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Monday, August 4, 2008
What can stop the blimping of America?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Lawmakers from coast to coast are trying to stop the blimping of America,” writes Linda Campbell in an opinion piece in the AJC.
“What I want to know is who’s going to stop the young mother who takes her precious little 2-year-old into the 7-Eleven for breakfast, grabs a banana and a package of vanilla creme cookies and then hands her daughter a bag of Cheetos?
“How is government going to regulate that?
“You can ban certain food additives as nutritional pariahs. You can require that fast-food vendors strike fear in their customers’ hearts by reminding them how noxiously they’re eating. You can even outlaw TV ads that pitch yummy junk directly to kids.
“But how do you counter the bad eating habits that parents teach by rote and example?”
Later in the column, she writes: “I’m skeptical not because of any kind of libertarian objection to forcing people into better habits — but because it’s so complicated to change behavior, even when it’s self-destructive.
“I argued several years back that lawsuits against the fast-food industry had made an impact by pressuring companies to be more forthcoming about the ingredients they were serving — and getting rid of some of the worst additives.
“And I fully support getting sugary sodas and junk food out of public school corridors, whether it’s a result of government restrictions or collective parental demands.”
How can we stop the blimping of America?
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