What about MY feelings? I'm offended by...

[xoxoxoBruce]

It's different because it's a city council, singling out just kid's meals, and more specifically with "free" toys.
National standards on the safety of the ingredients, to protect the public, is different than regulating recipes of how those ingredients are put together. I don't eat them often, but every once in awhile I want a big old cheesesteak, with enough grease and salt to dissolved the roll before I can finish it. I certainly don't want the government, especially a stinking city council, saying I can't have one because somebody else might try to let their kid live on the damn things.

If they don't like the way parents are parenting, take it up with them and leave me and McD's out of it. Hopefully the parent will tell them to pound sand. Nobody is forced to go to McD's, it's only one of many options for parents, and from the numbers I've seen, most kids don't go that often.

That's a hell of a lot easier that finding a new job if your employer doesn't provide the option of the proper safety gear. And it is an option. Try as they might, and I've seen some pretty heavy handed trying, companies can't make employees follow safe work practices 100% of the time, except in a very few jobs where the employee is monitored 100% of the time. Just like they can't force people to wear seat belts, only make sure they have the option.

This tin horn city council is taking away choices, and with it personal responsibility, so anyone that supports them is a commie, pinko, socialist, PC nazi, nogoodnik.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I certainly don't want the government, especially a stinking city council, saying I can't have one because somebody else might try to let their kid live on the damn things.

But they didn't say that. All they said was they can't put a toy inside the bag with your cheesesteak. And if you think the toys don't play a role, just ask my stepdaughter, who at the age of 10 was trying to convince us that she should be allowed to order two kids' meals, because she wanted more food than was in a single kids' meal, but wanted that stupid piece of plastic so badly that she didn't want to order off the adult menu. She was way too old to even care about the things, at least half the time she just threw them away... but it was a free toy, and who knows what it might be?! She didn't want to miss out on that!

Yes, in an ideal world everything ought to be up to the parents. But the reality is, parenting is hard enough without businesses making it more difficult. They are not letting the parents fairly decide what they want for their children, they are deliberately pitting the children against the parents, and hoping that the parents cave to a bad decision. They put toy displays all over the grocery store, and candy displays in all the checkout lines, because they want the kids to make a scene.

and from the numbers I've seen, most kids don't go that often.

I'm not buying these stats. Sure, they only go to McDonald's once a month... and they only go to Burger King once a month... and they only go to Chick-Fil-A once a month... and they only go to Taco Bell once a month...

The regular kids that I know--and these are in moderately self-righteous suburban soccer mom circles to begin with, all of these parents would insist they feed their kids "pretty healthy"--they eat at one fast-food place or another about once a week.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Businesses have always done this, do you think Sears and Monkey Ward spent a fortune printing and mailing all those catalogs so your outhouse wouldn't run out of paper?

When I was a kid, I frequently suggested that my parents could make me very happy, buying me stuff in the prominent store checkout displays, or "As Seen on TV". I really don't know if it would have made me happy, but apparently it made them happy to ignore my suggestions.
Now Mom's in an $11,000 a month nursing home, so I guess I got over it.


Edit; One nasty, greasy, salty, fast food orgasm a week is hardly going to ruin the health of a kid eating good shit at home. The real problem is kids and mothers have to much free time to get in trouble. If mom was churning butter and beating the laundry on rocks, while the the kids were sorting clinkers from coal down by the tracks, this wouldn't be an issue.

[Clodfobble]

I agree, the problem is larger than a once-a-week fast food binge. But I think this is a step in the right direction, and in no danger of being a lost-rights slippery slope.

Hey, could you teach my kids the difference between clinkers and coal? They're extremely good at sorting, I could make a fortune!

[footfootfoot]

You'll need a fortune at $11,000 a month.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I agree, the problem is larger than a once-a-week fast food binge. But I think this is a step in the right direction, and in no danger of being a lost-rights slippery slope.

Any interference from the local politicians of legal business, or parental rights, is always a slippery slope.

Hey, could you teach my kids the difference between clinkers and coal? They're extremely good at sorting, I could make a fortune!

Hell that's easy, slap 'em up side the head when they pick up the wrong one, they'll learn right quick.