A New York judge disallowed a rule that would force fast-food chains to post calorie counts in their stores, citing something called the First Amendment. This amendment grants citizens and corporate citizens freedom of speech and expression.
Fictional reports say that this was the same judge who let the Hamburglar, a misshapen, beef-obsessed corporate mascot, go with only a "slap on the wrist."
New York lawmakers have tried to pass the law because obesity rates have doubled in the last twenty-five years, and it seems that fast food has been caught holding the grease-soaked bag.
First Amendments aside, even if laws demand that lists of calories be hung upon walls in speedy eateries, what good would it do?
People still smoke even though the government (and all its First Amendments) forces tobacco companies to put warnings on their packages. Yet, in nearly every pharmacy in America, there is a monolithic wall of cigarettes behind the check-out counter.
Most people know that fast food is bad for their bodies, but they eat it. Ask yourself, "Who amongst my peers thinks that fast food is healthy meal?" Then tell those people that it isn't. It should be a short and easy task.
There have been reports released about the dishealthiness of fast food by doctors. Bestsellers have been written, movies made, documentaries and TV spots all produced and out there for the public to see. A mandatory sign is going to be a waste of paper.
Here is a list of better deterrents to place on those walls:
*The taunts of children
*Cute-looking cows being marched into a slaughterhouse.
*Pictures of attractive people who are too shallow to date you if eat too much fast food.
Obesity is no laughing matter. It's the second biggest killer of Americans after tobacco. Obviously, something should be done, but it can't be done with laws and warning labels and signs. Choices, that are protected by amendments, need to be made.
To find a doctor to talk with about the risks of smoking or fast food, click here.
