Yes, we are helpless

First, I want to point you all to this article. Now let me make a few points.

How far down did you read? The first time I read this I only got to the second or third paragraph. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard about this new law, banning the opening of new fast food restaurants, but allowing the current ones to remain unaffected.

My favorite part is, as you may expect, the numbers. Southern LAers are more obese than ones in west LA. BUT, the west side has more fast food restaurants than the south. But facts never got in the way of lawmakers on either side, so that's irrelevant. What matters is someone didn't like seeing all of the McDonald's around town and figured that's a fight they could probably win.

Have we as Americans lost our freedom to just live? Sure you can smoke, but you'll have to pay through the nose for them and good luck finding a place that lets you smoke. Some are happy to go through life morbidly obese, giving into every carnal urge they have. Let's try to cut that. And now, in an unhealthy economy, Big Brother has told us we can't open a fast food restaurant there because they don't want it. Hopefully, that wasn't part of your American Dream.

Here's the thing, people make choices every day and when you force one choice out, they're going to go to the next closest thing. Someone wanting quick food and gets denied a Big Mac will end up at the grocery store stocking up on TV dinners and frozen pizza. Let's face it, there are healthier choices at any fast food place.

You can't force people to make the right decisions. You either have to take away all choices leaving on the "right" one (and who's to judge that?) or make them want to make the right choice. Stripping away free will is, sadly, faster and easier. But encouraging and enlightening is much more effective and humanizing. Spread the word about how bad something is and people will start to at least lessen their intake of it and, thanks to corporate greed, companies will either replace the evil item with something less evil or offer an alternative. Either way, they still get your money and you have the freedom to make the choice. Do we really have to wait for a government issued menu before we realize it's time to do something?