House bill 202

Update June 4th, 2008: This bill was never passed. Maybe there are a few smart people in our government after-all. (or maybe the corporations involved are just looking out for their own pocket-book.) Either way, I’m glad this was never passed as it is a basic intrusion upon our basic rights as American Citizens.

From the “What the fuck is wrong with the state of Mississippi” department…

aka “You’re too fat to eat here” proposes that restaurants will not serve overweight customers. Or, as actually worded by the bill itself:

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FROM SERVING FOOD TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OBESE, BASED ON CRITERIA PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PERSON IS OBESE AND TO PROVIDE THOSE MATERIALS TO THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

So what is McDonald’s or Wendy’s going to tell their millions of overweight customers? Get a salad? How would a cashier even handle this? Even if it does somehow manage to get pushed into law (which I highly doubt it will, seeing as how it will most definitely directly affect the fast food industry), how would you tell someone they are too fat to eat at your restaurant?

You can calculate your own BMI, and if it comes out to something 25 or higher, then rest assured, if this does actually pass, you won’t be eating any Big Macs soon.

The problem with this (besides the obvious) is that a very basic freedom is being attacked with this proposal: your basic freedom to choose to eat whatever you want. (If that’s not a freedom, it should be.) It is not the role of anybody but yourself to learn how to control what and how much you eat, and it is not the right of anyone but yourself to determine this.

Yes, being overweight is not healthy. But is it doing anybody else any physical harm? I wonder, what’s the real purpose for even suggesting this kind of legislature?