No fatties

If Mississippi legislators had their way, it could soon be illegal to serve obese people in restaurants (courtesy of Junk Food Science). Because what this country needs is more public shaming of fat people.

I'm all for better nutritional education and options. I'm going to go on record that smaller restaurant portions and less trans-fats are good. But if I, as an obese person, want to treat myself to a night out at Roscoe's Chicken n' Waffles, then damn it, the government has no right to step in and tell me that I don't deserve it. That is my decision. It is my responsibility to make smart decisions about my diet -- I certainly don't need the little man at the Hollywood Zankou Chicken telling me that I'm too fat to eat there. Will I be reduced to standing forlornly beside the line at Pink's, asking skinny people to please order a Huell Howser dog for me?

There is obviously a government interest in the public health -- healthy people are less of a financial burden on the country's health care system. But this effort is flat out wrong. The fact that some politician thinks this is a good use of his time and public resources is maddening.