Mississippi law would ban serving obese diners

[Mikey]

Miss. law would ban serving obese diners - Yahoo! News


m

[Marvelmania]

Saw the MS Gov. on TV this morning and he said it's a dead bill. They just brought it up to bring the obesity problem that MS has to the front of the news. Not only would it be descrimination but can you imagine the loss of money from a restaurant standpoint?

[Mikey]

I think even the talk of a bill like this (as a public service) is pure discrimination and makes the whole state look bad in the world's eyes...

[toys2cool]

lol! what a joke,all the fast food joints would go out of business

[megoat]

Of course obesity is the next frontier in lifestyle finger pointing. Drugs, booze and cigarettes have been chastised to death, now it's on to Big Macs and curly fries. Fat people are 21st century alcoholics and drug addicts......

[Hulk]

Mississippi must be angling to replace Alabama as the subject of most redneck jokes. Yikes.

[huedell]

Here "eating" is a relatively affordable and much less offensive vice
(than drugs or alcohol) and yet obese people would be "punished" by
not being allowed to be served food somewhere?

That just sounds sad to me. I wouldn't believe it if it passed.

[dumbldor]

This has to do with health care costs, I bet.

[megoscott]

This is just a silly stunt to make a point, and a bad one. They are trying to equate a bar selling a drunk person alcohol to a restaurant selling a fat person food. It doesn't work that way.

[megoscott]

Interestingly, I was just reading that obese people and smokers don't cost more because they tend to die earlier. More health conscious will live forever and cost a fortune to maintain.

I do personally think there should be some kind of a tax on junk food or some initiative to make healthy food more affordable. When you can get 2000 calories of sugar and fat for $2 yet a healthy balanced meal costs $8 that's essentially war on poor people.

[hobub]

This has to do with health care costs, I bet.

And I'm sure starving obese people will really help in that area

[megoat]

Interestingly, I was just reading that obese people and smokers don't cost more because they tend to die earlier. More health conscious will live forever and cost a fortune to maintain.

Source?

I assume because of social security cost?

Smokers and fat people must put a bigger strain on the health care system than do folks who stick to a 2000 calorie a day diet and exercise......but i could be wrong.....

[Wee67]

Matt, I'm almost positive your right about that. A lot of health care costs come from the fact that we can extend the lives of everyone, including the obese and nicotine-filled. Obesity, especially, can lead to so many other health concerns from diabetes and heart disease to spine and disc problems.

That said, the proposed law is absurd. There are plenty of other ways to address this issue.

[megoat]

Matt, I'm almost positive your right about that. A lot of health care costs come from the fact that we can extend the lives of everyone, including the obese and nicotine-filled. Obesity, especially, can lead to so many other health concerns from diabetes and heart disease to spine and disc problems.

That said, the proposed law is absurd. There are plenty of other ways to address this issue.

Oh yes, Bill that law is ridiculous and virtually unenforceable anyway (how does one define "obese"?). But to me it's just not surprising. I was saying this years ago when the anti smoking crusade was in full effect. The next target was gonna be fat folks and that Hostess Inc and McDonalds Corp was gonna be targeted the same way the RJ Reynolds is......

[megoscott]

Source?

I assume because of social security cost?

Smokers and fat people must put a bigger strain on the health care system than do folks who stick to a 2000 calorie a day diet and exercise......but i could be wrong.....

Banning fat people from restaurants. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

Fat people are less medically expensive than other people over a lifetime, according to a Dutch study. Findings: 1) Fat people cost more per year than smokers or nonfat nonsmokers do, but only up to age 56. 2) After that, smokers cost more. However, 3) fat people and smokers die earlier (by 4 and 7 years, respectively). Net result: "Lifetime health expenditure was highest among healthy-living people and lowest for smokers," with fat people in between. Conclusion: "Obesity prevention may be an important and cost-effective way of improving public health, but it is not a cure for increasing health expenditures." Critiques: 1) The study didn't include non-medical costs, such as lost productivity. 2) If saving money is our overriding goal, let's promote quick killers such as lung cancer. Old argument for the war on fat: Fat costs everyone money. New argument for the war on fat: Fat's costs are "immeasurable." (Related: Financial penalties for fat employees; obesity and responsibility; the war on smoking.)