5 ms·

Kudos to McDonald's for circumventing a stupid law. The government needs to stop meddling in everyone's life.

TomOfTTB 15y ago
I don't disagree but I think the larger point here is Government is painfully ineffective at meddling. So much so that they end up making the problem they were trying to prevent worse. I mean, this was a pretty obvious work around for McDonalds. If the SF City Council was serious about this they should have seen it coming from a mile away.
- romanows 15y ago
  Could it be that MacDo just called the SF city council's bluff? I'm not sure this is evidence that the city council sucks at intervening: the council did something straightforward to communicate their intent. The company brazenly thumbed its nose, so they must believe the council to be utterly weak-willed or powerless. If the city council is not bluffing, they'll push for more restrictive laws. And in another time and place, perhaps health, safety, and zoning commissions would come knocking.
  - NiceOneBrah 15y ago
    Hopefully an equally (it not more) stupid follow up by the city council would be shot down when coming to a vote. Perhaps McDonald's is banking that lightning won't strike twice?
Herring 15y ago
Have you seen the rising obesity statistics? If the government doesn't take it on as a public health issue, who will? http://www.wikinvest.com/images/3/37/Obesity.jpg http://www.wikinvest.com/images/3/37/Obesity.jpg
- yummyfajitas 15y ago
  Obesity is a private health issue. It is not communicable and poses no danger to anyone except the people who freely choose to eat too much. The only reason obesity becomes a public issue at all is because the non-obese are forced by the government to pay for the health care of the obese. This problem has a very simple solution - no medicare/medicaid for fatties, and make it easier for insurance to charge fatties and fitness freaks different rates.
  - billjings 15y ago
    It's not communicable from person to person, but it's certainly communicable from your environment to you. edit: Is this such a controversial statement? Does it bear explanation? What we eat is not solely a matter of willpower. It is influenced by what sort of food is available. It is influenced by what sort of food is easier or harder to obtain. It is influenced by how hungry we are. How hungry we are can be changed by how stressed out we are, or by what we ate yesterday, or last week, or how active we have been lately. It is even influenced by what we see others eat, what is culturally acceptable to eat. So yeah - obesity isn't communicable from person to person like the flu is, but it is something that your environment has a huge influence on.
    - gsmaverick 15y ago
      And yet somehow obesity was hardly a problem for thousands of years in human history. People need to stop making excuses for their poor eating and exercising habits and take responsibility for their actions.
      - notJim 15y ago
        I think it's awfully naive to claim that the environment you're raised in has no effect on your actions later in life.
    - michaeldhopkins 15y ago
      Somehow a person eating food can't control themselves but your desire to change their behavior is objective? Your preference for bad legislation that was transmitted to you contagiously from your environment. Perhaps you would like someone to change your environment so you take better political actions. And so on.

I don't disagree but I think the larger point here is Government is painfully ineffective at meddling. So much so that they end up making the problem they were trying to prevent worse. I mean, this was a pretty obvious work around for McDonalds. If the SF City Council was serious about this they should have seen it coming from a mile away.

romanows 15y ago
Could it be that MacDo just called the SF city council's bluff? I'm not sure this is evidence that the city council sucks at intervening: the council did something straightforward to communicate their intent. The company brazenly thumbed its nose, so they must believe the council to be utterly weak-willed or powerless. If the city council is not bluffing, they'll push for more restrictive laws. And in another time and place, perhaps health, safety, and zoning commissions would come knocking.
- NiceOneBrah 15y ago
  Hopefully an equally (it not more) stupid follow up by the city council would be shot down when coming to a vote. Perhaps McDonald's is banking that lightning won't strike twice?

Herring 15y ago

Have you seen the rising obesity statistics? If the government doesn't take it on as a public health issue, who will? http://www.wikinvest.com/images/3/37/Obesity.jpg http://www.wikinvest.com/images/3/37/Obesity.jpg

yummyfajitas 15y ago
Obesity is a private health issue. It is not communicable and poses no danger to anyone except the people who freely choose to eat too much. The only reason obesity becomes a public issue at all is because the non-obese are forced by the government to pay for the health care of the obese. This problem has a very simple solution - no medicare/medicaid for fatties, and make it easier for insurance to charge fatties and fitness freaks different rates.
- billjings 15y ago
  It's not communicable from person to person, but it's certainly communicable from your environment to you. edit: Is this such a controversial statement? Does it bear explanation? What we eat is not solely a matter of willpower. It is influenced by what sort of food is available. It is influenced by what sort of food is easier or harder to obtain. It is influenced by how hungry we are. How hungry we are can be changed by how stressed out we are, or by what we ate yesterday, or last week, or how active we have been lately. It is even influenced by what we see others eat, what is culturally acceptable to eat. So yeah - obesity isn't communicable from person to person like the flu is, but it is something that your environment has a huge influence on.
  - gsmaverick 15y ago
    And yet somehow obesity was hardly a problem for thousands of years in human history. People need to stop making excuses for their poor eating and exercising habits and take responsibility for their actions.
    - notJim 15y ago
      I think it's awfully naive to claim that the environment you're raised in has no effect on your actions later in life.
  - michaeldhopkins 15y ago
    Somehow a person eating food can't control themselves but your desire to change their behavior is objective? Your preference for bad legislation that was transmitted to you contagiously from your environment. Perhaps you would like someone to change your environment so you take better political actions. And so on.