Limits proposed on fast-food restaurants (California, of course)

The Los Angeles Times ^ | Tami Abdollah

[2ndDivisionVet]

As America gets fatter, policymakers are seeking creative approaches to legislating health. They may have entered the school cafeteria -- and now they're eyeing your neighborhood.

Amid worries of an obesity epidemic and its related illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, Los Angeles officials, among others around the country, are proposing to limit new fast-food restaurants -- a tactic that could be called health zoning.

The City Council will be asked this fall to consider an up to two-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in South L.A., a part of the city where fast food is at least as much a practicality as a preference.

"The people don't want them, but when they don't have any other options, they may gravitate to what's there," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who proposed the ordinance in June, and whose district includes portions of South L.A. that would be affected by the plan.

In just one-quarter of a mile near USC on Figueroa Street, from Adams Boulevard south, there are about 20 fast-food outlets.

"To be honest, it's all we eat," Rey Merlan said one recent lunch hour at a Kentucky Fried Chicken. "Everywhere, it's fast food everywhere."

Merlan said it wasn't likely that a limit on new restaurants would change peoples' habits, even though he thinks it's a good idea.

A Times analysis of the city's roughly 8,200 restaurants found that South Los Angeles has the highest concentration of fast-food eateries. Per capita, the area has fewer eating establishments of any kind than the Westside, downtown or Hollywood, and about the same as the Valley. But a much higher percentage of those are fast-food chains. South L.A. also has far fewer grocery stores.

[expatguy]

There is a chocolate donut sitting on my desk right now - it's been staring at me for the last 45 minutes.

Somebody please help me.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[Holicheese]

And if you don’t drink alcohol you can sell Rummy Credits.
So if ted Kennedy bought all the credits of all the people in the western hemisphere who don’t drink, he could claim that he was actually sober!

[A_Tradition_Continues]

Can someone check and see if they’re offering “Creative Stupidity” in Colleges now?

It's called a Liberal Arts degree.

[spunkets]

"The Nanny State, coming soon to a neighborhood near you.."

It's already has a ubiquitous presence throughout the land.

"a tactic that could be called health zoning."

More safety and health BS, for the children of course.

[Henchster]

A Times analysis of the city's roughly 8,200 restaurants found that South Los Angeles has the highest concentration of fast-food eateries. Per capita, the area has fewer eating establishments of any kind than the Westside, downtown or Hollywood, and about the same as the Valley. But a much higher percentage of those are fast-food chains. South L.A. also has far fewer grocery stores.

Proof that Capitalism doesn't work and is disenfranchising black youth. After all, we all know Da Gang-Banging Brothas would really prefer to stay home to bake cookies and simmer a nice stew than dive thru the local Popeye's Fried Chicken or Sonic Burger. </sarcasm>

[TheSpottedOwl]

Where is that cool graphic of that precious looking sheep?

Ban all food, and establish feed lots! Bahaaaaaaa....

God, now I want a chili cheese burger from Weinershnitzel. Or a hot dog, or a vanilla milkshake, or all three. Of course I can’t eat this stuff, but it’s fun torturing myself.

Ya know what really gets my goat? Mc Donald’s fries! They’re limp and tasteless!!!! Effing non-transfat crap! We use this weird stuff from Food 4 less, which is a witches brew of lard and vegetable shortening. Bleep you, nanny jackasses!

Oh, thanks for the ping Gabz :-D

[383rr]

Have we said “I told you so” lately?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Why doesn’t it ever occur to Socialists to “Teach a Man to Fish..?” Oh, that’s right! The more GOVERNMENT can stick their nose where it doesn’t belong for one single minute...the better! ; )

However, it annoys me to no end that people in America no longer know how to prepare a basic, nutritious meal for themselves and rely on fast food every day to feed themselves. They don’t even know where their food comes from, or that it’s totally possible to learn to bake a loaf of bread or make a pot of soup! I work with a lot of cool women...and most of them don’t know how to cook! My boss brings a frozen food entre every day for lunch, and is in a panic this week because her husband is out of town and she’s actually alarmed as to how to feed herself! Eeek! (He left her frozen foods and frozen pizza.)

When I rule the world, everyone will be issued a basic cookbook, a weekly shopping list of basic foodstuffs and a set of pots & pans and bake ware, LOL!

Ask Gabz. I’m not kidding. :)

[Eric Blair 2084]

Where is that cool graphic of that precious looking sheep?

