Obese in Mississippi? Be banned from restaraunts

[WolfeMacleod]

Alllrighty then. What about the overweight diabetic who needs food NOW?
I can't believe someone would try to pass this.



Sorry, you’re too fat to eat here
Miss. bill would ban restaurants from serving obese customers


updated 1:00 p.m. PT, Mon., Feb. 4, 2008
JACKSON, Miss. - A state lawmaker wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers — but please, don’t be offended.

He says he never even expected his plan to become law.

“I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi,” said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier, who acknowledges that at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, he’d probably have a tough time under his own bill.

More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi are considered it obese, according to a 2007 study by the Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to “shred” the bill.

“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said Monday.

The bill had no specifics about how obesity would be defined, or how restaurants were supposed to determine if a customer was obese.

Al Stamps, who owns a restaurant in Jackson, said it is “absurd” for the state to consider telling him which customers he can’t serve. He and his wife, Kim, do a bustling lunch business at Cool Al’s, which serves big burgers — beef or veggie — and specialty foods like “Sassy Momma Sweet Potato Fries.”

“There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations,” Al Stamps said. “I’m sorry — you can’t do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat.”

[motion]

The correlation between income and obesity never ceases to amaze me.

[126coupe]

Originally Posted by motion

The correlation between income and obesity never ceases to amaze me.

Cheap fast food. No excercise, = Obesity

[thrown_hammer]

Great. Another state I can only stay in for approximately eight to twelve weeks before I die...

[motion]

Originally Posted by Minkoff

Cheap fast food. No excercise, = Obesity

Yeah, except fast food isn't all that cheap anymore. A meal is around $7 these days at McDonalds. Its just that actually preparing a meal takes effort and time, and some people are not willing to invest that time. And, they load up on fat-laden, costly junk while grocery shopping. An inordinate amount of their monthly income must go to their food intake.

[126coupe]

Originally Posted by motion

Yeah, except fast food isn't all that cheap anymore. A meal is around $7 these days at McDonalds. Its just that actually preparing a meal takes effort and time, and some people are not willing to invest that time. And, they load up on fat-laden, costly junk while grocery shopping. An inordinate amount of their monthly income must go to their food intake.

I am always amazed when people order a large drink in a fast food restaurant instead of a small when they are eating in the restaurant. Save the $$ and refill your friggin drink. Is this just plain stupidity?

[teenerted1]

$7?

how much crap do you need to eat off the dollar menu?

[sammyg2]

Income vs. weight:

IMO it all boils down to Personal Responsibility.
People who are responsible know when to say when, and they usually don't allow themselves to become obese. They are usually more successful too.

people who are less responsible are more likely to over-indulge, exercise less, become obese, and are more likely to be less successful and less employable.

I do not believe that obesity is a glandular problem, or that the obese are "victims".
They did it to themselves. It's no different than an addiction to alcohol or drugs.

Poverty doesn't cause obesity and obesity doesn't cause poverty, they are both the result of a common cause.
Obesity is a lifestyle. People will not change until they change their lifestyle. People in some locations are more likely to have a detrimental lifestyle, and are more prone to poverty because of it.

I haven't yet figured out yet how they will try to punish thin people to reward fat people, but I'm sure some liberal politician will try.

[JavaBrewer]

A coworker of mine has health issues and struggles with obeseity. This Monday morning before a meeting I saw him eat 3 bananas and 2 yougurts in < 2 minutes. His biggest problem is that he loves fast food and eats it everyday for lunch. No soda thankfully, but a couple burgers and large fries are no problem for him.

STAY AWAY FROM FAST FOOD FOLKS - THAT STUFF WILL KILL YOU DEAD!

I'm no measuring stick for good eating habits but I have been known to skip lunch if the only option is a fast food variety.

[livi]

In the words of Chevy Chase:

"Is this Russia ?? This is not Russia, is it ??"

BTW, was he fixing on having a scale installed at the entrance of every establishment? Sorry, dude, you are two pounds too heavy to eat here..

[legion]

Food so far today:

Breakfast: 1 blueberry muffin and one unsweetened Lipton iced tea.

Lunch: 1 hard-boiled egg, two slices of leftover pot roast, 2 servings of green beans, 1 diet Sprite, 1 South Beach soy bar, one serving of sugar-free Jello.

