PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
A city council committee in the People's Republic of Los Angeles has issued its latest decree, unanimously endorsing a plan that would ban any additional fast-food restaurants from opening in South Los Angeles. The proposed ordinance has been forwarded to the entire council, and upon passage would effectively prevent new restaurants in a 32 square mile area. The purpose is to provide more "healthy" choices to south LA residents by attracting more grocery stores and "sit down" restaurants.
And you thought New Jersey was bad.
So now the fun begins, as the almighty council gets to decide what constitutes a "fast food" restaurant. According to the ordinance, this would be "any establishment which dispenses food for consumption on or off the premises, and which has the following characteristics: a limited menu, items prepared in advance or prepared or heated quickly, no table orders, and food served in disposable wrapping or container." If this weren't so California-esque, it simply wouldn't be believable.
Limited menu? What is that? Hamburgers, chicken and a salad bar? Is it soft drinks and dessert? Perhaps no one has enlightened the Angelinos on Council, but if they're expecting a radically different "healthier" menu from the "sit-down" eateries they're courting, they are sadly mistaken. The restaurants that will venture into south LA are not exactly 5-star establishments, and they will offer very similar selections to McDonald's and Burger King.
But that's not the point. Why is the government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong? It has absolutely no right to tell a private company that it can't open a restaurant in a particular location when, at the same time, the city is actively enticing other "acceptable" restaurants by offering incentives such as tax credits, electricity rate discounts and fast-tracking through bureaucratic red tape.
Where are the leaders who are willing to say it like it is, standing up for real solutions? As usual, nonexistent. Instead, we are treated to more band-aid fixes for gaping wounds. Do we have an obesity problem in America? You bet, and it's approaching epidemic proportions. But outlawing a few more fast-food restaurants in an area that already has its fair share of them isn't going to solve anything. Having three donuts for breakfast, two cheeseburgers at lunch and pizza for dinner may be gluttonous and unhealthy, but it's not illegal. And the last time I checked, virtually all fast food restaurants have salad bars and "healthier" options. The fact that many people choose fast food over cooking their own dinners is emblematic of many other issues we face in society, such as tax rates so high that both parents are forced to work, with many employed at two jobs. Life in America is more hectic than it has ever been, and, too often, there is simply no time for a home cooked meal.
You want to reign in obesity? Try beefing up the educational system. The only way for the next generation to avoid the obesity trap is to ensure they receive a quality education. By teaching them the values of athletics, health, and self-awareness, they will be much more likely to succeed in school and, ultimately, live a healthier lifestyle.
Time after time, paternalistic Big Government programs have failed the very people they were designed to serve, yet pig-headed Super Sized initiatives continue to be billed as the solution to our problems.
That whopper of a lie must be put to rest.
Chris Freind can be reached at CF@TheBulletin.us
