Last Time I Looked, I was Grown, Part Deux
New York City bans trans-fats served in all restaurants
Yes, I am aware of how bad these fats are for folks. Everytime you pick up a piece of fried chicken you may be taking some seconds off your life--no doubt. And 30,000-100,000 people might be saved a year by keeping away from Trans Fats. However, I unlike the ADA have a problem with the fact that more and more of our civil liberties are being dismantled by "we know what's good for you." legislative moves. This crap is more big brother than life saving--and an annoying ass publicity move.
I am bothered by the fact that in a city with an enormous gap between rich and poor, a fleeing middle class, a 40% high school graduation rate, and a crumbling infrastructure (1,000's are employed to band-aid the water main and subways system every day--it is over 100 years old,mind you.) we take out time to make a big publicity stunt and call it a ban. How is NYC, which can't even collect its property tax, going to enforce this ban? Especially since it will not necessarily count against a restaurant during health inspection. After all, NYC is already deemed one of the healthiest cities in the country, trans fats at a million Crown Fried Chickens included. How about spending more time on closing down food spots that are truly a health hazard?
Perhaps, I am becoming more of a liberal liberatarian. But at some point, individuals need to make better choices about what they eat all by themselves. Not because the government said so. We see and hear that "its not our fault" and "we have been victims". We have become an increasingly legalistic society because its not our fault and our legislative bodies continue to support this Tom Foolery. Some of us choose to eat McDonald's everyday--super sized, and then get coranary heart disease--and then want to sue McDonald's(successfully, mind you). The court system supports it. Legislators figure out ways to penalize Mcdonalds. I would say if you ate anybody's fried shit daily you will probably kill yourself. That, my friend, is poor choices and perhaps a lack of knowledge about good nutrition, but a poor PERSONAL choice all the same. Like my daily-ounce-of-bourbon-drinking-once a week tabacco-chewing--great grandmothe who died at 91 would say, "moderation is the key baby." If you don't excercise that moderation, then the consequences are yours to deal with.
And the legislature should leave that shit alone--and go deal with the public school mess. That is where the greatest trouble lies. Perhaps that is why we make bad choices and need Daddy to fix it? Cause we are a nation of uneducated folk?
Patriarchy is ruling the day and allowing us to hold on to our childhood longer and longer. We just do what we want-healthy or unhealthy--until its legislated otherwise. What's next? Are we going to go back to prohibition? Alchohol-related deaths are far greater then "I eat everything fried" deaths. Will we ban that again?
Probably not. I'm sure the liqour lobby is not small.
Yes, I am aware of how bad these fats are for folks. Everytime you pick up a piece of fried chicken you may be taking some seconds off your life--no doubt. And 30,000-100,000 people might be saved a year by keeping away from Trans Fats. However, I unlike the ADA have a problem with the fact that more and more of our civil liberties are being dismantled by "we know what's good for you." legislative moves. This crap is more big brother than life saving--and an annoying ass publicity move.
I am bothered by the fact that in a city with an enormous gap between rich and poor, a fleeing middle class, a 40% high school graduation rate, and a crumbling infrastructure (1,000's are employed to band-aid the water main and subways system every day--it is over 100 years old,mind you.) we take out time to make a big publicity stunt and call it a ban. How is NYC, which can't even collect its property tax, going to enforce this ban? Especially since it will not necessarily count against a restaurant during health inspection. After all, NYC is already deemed one of the healthiest cities in the country, trans fats at a million Crown Fried Chickens included. How about spending more time on closing down food spots that are truly a health hazard?
Perhaps, I am becoming more of a liberal liberatarian. But at some point, individuals need to make better choices about what they eat all by themselves. Not because the government said so. We see and hear that "its not our fault" and "we have been victims". We have become an increasingly legalistic society because its not our fault and our legislative bodies continue to support this Tom Foolery. Some of us choose to eat McDonald's everyday--super sized, and then get coranary heart disease--and then want to sue McDonald's(successfully, mind you). The court system supports it. Legislators figure out ways to penalize Mcdonalds. I would say if you ate anybody's fried shit daily you will probably kill yourself. That, my friend, is poor choices and perhaps a lack of knowledge about good nutrition, but a poor PERSONAL choice all the same. Like my daily-ounce-of-bourbon-drinking-once a week tabacco-chewing--great grandmothe who died at 91 would say, "moderation is the key baby." If you don't excercise that moderation, then the consequences are yours to deal with.
And the legislature should leave that shit alone--and go deal with the public school mess. That is where the greatest trouble lies. Perhaps that is why we make bad choices and need Daddy to fix it? Cause we are a nation of uneducated folk?
Patriarchy is ruling the day and allowing us to hold on to our childhood longer and longer. We just do what we want-healthy or unhealthy--until its legislated otherwise. What's next? Are we going to go back to prohibition? Alchohol-related deaths are far greater then "I eat everything fried" deaths. Will we ban that again?
Probably not. I'm sure the liqour lobby is not small.
posted by Jonzee @ 10:14 AM
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