Recently a Los Angeles city council unanimously approved a ban on new fast food restaurants in a 32-sq-mile area covering most of southern L.A. The Councilperson whom proposed the ban said that the measure is an attempt to try to reduce health problems in the district associated with fast food, such as obesity and diabetes.
The ban would restrict any fast food restaurant's such as McDonald's, Burger king, or the like from building new places of business in the area. However, it would still allow some restaurants such as Subway to build and operate within the ban zone (Quick Fact- The most popular sandwich Subway sells {the Meatball Marinara} is worse for you then a Quarter Pounder from McDonald's).
Since when in the Constitution anywhere does it give either federal, state, or local governments the right to police food intake? It doesn't, but by no means do i expect these idiot city councilmen to have an iota's worth of a clue on the slightest bit of Constitutional theory. Most of them probably got no further in government study then social studies in a public high school.
That doesn't change the fact they are clearly overstepping their boundaries here. What about that whole "pursuit of happiness" thing? If it makes someone happy to indulge themselves on a Big Mac, a large Fry, and a Diet Coke, however, absurd that might sound- Let them. It's their right. The government has zero authority under the constitution to regulate food like that. Moreover, their getting eerily close to stepping over our capitalist theory by regulating what business can run where. Giving, perhaps, preferential treatment to certain business over others.
So what should happen? Well McDonald's and Burger King and whomever else the ban effects should take time away from the great ground beef patty war and band together and drop a combined civil suit on these neanderthals that call themselves Los Angeles City Councilmen. They should cite their infringement on free enterprise to a judge. Secondly, the people of L.A., whether they enjoy self gratification of a juicy Big Mac every now and then or not, should stand together and launch a campaign against these councilmen.
I'm sure your asking, "is a few fast food restaurants really that big of a deal?" My answer to you would be most certainly yes. The reason being, because if we let the government meddle where the government doesn't belong we are inadvertently reducing our rights and liberties. Freedom usually isn't stripped away from a people in a day, it's chipped away slowly in hopes that a complacent society wont find the motivation to stand against it's tyranny. Today it might be fast food, but tomorrow maybe they will tell you want brand of medicine you have to buy, or what sports are too "violent," or what movies your allowed to watch, or what music is socially exceptable to listen too. That doesn't sound right, and "We The People' should not give those morons credence to indulge their opinions or vein desires for power.
