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Karloffornia does it again-such ingenuity-fast food ban

Exiling the Happy Meal - Los Angeles Lawmakers Want to Escalate The War on Obesity (And Fast Food)
Wall Street Journal ^

Exiling the Happy Meal Los Angeles Lawmakers Want to Escalate The War on Obesity (And Fast Food) By SARAH MCBRIDE July 22, 2008

Despite its health-crazy reputation, parts of Los Angeles are plagued by obesity rates that rival any city in America. Now, the city may join a growing roster of local governments aiming to put their residents on diets by cracking down on the fast-food industry.

Jan Perry, a Los Angeles city-council member, is spearheading legislation that would ban new fast-food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC from opening in a 32-square-mile chunk of the city, including her district. The targeted area is already home to some 400 fast-food restaurants, she says, possibly contributing to high obesity rates there -- 30% of adults, compared with about 21% in the rest of the city. Nationally, 25.6% of adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While some cities have bans on new fast-food establishments, they typically are for aesthetic reasons or to protect local businesses. Ms. Perry's initiative seems to be a rare instance in which a major city brings health issues into restaurant zoning. The fast-food ban would last a year, although Ms. Perry hopes to make it permanent. On Tuesday, a committee will make a recommendation on the measure before sending it on to the full city council for a vote.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...

created by Darkseid on Jul 22, 2008 at 12:16:41 am     Comments: 8

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Comments ... #

Christ what a joke. Whats next, legislate a procedure for wiping your ass?

posted by JeepMaker on Jul 22, 2008 at 12:20:13 am     #



Look who is trying to make all these control your life laws. Next will be how many children you can have, kind of car you can drive, how long you can watch TV, what you can watch on TV. When a stupid politician feels the heat is on him he has to get some results even if they are ficticious. Looky looky i got a law passed.

posted by Linecrosser on Jul 22, 2008 at 01:35:18 am     #



Name a product/service/industry that is not beholden to rules and regulation made by bribed officials?

It sounds like insurers might be behind this.

posted by charlatan on Jul 22, 2008 at 06:51:41 am     #



Well, it's about time. We need sin taxes and bans on junk food just like tobacco. Naturally, someone will argue that "A person gulping down a Big Mac does not bother me." But that's the narrow-minded view on the subject. Problem is, those with a poor diet are more likely to get sick and go to the doctor more often, which affects health care costs for all.

An old Toledo Talk posting from January 2004 titled Taxpayers paying for obesity-related ills :

Taxpayers foot the doctor's bill for more than half of obesity-related medical costs, which reached a total of $75 billion in 2003, according to a new study. The public pays about $39 billion a year - or about $175 per person - for obesity through Medicare and Medicaid programs, which cover sicknesses caused by obesity including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer and gallbladder disease. About 64 percent of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese.

How much does it cost each of us five years later?

If you're drinking wheatgrass shots and eating soy crumbles, and a team of scientists have considered you to be the healthiest person in the world, you're still hurt in the wallet by those who choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle by consuming junk food.

January 2004 news story :

Over the last two decades, the prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States has more than doubled. It is now the second-leading cause of preventable death in the United States after smoking and experts say it will soon surpass health hazards caused by puffing on butts. Experts say obesity causes an increase risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, cancer and other health hazards. "Obesity is killing 300 thousand people a year, so that's an epidemic, its a serious problem," said Dr. Richard Atkinson, president of the American Obesity Association.

Since I'm inspired by the anti-tobacco crowd's concern for our well-being, I propose banning the sale of all junk food in gas stations, convenience stores, vending machines, sports venues, bars, restaurants, etc. Apply fat taxes to Big Fast Food, and give the money to the public school system or the arts. If we're truly concerned about the public's health, then the same mentality applied to tobacco and smoking needs to be applied to junk food. After all, more people consume junk food than smoke.

Ah, but that's why we won't have junk food bans and fat taxes because the majority of the population consumes junk food, and they would vote against bans and taxes if they were a ballot issue. Since only 10 to 30 percent of the public smokes, that's an easy minority to trample. But I would guess that more than 50 percent of the public consumes junk food (whatever that is) more than once a week.

The hypocrisy of health concerns: ban and tax those things I dislike, but leave my favorites alone.

Some old Toledo Talk threads related to the subject :

posted by jr on Jul 22, 2008 at 11:59:13 am     #



posted by KraZyKat on Jul 22, 2008 at 07:54:50 pm     #



It's not obesity. 20% overweight is the new svelte. It's a sliding scale with all the grease on it.

posted by charlatan on Jul 22, 2008 at 11:02:56 pm     #



Actually, the Blade just ran an article that showed that people who live longer (healthier habits) tend to cost more dollar wise in health care than people with bad habits (smoking & overeating) - simply because they live longer, and the costs of age related medical issues kick in.

posted by starling02 on Jul 22, 2008 at 11:24:38 pm     #



The public won't necessarily have the opportunity to vote on the matter. The same as the rabid anti-smoker tactic-they take surveys, and if the majority of people are against a ban, they just pressure/bribe the politicians into passing it.

posted by Darkseid on Jul 23, 2008 at 12:05:39 am     #