I just can't believe this!

[plutoniumJoe]

I am all for personal freedom and individual rights. But where do one's individual rights stop and mine begin? I don't think that a ban is effective but I think that a substantial tax is warranted. We have other sin taxes for things that have far less social and health risks associated with them than obesity. Here in Canada it will be all of our responsibilities to care for children that have developed poor eating habits because they get hooked on high sodium, high fat, high fructose diets before they became old enough to distinguish for themsleves the benefits of a healthy diet. If unhealthy food cost the user Moore rather than the whole of society maybe people would think about what they were choosing rather than an inexpensive default to not preparing something healthy for their children.

I do not to claim to be without sin but my wife and I make sure that McDs is a rare "treat" and our kids don't crave it.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by plutoniumJoe

I am all for personal freedom and individual rights. But where do one's individual rights stop and mine begin? I don't think that a ban is effective but I think that a substantial tax is warranted. We have other sin taxes for things that have far less social and health risks associated with them than obesity. Here in Canada it will be all of our responsibilities to care for children that have developed poor eating habits because they get hooked on high sodium, high fat, high fructose diets before they became old enough to distinguish for themsleves the benefits of a healthy diet. If unhealthy food cost the user Moore rather than the whole of society maybe people would think about what they were choosing rather than an inexpensive default to not preparing something healthy for their children.

I do not to claim to be without sin but my wife and I make sure that McDs is a rare "treat" and our kids don't crave it.

That is what I like to hear, "RARE Treat"

I am a believer of you can have anything, as long as you don't over indulge in it. Just common sense.

[lorenz0]

Umm, and drugs are illegal why?

Kids shouldn't be fat because their parents choose to feed them rotten ronnies instead of something healthy. Be smart with your kids, end story

[DiverDude]

Ricky, Ricky.....they're not banning the Happy meal -all they're saying is stop using toys as 'kiddie crack'. The Happy meal isn't going anywhere -but it won't have a toy in it anymore.

Plus, while you argue that won't stop people currently buying Happy Meals, new kids are being born all the time and maybe if there's no toy, they won't be so drawn to START eating Happy Meals (and that's what Micky D is worried about).

Besides, like I said before, this goes way beyond burgers. Booze, smokes, drugs (prescription and recreational), Starbucks.....these are all things that, when consumed to excess, create problems. Problems for the consumer and society as a whole (through costs to the healthcare system). Yet these are all legal (except perhaps the recreational drugs but work with me here !).

And even if it DID step on someone's 'rights' somewhere, would you rather have an obese kid with his 'rights' in tact and in the hospital at age 12 for bariatric surgery (you wanna know how many tax dollars one of THOSE costs ?); or a relatively healthy kid with his nose 'out-of-joint' because there are no toys in a Happy Meal ?

I'm not in favour of losing civil liberties, but we have more liberties than we need and WAY more than we can handle. You want to censure the vote or tell me how many children I can have -we'll be talking ! But toys in some corporate giant's meal boxes !? Pffft..... we all have better things to do.

<dismount soapbox>

[jorjef]

Well if the toy is the major hook, try this.....I have a LARGE weekness for collecting....just about anything... You can go into just about any Mcd's and buy just the toy... no happy meal. I did it weekly for a long long time...lol I had a collection that would make kids pass out...lol..Well it was only time before my own kids thought it would be cool to rip open all the bags and line o'le dads Mcd's toys.... oh well... That day the hot wheels collection was hidden very well.. PASS THE WORD, JUST BUY THE TOY.....ya like that will work lol.

[marcingo]

Originally Posted by plutoniumJoe

I am all for personal freedom and individual rights. But where do one's individual rights stop and mine begin? I don't think that a ban is effective but I think that a substantial tax is warranted. We have other sin taxes for things that have far less social and health risks associated with them than obesity. Here in Canada it will be all of our responsibilities to care for children that have developed poor eating habits because they get hooked on high sodium, high fat, high fructose diets before they became old enough to distinguish for themsleves the benefits of a healthy diet. If unhealthy food cost the user Moore rather than the whole of society maybe people would think about what they were choosing rather than an inexpensive default to not preparing something healthy for their children.

I do not to claim to be without sin but my wife and I make sure that McDs is a rare "treat" and our kids don't crave it.

