My home state is a constant source of befuddlement. I know I have bad mouthed my state on so many occasions……but they have gone and topped themselves….it will be hard to be any more stupid.
First, let us look at the state of Mississippi……most obese state, the poorest state, the state with the most cases of diabetes… the state always has a higher unemployment rate than the nation’s…….poor education, health services, on and on and………
Now the media pundits, especially the millionaires, are all over trying to save us from ourselves by supporting a better nutrition program……and then there are those that push back…..but so far I have not seen a state tackle this subject…..that is until………. now!
From the NY Times…….
The Mississippi Legislature wants to be the sole government body that controls its buffets, barbecue and sweet tea.
To that end, the people who govern the state with the highest rate of obesity in the nation have passed a bill saying that any law that might restrict what Mississippians eat or drink has to go through them — barring federal regulations.
That means that cities or counties cannot enact rules limiting soda size, salt content, shortening in cookies, toys in fast-food meals for children, how a menu is written or just about any other aspect of the daily dining experience in Mississippi.
It is easy to view the new Mississippi law with an ironic eye. As Representative Omeria Scott, a Democrat, pointed out during the debate on the bill, “Mississippi is the fattest and most unhealthy state in the U.S.A.”
But the legislation is the latest and most sweeping expression of a nationwide battle in which some government officials, public health leaders and food supply reformers are pitted against those who would prefer the government quit trying to control what people eat.
Mayor Bloomberg of New York City commented……..
“You know, Saturday Night Live couldn’t write this stuff,” Mr. Bloomberg exclaimed. “How can somebody try and pass a law that deliberately says we can’t improve the lives of our citizens? It’s just farce. Nobody would believe it if you wrote it in the book.”
You may shake your heads and ask….what the Hell are they thinking? Well, there is the problem…..thinking…….they do not do much of that in the South, especially in Mississippi. And you thought your state was screwed up…….
