I think some lawmaker has a little too much time on his hands.

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.

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Seems to me that the number one problem in Mississippi is lawmakers wasting taxpayer money and time on stupid things.

And are we not a government by the people, for the people, and of the people?

Overeaters have a choice now. They can move. They can quit overeating. Or they can suck it up and kill themselves in their own private homes.

And who makes the decision on what is obese, the 95 pound teenager that waits on them?

Obesity is defined by the CDC using the BMI. Although the BMI is not perfect it's probably a good starting point.

The difference here is that this is one lawmaker making the proposal for the law, not an issue on a ballot for the people to decide on.

Well, at the guy has some integrity. He admits that he would probably be one of the people banned by his own law.

P.S. This was meant as a joke, folks. No need to get all riled up.

No. "We" are a people governed by special interests groups, corporations and the dim-witted fools that are congregated in one place to promote the interests of those that put them there.

The government no longer represents the best interests of the people, in general, but of the few people that have the most influence and, usually, money.

MJ

But I thought the people are not equipped to vote directly and need to told what is right and what is wrong.

The People already had their vote when they elected him as their representative. Maybe they'll think twice at the next election.

Did you also hear about the guy who was eating at a buffet with his wife's cousin and the serve told him they'd have to leave before making another trip through the buffet because "Y'alls eat too much"?

For those not in on the joke, the above was roughly Bengalsfan's response to yet another infringement of liberty and property rights - the use of the force of law to prohibit smoking in privately-owned establishments. He had no problem with that intrusion, yet this one is stupid.

Ah, I seek Jokerman. Thanks for the explanation. It's always good to have people around with long memories. Keeps us honest, or at least gives a chance to stay honest.

The major difference between the two, however, is that the calories a person is consuming don't drift over to other tables and affect the rights and health of other people.

My being obese and eating next to you does not affect you. Someone smoking next to me DOES affect my health.

I see your point, since we regularly compel people to go to restaurants.

No, we just protect their health once they go there. Restaurants and other places that serve food or drink have to abide by many health regulations as a condition of being granted a license to serve the public. This is just one more.

C'mon Yoss, there's a difference. Those health regulations you refer to are intended to protect restaurant patrons against potentially deadly food-borne diseases or poisons that the patrons may not be able to detect.

Most people (overweight or not) have an idea of whether they're eating too much.

And let's also keep in mind that there is also a glandular connection to obesity in some people. If anything, proposed law is a knee-jerk reaction to the present awareness of this condition.

sorry, but watching obese people eat offends me, especially if it is ribs or chicken...all that smacking, slurping, teeth-sucking...ewwwww

so yes, it does affect me

At least they have teeth.. my FIL gums the above foods clean.

You misunderstood my post. I am not defending any limit on eating too much. I was making the connection between smoking bans and other health regulations. There is no real reason to differentiate between food-borne and air-borne health threats.

Sorry I misunderstood!

I'll sit this one out. OK, Happpy?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit...

...."shove it up your a$$, Fatty!"