Mississippi: Innovative protectors of public health or descriminating retards?

[Dinner]

I found this blog entry on another site I visit; it appears to be legit. I can see both sides of this but generally am falling on the "this guy is an idiot" side of the debate. On the other hand if fat people can sue fast food and snack food companies for making them fat then why not restrict where they can eat?

As always, I report and you decide.

Too fat to eat in public

Oh, Mississippi. Pride of the nation, you are. I know and love several Mississippians, but as a state? Well, you’re rapidly losing what little respect I had left for you.

Thanks go to Lindsay (and you should all be reading her anyway) for pointing out the Junkfood Science article about Mississippi House Bill 282. Sandy called Representative Mayhall to make sure this wasn’t a joke. It isn’t.

HOUSE BILL NO. 282

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. Be it enacted by the legislature of the state of Mississippi:

SECTION 1.

(1) The provisions of this section shall apply to any food establishment that is required to obtain a permit from the State Department of Health under Section 41-3-15(4)(f), that operates primarily in an enclosed facility and that has five (5) or more seats for customers.

(2) Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.

(3) The State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2008.

Y’all can feel free to email Representative Mayhall. I think he needs to hear from people in and out of Mississippi just what this bill means to them - for me it means possibly never being able to take my tourism dollars to Mississippi again when visiting my loved ones there. Plus, you know, the basic human dignity issues! RAR!

http://www.therotund.com/?p=324

[Dinner]

This, of course, won't pass and I suspect State Representative Mayhall is just fishing for publicity but it does raise an interesting question about what the state should do, if anything, to protect people from themselves.

[Wezil]

Junk food should be taxed like cigarettes. Fair is fair.

[SlowwHand]

I see the logic.

[Imran Siddiqui]

She's trying to close all the food establishments in Mississippi... who are their customers going to be?! Out of state tourists?!

[SlowwHand]

That's not what it says.

[Dinner]

People in Mississippi = fat
No fat people in restaurants = closed restaurants.

[Elok]

Like the T-shirt says, No Fat Chicks.

[DinoDoc]

Yeah, wierd **** gets proposed at the start of every session here. I write most of it off as sops to supporters rather than serious efforts. I imagine its the same way in CA as well.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Wezil
Junk food should be taxed like cigarettes. Fair is fair.

This is probably the best proposal. Some states do have a junk food tax but it is no where near the level of tobacco or alcohol taxes. In my opinion all three should be massively taxed and the proceeds should go to pay for public health campaigns/health care.

[Arrian]

Some sort of taxation may be appropriate (if they can figure out a good way of categorizing "healthy" and "unhealthy" food, that is). I'm dubious.

-Arrian

[Patroklos]

Junk food should be taxed like cigarettes. Fair is fair.

A poor tax

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by Patroklos


A poor tax

A luxury tax

[Patroklos]

I am sure they will see it that way

[DirtyMartini]

While in principle, it wouldn't have to be a poor tax. I agree, in practice it would disproportionately impact the poor and working class and is probably a bad idea.

Something needs to be done about the obesity epidemic, though, there was some ridiculous estimate on NPR last night about the increased cost to MN in health care dollars if the rate of obesity continues growing at the same rate over the next 10 years. Big number (don't remember it). Most of the proposed solutions reek of anti-fat dude discrimination unfortunately -- including the OP. And seriously, some 15 year old working the register at McD's is going to tell a 35 year old 350 pounder that he can't have his Big Mac -- I don't think so.

edit: clarity