Goodbye Ice Cream Man? [San Diego food nannies on a rampage]

ConsumerFreedom.com ^ | June 23, 2005

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Unbridled obesity panic could soon put the Good Humor Man on ice in San Diego. A group of food scolds, commissioned by the city's Board of Supervisors, has drafted "strategies" for combating childhood obesity which, among many outlandish ideas, include "ordinances restricting mobile junk food vendors from areas frequented by children and youth." Such laws would "expressly apply to ice cream vendors."

It's not just the neighborhood ice cream guy who should be worried. On tap are truly galling calls for zoning restrictions on restaurants, "fat taxes," advertising bans, shutting down drive-thrus, and even absurd odor controls to make food less enticing.

Obesity hysteria manifested itself in the draft's consensus recommendation to "Make prevention and treatment of Childhood Obesity and other related diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, our number one priority in the County, Health and Human Service Agency, and private/public collaboration with dedicated leadership, staffing and resources." [emphasis added] That priority comes at the expense of a consumer's ability to eat, as another consensus point would "Enact strict City and County zoning laws addressing the number of, construction of and conversion of fast food outlets and drive throughs, especially those around schools."

Ideas emanating from "experts" include "ordinances to limit access to fast food outlets and drive throughs during high school and junior high hours." This might mean you literally could not go to a local drive-thru for lunch if there's a school nearby. The "experts" also recommended classifying obesity as a "disease" and suggested that food makers control portion sizes to conform to government standards.

The draft report includes some far-out proposals from members of the community. Perhaps the most troubling idea would "change fast food's image to one of danger." Another strategy, apparently designed to prevent people from even thinking about food, would create odor-control ordinances to punish restaurants if the smell of their goods escaped their building. Then there was the idea -- going even further than Texas Agriculture Commissioner and self-titled "Food Czarina" Susan Combs' prohibition of students sharing gummy bears at school -- to ban "unhealthy" foods from even being brought to school. While some schools are concerned about checking for weapons, apparently San Diego wants to search kids' backpacks for Ho-Hos. Other ideas from the community include:

• "Discontinue food used for fundraising" in schools.
• "Pass a Fat tax and Junk Food tax."
• "Reduce or totally eliminate outdoor advertising countywide promoting fast food outlets, unhealthy foods and beverages, and other messages that disregard healthy lifestyles."
• "Reduce or eliminate in-store bright, bold eye-catching advertising of unhealthy foods."
• "Post warning messages on products that have been linked to increasing the risks of diseases such as obesity and heart disease."

[ApplegateRanch]

>>>Do they eat ice cream? Do they eat it behind closed doors? Are they closet ice cream eaters.<<<<

Junk Food Junkie
Larry Groce

You know I love that organic cooking
I always ask for more
And they call me Mr Natural
On down to the health food store
I only eat good sea salt
White sugar don't touch my lips
And my friends is always begging me
To take them on macrobiotic trips
Yes, they are

Oh, but at night I stake out my strong box
That I keep under lock and key
And I take it off to my closet
Where nobody else can see
I open that door so slowly
Take a peek up north and south
Then I pull out a Hostess Twinkie
And I pop it in my mouth

Yeah, in the daytime I'm Mr Natural
Just as healthy as I can be
But at night I'm a junk food junkie
Good lord have pity on me

Well, at lunchtime you can always find me
At the Whole Earth Vitamin Bar
Just sucking on my plain white yogurt
From my hand thrown pottery jar
And sippin' a little hand pressed cider
With a carrot stick for dessert
And wiping my face in a natural way
On the sleeve of my peasant shirt
Oh, yeah

Ah, but when that clock strikes midnight
And I'm all by myself
I work that combination on my secret hideaway shelf
And I pull out some Fritos corn chips
Dr Pepper and an ole Moon Pie
Then I sit back in glorious expectation
Of a genuine junk food high

Oh yeah, in the daytime I'm Mr Natural
Just as healthy as I can be
Oh, but at night I'm a junk food junkie
Good lord have pity on me

My friends down at the commune
They think I'm pretty neat
Oh, I don't know nothing about arts and crafts
But I give 'em all something to eat
I'm a friend to old Euell Gibbons
And I only eat home grown spice
I got a John Keats autographed Grecian urn
Filled up with my brown rice
Yes, I do

Oh, folks but lately I hae been spotted
With a Big Mac on my breath
Stumbling into a Colonel Sanders
With a face as white as death
I'm aftraid someday they'll find me
Just stretched out on my bed
With a handful of Pringles potato chips
And a Ding Dong by my head

In the daytime I'm Mr Natural
Just as healthy as I can be
But at night I'm a junk food junkie
Good lord have pity on me

[ApplegateRanch]

Does anyone know the name on the song Mr. Softee plays?

