San Francisco goes Happy Meal Nanny State Crazy

Happy Meal

Law curbs McDonald's Happy Meal toys

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – San Francisco has become the first major U.S. city to pass a law that cracks down on the popular practice of giving away free toys with unhealthy restaurant meals for children.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed the law on Tuesday on a veto-proof 8-to-3 vote. It takes effect on December 1.

The law, like an ordinance passed earlier this year in nearby Santa Clara County, would require that restaurant kids' meals meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys.

Happier Meal

Opponents of the law include the National Restaurant Association and McDonald's Corp, which used its now wildly popular Happy Meal to pioneer the use of free toys to market directly to children.

"We are extremely disappointed with today's decision. It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for," McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said in a statement.

"Getting a toy with a kid's meal is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's," Proud said.

The San Francisco law would allow toys to be given away with kids' meals that have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables, and include beverages without excessive fat or sugar.

Backers of the ordinance say it aims to promote healthy eating habits while combating childhood obesity.

"Our children are sick. Rates of obesity in San Francisco are disturbingly high, especially among children of color," said San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure.

"This is a challenge to the restaurant industry to think about children's health first and join the wide range of local restaurants that have already made this commitment," Mar said.

Translation: we hate companies that make money and we are going to make all these excuses to kill McDonald's.
Other translation: our kids really are fat-asses and we are going to blame it on a corporation.
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San Francisco: A Free Market in Parking Begins

Human Transit: san francisco: a free market in parking begins:

American parodies of San Francisco as leftist and socialist may soon need some revision. San Francisco will soon have the most libertarian, free-market parking policy in the nation. And it should become easier to find parking.

Conventional American policy says that parking should be made available at subsidized discounts, or even for free. The fact is, 12 square meters of real estate in a dense city has a land value, and that means it has a fair rental value. What's the value? Easy. Ask the market.

via Reason Morning Links

Series tie-in: Not addressed at all in either series. However, this is how I envision future parking in general. Now that the idea is in my head it will probably find its way into a book.


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Judge Walker - The Corner - National Review Online

Judge Walker - The Corner - National Review Online:

August 12, 2010 3:57 PM
By Kathryn Jean Lopez

"Judge Walker rules again. Here’s the doc.

Los Angeles Times write-up:

Reporting from San Francisco — A federal judge Thursday refused to permanently stay his ruling overturning Proposition 8 but extended a temporary hold to give supporters time to appeal the historic ruling.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who overturned the measure on Aug. 4, agreed to give its sponsors until Aug. 18 to appeal his ruling to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. No new marriages can take place until then.

Walker’s decision came after supporters of the same-sex marriage ban warned that they would take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to ensure that his ruling did not take effect.

More, as always, on Bench Memos."

Series tie-in: Same sex marriage is legal in the 2030s and results in odd situations that were never anticipated by many people debating the issue today.

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San Fran - Thank You Nanny, May I Have Another?

Rachael Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle writes:

A proposal to greatly expand San Francisco's smoking ban won high praise Monday from health professionals concerned about the dangers of secondhand smoke, but got a cool response from local bar and nightclub owners who fear the restrictions would drive away customers.

Nice, neatly divide up the players for battle.  Nice doctors vs. evil business people.

San Francisco's original smoking limits went into effect more than a decade ago and at the time were some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the United States.

But since then, the city has fallen behind in tackling the effects of secondhand smoke, which can cause asthma, heart ailments and other problems, health officials warn.

"We are not against smokers," said Dr. Mitch Katz, who heads the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "But the thing we most need to do is protect people from the harms of secondhand smoke, and this legislation is a great step in that direction."

Only problem there is those assertions have never been proven correct.

Give at least a mention to the other side and then get a "victim" to support the fascist proposal.

Don Alan, who owns the Hemlock Tavern on Polk Street, fears being forced to shut down a smoking patio. It was created, he said, "for the safety and convenience of our patrons and to reduce noise and clutter in our neighborhood." He and other business owners testified that losing the smoking patio would hurt business, which is the last thing they want to see in this anemic economy.

Suki Wen, who works at a coffee shop in Chinatown, said the proposed prohibition couldn't come soon enough.

"When I'm working, I can smell the smoke from outside," said Wen, 24. At the end of the shift, the scent of cigarette smoke lingers on her clothes. She also is worried about the health risks of secondhand smoke. "We can't get away from it," she said.

Let me see if I have this right.  San Fransisco already bans indoor smoking of tobacco, now they want to ban it outdoors too.

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TENN 34 SF 20

I am not believing this football game.  Why didn't this Titans team show up at the beginning of the year?

2:45 left.

Make that 34 - 27

I am the happiest boy in the whole USA.  Listening to Crusin from the Suki IV soundtrack.
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