I ate the sheep! All of it.

[Eric Blair 2084]

When they came for the drinkers during Prohibition, I did not speak out, as I was not a drinker.

When they came for the employees of the oldest profession in the world, I did not speak out, as I had no interest in purchasing sex.

When they came for the purveyors of what was deemed to be "obscene" or "offensive", I did not speak out, as I was not a fan of entertainers like Lenny Bruce or Howard Stern.

When they came to ban the female mammary gland from TV, I did not speak out, because Brian Boitano told me not to.

When they came for the marijuana smokers, I did not speak out, as I was not a marijuana smoker.

When they came for the steroid users, I did not speak out, as I was not a steroid user.

When they came for the _______ (insert nominally objectionable behavior here), I did not speak out as I was not a _________ (fill in the blank).

When they came for the pornographers, I did not speak out, as I was not a pornographer.

When they came for the people who don't wear seatbelts, I did not speak out, as I always wore my seatbelt.

When they came for the gun owners, I did not speak out, as I was not a gun owner.

When they came for the gamblers, I did not speak out, as I was not a gambler.

When they came for the cigarette smokers, I did not speak out, as I was not a smoker.

When they came for the overweight and the obese, I did not speak out, as I was not overweight or obese.

When they came for the drinkers (again), I did not speak out, as I was not a drinker.

Then they came for me...and there was nobody left to speak out.

[Gabz]

Ask Gabz. I’m not kidding. :)

And guess what? I won't Nanny-state ping about it!!!

EVERYNE should know how to cook, even if it is only scrambling eggs or cooking rice. My late first husband was so inept he wasn't even capable of boiling water for tea without difficulty

People incapable of cooking anything that does not come out of the frozenfood section of the supermarket drive me insane, and I know plenty of them. Yes, I do keep some of those kinds of things in my freezer for nights when we've got stuff going on, but they are definitely not staples.

My 9 year old has been helping make fresh pasta since she was 4, she helps me make jelly, helps me with canning, and can make a loaf of bread without any help.

People are just too danged lazy, as far as I'm concerned.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junky, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi Ping!!!

This is an extremely low volume ping list. 1 per day max. To be added to or deleted from this ping list, please click one of the follwing:

Eric, you are a genius add me to your ping list or Eric, you are a jackass, take me off this ping list

To request that I stop using these gay html colors and fonts, please send me a private message below.

____________________________________________________________________

Constitution of the Left Wing Nanny State of Liberals:

Picture courtesy of unixfox. All rights reserved. Copyright MMVII. Any use of the pictures descriptions or accounts of this ping without the express written consent of unixfox, Eric Blair, or Major League Baseball is strictly prohibited. Some restrictions apply. Ping not available in all states. For erections lasting longer than four hours, call the Guiness Book of World Records. Use only as directed.

Preamble:

We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, tea totallers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals

[Eric Blair 2084]

"What most people really object to when they object to a free market is that it is so hard for them to shape it to their own will. The market gives people what the people want instead of what other people think they ought to want. At the bottom of many criticisms of the market economy is really lack of belief in freedom itself. The essence of political freedom is the absence of coercion of one man by his fellow men. The fundamental danger to political freedom is the concentration of power. The existence of a large measure of power in the hands of a relatively few individuals enables them to use it to coerce their fellow men. Preservation of freedom requires either the elimination of power where that is possible, or its dispersal where it cannot be eliminated. It essentially requires a system of checks and balances, like that explicitly incorporated in our Constitution..."

-- Milton Friedman, The New Liberal's Creed: Individual Freedom, Preserving Dissent Are Ultimate Goals," May 18, 1961

[Vinomori]

please delete me from your list

[KevinDavis]

Didn’t people who came out against smoking bans warned people that this would happen????

[Gabz]

Didn’t people who came out against smoking bans warned people that this would happen????

Yes, but they were ignored, and continue to be ignored.

This nonsense will NOT end with smoking bans.

[Kozak]

Better idea. Just tattoo a bar code or insert tracking chip in the cattle to directly monitor their feed intake. Why stop at half measures?

[KevinDavis]

Well I’m not surprised this was going to happen.. Be careful what you call for the Government to do.....

[Eric Blair 2084]

Make your own KFC sign at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

[CIDKauf]

Put the cheeseburger DOWN NOW....you’re under arrest for stuffing your FAT face!