Here in the Black Hills, the ice cream trucks play "Gary Owen", Custer's offical regimental song.

[DameAutour]

"ordinances to limit access to fast food outlets and drive throughs during high school and junior high hours."

They're insane.

[bk1000]

"There have been ice-cream trucks for a lot longer than there has been epidemic obesity"

Yes, and kids had to run around and hunt for returnable soda bottles or cut someone's grass (re: exercise) to EARN money with which to buy that ice cream. Now the little whinners hear the truck and put down their gameboys just long enough to beg mom or dad for a buck for the ice cream, then its back to the video game.

[ApplegateRanch]

For children who otherwise eat a reasonably balanced diet, occasional treats like those from the ice cream truck (or pedal-wagon) won't do them any harm, and can be so enjoyable on a hot day when playing outside.

The fatties obese children are the ones who can't hear the ice cream truck coming, anyway. Their stereo headphones & the noise of their video games drowns it out.

Even if they did hear it, they wouldn't be able to huff & puff after it anyway.

The ones actually (gasp!) playing outside (what are their parents thinking, allowing such a thing as unstuporized play?!?) won't be hurt a bit by indulging.

[Still Thinking]

Much more productive would be a ban on expressing stupid ideas in the City Council chamber. (Let alone enacting them into law.)

[dfwgator]

About time someone posted this one:

ICE CREAM MAN - VAN HALEN

(dedicate one to the ladies...)

Now summertime’s here babe, need somethin’ to keep you cool
Ah now summertime’s here babe, need somethin’ to keep you cool
Better look out now though, dave’s got somethin’ for you
Tell ya what it is

I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
Oh my my, I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy
Hold on a second baby

I got good lemonade, ah, dixie cups
All flavors and push ups too
I’m your ice cream man, baby, stop me when I’m passin’ by
See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy
Hold on, one more

Well, I’m usually passin’ by just about eleven o’clock
Uh huh, I never stop, I’m usually passin’ by, just around eleven o’clock
And if you let me cool you one time, you’ll be my regular stop
All right boys

I got good lemonade, ah, dixie cups
All flavors and push ups too
I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy
Yes I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
They say all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy
Ah, one time

I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passin’ by
They say all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy
One time, boys
I’m your ice cream man
I’m your ice cream man
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-baby
Ah my, my, my
All my flavors are guaranteed to satis-uh-fy

[Still Thinking]

If they merely outlawed food all together, obesity would cease to be a problem.

When food is outlawed...

[Still Thinking]

Americans in general are disgustingly obese.

Americans in general are disgustingly STUPID and DOCILE.

[Still Thinking]

Hooray, the Liver and Onion man is coming.

No, too high in cholesterol (though since it tastes bad, maybe that makes it okay with the food Nazis).

[quark]

"GOODBYE TO FOOD NAZIS!"

[Still Thinking]

Is that a trademarked image? If not, I can think of a slight but apropos modification that would probably piss off the trademark of copyright owner if there were one.

[snugs]

In the UK it is Teddy Bears Picnic

[snugs]

Don't you have a milk man in the US anymore we have lost the bread man but we still have a milkman with our funny electric floats

[pollyannaish]

A group of food scolds

I love that turn of phrase. Prunes one and all. (If there is anyone in this country that believes that Ice Cream in large quantities is good for you...I'm pretty sure this isn't going to help them.)

[steveo]

"The Ice Cream Truck in my Neighborhood Plays Helter Skelter"
Clemenza

[af_vet_rr]

I have an idea for combatting childhood obesity - don't let them sit in front of the TV or play video games from the time they get home after school, until they goto bed.

My generation, if we didn't have chores, as soon as we were home we changed clothes, turned around and went back outside to go play, and usually wouldn't come in until we were close to getting paddled.

[Mike Darancette]

Don't you have a milk man in the US anymore

They are gone from where I live (West Coast), but there may be some back East.

[Rakkasan1]

when they came for Ronald McDonald, I was silent because I did't eat Big Macs...

[freepatriot32]

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