We’ve had plenty to say about the proposal in San Francisco to ban toys in kids meals as a supposed obesity-fighting solution. It won’t make children any slimmer, and we wonder if the next thing after taking the toys from tots will be the “food police” taking candy from a baby (for the child’s own good, of course). It takes “only in San Francisco…” and parenting-by-government to the next level.
We were pleased to read yesterday that film critic Richard Roeper (of “Ebert & Roeper” fame) aired his thoughts in the Chicago Sun-Times. And he hits the nail right on the head:
Breaking news: Kids really like fast food and toys, and if you left it up to them, they'd order french fries for every meal and they'd get a new toy every hour on the hour until they fell asleep. I know. It's a shocker!
This is so ridiculous it defies belief… Sometimes the kids deserve a tasty treat and a toy. …That's your choice. You're the parent.
Meal-time decisions should be up to Mom and Dad, or just Mom, or just Dad, or Mom and Mom, or whatever guardian combo-platter is raising the kids.
The government should butt out of the process. I'm thinking of marketing bumpers stickers that say, "You Can Have My Kids' Happy Meal When You Pry It From My Cold Dead Hands."
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
