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Jennifer Nelson

Blaming Fast Food Eateries for Society’s Problems

Posted by at 12:00 am on Jan 26, 2006

In a typical Bay Area approach to problems, local government officials in Oakland and Contra Costa are blaming fast food restaurants for littering and juvenile obesity.

Oakland‘s City Councilmember Jane Brunner is proposing a new tax on fast food restaurants that are located near schools (read the SF Chronicle story here).  Why?  She says that they need to pay because they "are making a profit off of students."   Gee, how about holding the kids doing the littering accountable for their behavior rather than making it more expensive for local businesses to do business in Oakland?  Perhaps if some of these kids were cited for littering and forced to help clean the streets, they might be a little more interested in putting their trash in a trash can, rather than dropping it on the street.

In Contra Costa, Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier wants to limit the number of fast food restaurants in the county.  DeSaulnier, who owns a restaurant, says he is driven by the rising number of obese youth.  Fast food restaurants these days often have many healthy fares on the menu and I’ll tell you that many high-end eateries that Bay Area foodies love are chock full of high-calories foods.  Just Saturday night, my husband and friends shared a plate of pomme frites with aioli, deep-fried risotto balls, cassoulet and a cheese plate at Oakland‘s A Cote restaurant.  Even with the crab and blood orange salad we had, I’m willing to bet that a Quarter Pounder and French fries from McDonalds had fewer calories than our dinner. 

The SF Chronicle reports that DeSaulnier’s proposal received "a lukewarm response from colleagues on the Board of Supervisors."  It is a silly proposal that once again puts the blame for a societal and parental problem on the backs of business.  I’m willing to bet that teenagers know full well that fast food is bad for them.  The problem is not with the restaurants they are choosing to patronize–it is with kid’s individual eating habits, which parents, not government, need to change. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.

3 Responses to “Blaming Fast Food Eateries for Society’s Problems”

  1. cahsfeedback@yahoo.com Says:
    January 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am

    “In Contra Costa, Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier wants to limit the number of fast food restaurants in the county. DeSaulnier, who owns a restaurant, says he is driven by the rising number of obese youth.”

    That is pretty stupid. The kids will just go to the fast food places that are there.

    It won’t do a thing to stop childhood obesity.

  2. jerry@amantelaw.com Says:
    January 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am

    Hey, Councilwoman Brunner and Supervisor DeSaulnier, how about having the obese teens pick up the trash as a form of exercise. They might break a sweat, burn some fat, beautify Oakland and learn that if you don’t stuff it in your mouth, it won’t end up on your waistline.

    Besides, all that anti-business taxing and social engineering is doing away with the employment opportunities for those teens at fast food jobs…where they can get a discount on the food they love…and earn those minimum wages you most likely love to increase so much!

  3. jon@flashreport.org Says:
    January 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am

    Here’s a novel concept – how about if PARENTS play a role in helping children to stay fit, not GOVERNMENT.

    Besides, kids are pretty ingenious. Government is too clumsy and awkward to keep junk food away from kids. As a matter of fact, a government that is big enough to keep junk food away from kids scares the heck out of me!