I have the perfect solution to the health care cost problem at least in Canada. NO MORE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE. Make it private. If you want to be stupid and obese that will be your own issue.... Pay for your own medicine... If I want to eat junk food everyday then I should be able to do that and not have a government telling me whats good for me. My parents and I came from a communist country and they were kicked out for fighting for freedom of choice (Solidarity in Poland) and it worked. The all knowing government fell and now people can do as they wish. If governments know whats best for us then I guess the Russians should listen to theirs which just recently told them smoke and drink more to help your country (incidentally they had raised the taxes on cigarrettes not too long before the comment)... If I become a burden on the healthcare system because of it CHARGE me or let me die.

Once you start taking choices away from people and they accept it you will try to take more to further your cause until they finally fight back. My parents werent allowed to buy Levis jeans in the 80s in Poland because they were bad for you too. I guess oranges and bananas were bad for you too because the government wouldnt let them be imported. (Except for the extremely wealthy or politically influential commys.)

Just my 02 cent

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by DiverDude

Ricky, Ricky.....they're not banning the Happy meal -all they're saying is stop using toys as 'kiddie crack'. The Happy meal isn't going anywhere -but it won't have a toy in it anymore.

Plus, while you argue that won't stop people currently buying Happy Meals, new kids are being born all the time and maybe if there's no toy, they won't be so drawn to START eating Happy Meals (and that's what Micky D is worried about).

Besides, like I said before, this goes way beyond burgers. Booze, smokes, drugs (prescription and recreational), Starbucks.....these are all things that, when consumed to excess, create problems. Problems for the consumer and society as a whole (through costs to the healthcare system). Yet these are all legal (except perhaps the recreational drugs but work with me here !).

And even if it DID step on someone's 'rights' somewhere, would you rather have an obese kid with his 'rights' in tact and in the hospital at age 12 for bariatric surgery (you wanna know how many tax dollars one of THOSE costs ?); or a relatively healthy kid with his nose 'out-of-joint' because there are no toys in a Happy Meal ?

I'm not in favour of losing civil liberties, but we have more liberties than we need and WAY more than we can handle. You want to censure the vote or tell me how many children I can have -we'll be talking ! But toys in some corporate giant's meal boxes !? Pffft..... we all have better things to do.

<dismount soapbox>

I don't personally feel the toy is the hook, sure they may play with it, but they still eat the crap food, and why are they eating the crap food, because the parent took them their. Without the toy, they will still go. So who's fault is it? I don't think it is the fast food chains.

Instead of governments banning silly things like a toy or a fast food item, they need to look at why girls are starting to menstrate as early as 7 years old, why are they maturing at that age. It isn't the fast food I am worried about, it is all the chemicals in every food item. They use steriods to get the meat to your table in record time, they use chemicals to get pretty looking vegetables to us. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO REALLY SPEND THEIR TIME TACKLING THIS AREA OF OUR FOOD CHAIN.

[ksalt]

Originally Posted by lorenz0

Umm, and drugs are illegal why?

Because of our relationship with the U.S.A. and they are fighting a war with drugs..

[sitandwatch]

For my kids its all about the toy, I have to force them to eat that crap.

I just get one happy meal and buy the second toy (note: second toy is pricey).

Now the double down is great just make sure go get gravy to dip it into... I personally feel the sodium content was extreme really extreme that would be my only issue with it.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Youngster Dan

#3 Talking on a cell phone is different from talking to someone sitting besides you. When you are talking to someone sitting besides you, the other person is also aware of the surroundings (stops talking to you while you turn left in a busy intersection) and can communicate with you effectively depending on the context. Also, studies show that reaction times while using a cell phone are impaired. I tend to prefer sharing the road with drivers who are not impaired, I dunno maybe it is just me.

actualy the most informative study done on cells and driving showed that experianced drivers had no inpairment at all from using a cell phone when driving, but inexperenced drivers were very destracted while using the cell phone.

but it is more simple for the goverment to just ban hand held electronics across the board than try to come up with a way to enfoce a ban based on experiance which I agree would be very hard to enforce. but every day when I drive I see just as many people on there cells as I did befor the ban, so this is going tobe another than that lack of enforcment is going to mitagate the intentions.

Steve