Liberals ban Happy Meal toys

[1bad65]

I thought this was America?

"A California county on Tuesday became the first in the nation to ban toys from fast food kids' meals high in calories, fat, salt and sugar.

Santa Clara County supervisors voted 3-2 to ban the plastic goodies as promotions in meals with more than 485 calories.

County supervisor Ken Yeager said Tuesday that the ordinance "prevents restaurants from preying on children's love of toys to peddle high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium kids' meals," and would help fight childhood obesity.

"This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes," Yeager said. "Under this ordinance, restaurants are still permitted to give out toys. This ordinance merely imposes very specific, common-sense nutrition standards for children's meals that are linked to these incentives."

The ordinance will ban restaurants from giving away toys with meals that have more than 485 calories, more than 600 milligrams of sodium, more than 35 percent of total calories from fat or more than 10 percent of calories from added sugar. It would also limit toy giveaways on single food items with more than 200 calories or more than 480 milligrams of sodium.

But the decision, which affects about a dozen fast food restaurants in unincorporated areas of Silicon Valley, has angered the California Restaurant Association, which fought the proposal with ads in local newspapers. One asks "Who Made Politicians the Toy Police?" and shows a child in handcuffs in front of a cop.

The group commissioned a poll of local residents that found 80 percent didn't think the toy issue was an important one.

"From our perspective, we were echoing what our customers had to say. Obviously we felt that this proposal was excessive and I think purposely provocative," said Daniel Conway, the association's director of public affairs.

Conway said the association was disappointed local officials didn't come to them before creating the ordinance.

"We try to proactively engage with policy makers at the local level, the state level and the federal level," Conway said. "At the national level, our industry just played a critical role in passing a national menu labeling standard, so that now customers in many restaurants will be able to have in front of them the exact nutritional content of the various menu items."

Yeager said at a press conference Tuesday that he hopes the ordinance will spark other counties and states to pass similar legislation.

Restaurants will have a 90-day grace period beginning May 11 before the ordinance goes into effect."

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/28...ex.html?hpt=C1

Rush predicted this YEARS ago.

First they went after the tobacco companies, then they went after the fast food industry....

What freedom will they come after next?

[Drake]

Maybe if most of us weren't fat and sick from being processed food companies (ie McDonalds) driving out all of the natural food markets, this wouldn't be an issue.

You give a family a choice of a 99 cent cheeseburger that will kill them later, or raw foods they can't afford due to the market being controlled by processed food manufacturers, and the endstate is obvious.

[Lucas]

just make healthy meals and put the toys in that, that way the kids will cry and scream for some carrots and celery..

[David Jamieson]

Santa Clara County supervisors voted 3-2 to ban the plastic goodies as promotions in meals with more than 485 calories.

read that. Understand it. No? Read it again. Understand it yet?

In other news, legislation is being passed which will ban the consumption of poison by children under 18.

[kfson]

I thought this was America?

"A California county on Tuesday became the first in the nation to ban toys from fast food kids' meals high in calories, fat, salt and sugar.

Santa Clara County supervisors voted 3-2 to ban the plastic goodies as promotions in meals with more than 485 calories.

Free Kiddy toys with all tofu meals, FTW in LOCO LAND.

[1bad65]

In other news, legislation is being passed which will ban the consumption of poison by children under 18.

Get off that crap. The food being sold is legally sold, FDA inspected food.

I'm stunned some of you are ok with the Gov't taking away freedoms like this. Drake, especially you. I thought you fought to protect our freedoms?

That's the thing about freedom. We are free to make good choices, as well as stupid choices.

[David Jamieson]

Get off that crap. The food being sold is legally sold, FDA inspected food.

I'm stunned some of you are ok with the Gov't taking away freedoms like this. Drake, especially you. I thought you fought to protect our freedoms?

That's the thing about freedom. We are free to make good choices, as well as stupid choices.

so you're ok with target marketing cigarettes to children with malleable minds that are highly impressionable?

You are ok with a 65% obesity rate being brought on by consumption of sugars and fats at an all time high?

You're ok with these companies lobbying politicians to keep them in business and allow them to sell these "fda" inspected foods (for whatever that's worth these days)

You seem to be a federalist of convenience. lol

Type 2 diabetes is rampant in your country. Obesity is a real problem and now that you are paying tax dollars into health care, you would think that you would get on board with any preventative measures that could be put forth.

But for the sake of some alleged perceived freedom infringement you see in telling companies to advertise responsibly you're gonna get on board with the greater of 2 evils for the sake of it?

Dude, you aren't free. You're freedom that you go on about is an illusion. It's a lie. It's cake and the cake is a lie. You think you're free but you're not. I personally don't think your average american could handle the reality of freedom. they're happier in their cocoon, protected and not having to think for themselves.

the way you take a stance you would think that every single american is highly educated, able to make complex decisions at the drop of a hat and in complete charge of the world they live in.

well, I don't know if it's news, but I got some for ya, that ain't the way it is.
You are essentially cattle on drugs. Accept it.

[solo1]

Im okay with parents making choices for their children not the state. If MCD wants to throw a cheap chinese made toy in a friggin happy meal it is not the business of some snot nosed bureacrat to decide if they can or not, the market will decide. Smaller less intrusive government is better then the mighty hand of a typical douch nozzle in an elected office.

[David Jamieson]

Im okay with parents making choices for their children not the state. If MCD wants to throw a cheap chinese made toy in a friggin happy meal it is not the business of some snot nosed bureacrat to decide if they can or not, the market will decide. Smaller less intrusive government is better then the mighty hand of a typical douch nozzle in an elected office.

? Dude, that makes no sense.

The state has to provide regulatory legislation in regards to what can be sold and how it is advertised. That is the whole point of having governance. It looks after things like infrastructure, food safety, health awareness etc etc.

Most parents apparently aren't these righteous and highly educated individuals. they are regularly shlubs like you and me and when you make it easier for them to make the right choice tehy will.

essentially the bill in question is telling the companies that are doing it to stop using enticing advertising to lure kids into poor food choices.

If you've ever had a kid whining and tugging for some crap that tv personalities excite them about then you know what I'm talking about.

[1bad65]

? Dude, that makes no sense.

It makes no sense to you becuase you are ignorant of what our Constitution says.

[1bad65]

I personally don't think your average american could handle the reality of freedom.

So we need a Kenyan like Barack Obama to help us handle it, right?

[mawali]

This is starting to **** me off!
Let parents make the choice. Save the taxpayers money and vote on more worthwhile issues!

[kfson]

So the liberal government is saying that despite FDA approval, the liberal government, in all it's wisdom, knows better than the parents of their own children.

When is the liberal government to ban such food because adults can't make the right liberal decisions, despite FDA approval?

When will the liberal government make tofu burgers the only legal burgers to serve in public? Of course with liberal government approved toys.

Will this start Speak Easies for Beef Patties?

Will the government start testing for blood cholesterol... if one is above the limit, one has to pay a higher tax?

I could go on for hours.

[Reality_Check]

It's cake and the cake is a lie.

Nice Portal reference.

[Lucas]

stupid people cannot be relied upon to make sound decisions