, friends, Ned would say to those who oppose Bloomberg's proposed ban on "ethical" grounds to crawl back under their rocks and leave Planet Earth to its rightful inhabitants.