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The War on Happy Meals

Jonah, I wish I could say that I was surprised by that story about San Francisco tackling the Happy Meal menace, but we live in relentlessly bossy times.

That said, this comment from one of the San Francisco board of supervisors is too good not to be singled out as a classic of modern sanctimony:

“We’re part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice,” said Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure.

“An agenda of food justice”: a phrase that is a Happy Meal all in itself. Truly something to savor.

New on The Corner. . .


COMMENTS   14

EXPAND  

   11/04/10 10:24

Will they add the cry of "No justice, no food"??

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   11/04/10 10:26

Overweight kids, kids caught with contraband food, younger kids who refused to eat their veggies all packed into juvie hall in San Fran.Food justice!

A "movement that is moving… an agenda of food justice" ends with a flush.

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   11/04/10 10:29

No justice, no grease!

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   11/04/10 10:33

A better program would be to reward adults with (green) stamps when we buy green approved products. Then our little children can use the stamps for green approved toys that will soon be available from green toy companies owned by more responsible folks.
The parents can give the stamps to (their) children when they do something for the environment. A list of good deeds for the environment, and toys, could be obtained from the proper authorities.
This would fill the void left in the poor little children's lives from the missing and bad Happy Meal toys while helping to educate them in the correct behavior necessary for rewards.

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   11/04/10 10:36

Folks who support politicians with a "food justice" agenda deserve what they get from the likes of Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi.

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   11/04/10 10:39

Unfortunately, most times are "relentlessly bossy times." It seems to be part of the human condition to try to micromanage each other. Different ages and cultures have different priorities: in some times and places it's been church attendance, in others the outward signs of patriotism or compassion or submission to the King.

Will a black market in Happy Meal toys appear in San Francisco? If I managed a McDonald's, I might order some cases of toys and give them to my young customers, whether they ordered a Happy Meal or not.

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   11/04/10 10:48

McDonald's should immediately pack up and close every restaurant in San Francisco effected by this legislation. Isn't that what John Galt would do?

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   11/04/10 11:01

Food justice? Isn't that when meddlesome little twerps like Mr Mar drown in a vat of ketchup?

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   11/04/10 11:13

The left hates Republicans in their bedrooms but I hate the Democrats in my kitchen.

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   11/04/10 11:23

A lot more stupid than just the quote above came out of Supervisor Mar's mouth.

Regarding, "an agenda of food justice." The "progressives" came up with the term "social justice" some time back, because it sounds nicer than, "taking your property and giving it to someone else." Now we have "food justice," which apparently means, "taking your power to decide what your kids eat and giving it to the government."

"Epidemic of childhood obesity." Whenever a politician uses the word "epidemic," he's lying. That's important, so I'll say it again: Whenever a politician uses the word "epidemic," he's lying.

Politicians say "epidemic" when they want to spend your money and take away your rights. Because an epidemic is a disease, dontchknow, and if you have a disease, we have to take away some of your money and your rights, which is really all the "progressives" want to do. How else are we going to cure your disease/epidemic?

We don't have epidemics in America. We certainly have health problems. Third-world countries have epidemics. Haiti has epidemics - cholera, at the moment. The last time the U.S. had an epidemic was over 50 years ago - polio.

"Particularly kids from low income neighborhoods..." Yes, of course. And "World Ends Tomorrow; Poor, Minorities Hardest Hit."

"It's a survival issue..." Sure. It's right up there with polio, smallpox, bubonic plague, and al Qaeda. Ban Happy Meals or we'll all die.

The hypocrisy here is delightful. By all accounts, the good people of San Francisco think it's perfectly okay to smoke marijuana right there in the ballpark at the World Series, but giving your kid a Chicken McNugget is child abuse.

And I'll wager that the majority of this board of supervisors that is taking away a woman's right to choose what food she feeds her children would be apoplectic if someone were to try to take away her right to choose to abort a child before it's born.

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   11/04/10 11:26

The ordinance says they can't "include" the toy with the meal. No problem.

When I worked for the government, I found that you could pretty much get around the regulations any time you wished to. All you needed to do was change what you call something. So, now the toy won't be "included". It will be "extra". There will be a nominal charge for it - discounted if you buy the meal, but still "extra" so you can't say it's "included".

A free people will always find a way around, over, under, or through tyrants like these tight-sphinctered nags.

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   11/04/10 11:34

Bad couple of days for McDonalds franchise owners in San Francisco. First, Prop 19 fails and, now, Happy Meals are banned.

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   11/04/10 11:37

These comments exemplify why "The Corner" tops the ratings charts in its time slot!

Easily the best place of its kind in which to hang out.

Excelsior!

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   11/04/10 11:54

Revolutionaries need Angry Meals. How dare the oppressors push Happy Meals onto future revolutionaries?

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