BLOOMBERG GETS A TINY TASTE OF HIS OWN CASTE'S MEDICINE

Hmmm, let's see: New York mayor Mike Bloomberg decides that a particular capitalist excess is harming society, so he sets out to curb that excess -- and the industry he's attacked isn't happy:

At Movies and Beaches, Soda Industry Fights Back

Beachgoers who flocked to the Rockaways and Coney Island on the Fourth of July were able to wash down their hot dogs with any size sugary drinks they desired.

But an airborne banner carried above the city's beaches delivered a succinct message that those carefree days could be coming to an end: "NO DRINK 4 U."

The text-friendly banner, dragged by a tiny prop plane, came courtesy of New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, a group created by the American soft-drink industry to fight Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's proposal to restrict sales of large sodas in New York City.

And some New Yorkers who spent the holiday indoors at movie theaters came across the same sentiment.

At a theater in Battery Park City, ushers, ticket-takers and concession workers wore industry T-shirts bearing the message, "I picked out my beverage all by myself." ...

The business forces resisting the ban got a couple of City Council members to publish an article in opposition to the ban at the Huffington Post. They're hoping for protests at an upcoming public hearing. They'd like to forestall the ban, or perhaps encourage the next mayor (who'll be elected in 2013) and City Council to weaken it.

In a very small way, this reminds me of Occupy Wall Street. A group of citizens decided that particular capitalist excesses had harmed society, so they sought a curb on those excesses. The attacked industry wasn't happy. But in that case, Mike Bloomberg sided with the attacked industry, and lashed out at the very idea of attacking business. Bloomberg accused the people denouncing the excesses of "trying to destroy the jobs of working people in this city" and asserted that financial -industry customers caused the problem, not capitalists. (I notice he's not attacking customers now.)

And prior to that, Bloomberg accused President Obama of engaging in "class warfare" for advocating the "Buffett rule," which would raise the taxes of the wealthy, especially wealthy people in the financial sector.

You're going after an industry and the industry is fighting back, Mike? And accusing you of trying to destroy its business? Welcome to our world. Too bad the last time you were on the other side.