This story clearly falls into the “I can’t believe this” category. According to a report today by CBS News, a state lawmaker in Mississippi proposed legislation that “would ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers.”
The article continues: “ ‘I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi,’ said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier. ‘It was a far-reaching bill, but you're trying to get people's attention to study the proper motive of obesity which is a concern to all of us,’ Read told CBS News The Early Show. ‘Sometimes you have to go a little extreme to get the dialogue started.’”
Golly, and I thought Republicans didn’t like the Nanny State. Remember when Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 spoke of extremism in defense of liberty? I’m no fan of extremism at any time, but now it’s extremism in the name of government activism against fat. Wow, things sure have changed.
Thankfully, some lawmakers have served up the proper response: “The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to ‘shred’ the bill filed by Read and two other House members, Republican Ted Mayhall of Southaven and Democrat Bobby Shows of Ellisville… ‘It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,’ Holland said Monday.”
Hey, here’s a thought for lawmakers. Stop sticking your noses in the dietary decisions of individuals and forcing restaurant owners to become the fat police, and instead, put government on a diet for the sake of business and individual taxpayers?
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