Still, I'm 20-30 pounds heavier than I would like to be (though I hide it well).

[widgeon13]

McDonald's would go out of business.

[URY914]

Can they make STUPID against the law too?

[notfarnow]

Motion's right, junk food isn't cheap food, it's LAZY food.

What does frozen burger cost compared to prime rib?
What does Kraft Singles cost per pound, versus a decent brie?

It's difficult when BAD foods are engineered to be so damn tasty. If you were raised on chips, pop & McDonald's, you're going to have a hell of a time getting yourself to eat fruit & veggies, lean pork and brown rice.

When I started putting on weight, I didn't really notice until I saw a couple pictures from a party. I was really bothered and embarrassed and got into a bit of a funk. Luckily, my wife is very health-conscious. She eats well and is very active. All I had to do was man-up and follow her lead. I'm now down 30lbs from what I was 3 years ago.

However, I still can't open a big bag of chips without eating the whole damn thing.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by WolfeMacleod

“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said Monday.

“There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations,” Al Stamps said. “I’m sorry — you can’t do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat.”

On one hand, I agree with these statements.

But then again, we live in a society where people seem decreasingly likely to accept responsibility for their own actions, and expect the government to bail them out. "Hey, I'm fat/lazy/gluttonous/irresponsible, but someone--not me--should pay for my stomach stapling surgery or diabetes medications or coronary stenting procedures because they're so expensive and I can't afford them to become a productive member of society, again." So if someone's gonna act like a child through their food choices, perhaps the government (who's increasingly responsible for taking care of people, it seems) should be able to treat us like children and regulate what we all eat.

[baldman]

“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said Monday.

“There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations,” Al Stamps said. “I’m sorry — you can’t do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat.”

But it's acceptable to tell people where they can and can not smoke? People were so zealous to have a law taking the choice of a smoking/non-smoking establishment away from the owner they failed to see the possible ramifications.
Bar tenders can get in trouble for serving "obviously drunk" patrons, so why shouldn't restaurants get in trouble for serving "obviously fat" patrons? "Sorry sir, but you clearly don't need that bacon double cheeseburger. If you would kindly step to the salad bar we would be glad to continue to serve you."

[fumanchu]

Ever sit next to a morbidly obese person in a plane? They seem to gravitate to the skinny folks, more room I guess. Kinda causes some harm as I'm uncomfortable for the entire flight.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Income vs. weight:

IMO it all boils down to Personal Responsibility.
People who are responsible know when to say when, and they usually don't allow themselves to become obese. They are usually more successful too.

people who are less responsible are more likely to over-indulge, exercise less, become obese, and are more likely to be less successful and less employable.

I do not believe that obesity is a glandular problem, or that the obese are "victims".
They did it to themselves. It's no different than an addiction to alcohol or drugs.

Poverty doesn't cause obesity and obesity doesn't cause poverty, they are both the result of a common cause.
Obesity is a lifestyle. People will not change until they change their lifestyle. People in some locations are more likely to have a detrimental lifestyle, and are more prone to poverty because of it.

I haven't yet figured out yet how they will try to punish thin people to reward fat people, but I'm sure some liberal politician will try.

It always amazes me how EVERYTHING on PPOT eventually gets made political and especially that they get made the fault of "liberals" ...even though in this case the legislation was SPONSORED by a Republican and the Democrat vowedto "shred" the bill!

Must be nice to live in a black and wihte world and have everything figured out so neat and tidy.

[frogger]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Drunk people hurt others, as does 2nd hand smoke. Overweight people generally do not cause others around them much harm.

-Wayne

Bus, train and airplane passengers might disagree.

[baldman]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Drunk people hurt others, as does 2nd hand smoke. Overweight people generally do not cause others around them much harm.

-Wayne

True, but what I am saying is the government took the right of the business owner away. Why didn't the govt say "you have to be either a smoking or a nonsmoking business"? That then lets the business owner say "this is a smoking establishment. If you don't like it, don't shop/drink/eat here." Let the market dictate if that strategy will fly.
And how is it a big leap from that to banning fat people at restaurants? Break it down to it's absolute base: This action can be dangerous, so we will prevent you from doing it in public.
The govt constantly cracks on smokers saying they get cancer and make other people pay for their health problems. So what about obesity related diabetes, heart disease, etc.?