By Clark Goldband

Nobody asked me but I think Republicans are on target when it comes to making it illegal to sue fast food restaurants for obesity. While the Democrats should be applauded for opposing similar legislation pertaining to medical malpractice lawsuits, they’re dead wrong when it comes to being allowed to sue the fast food industry. Americans will now be forced to take personal responsibility when it comes to their health. By judging the bodies on the streets of New York, most people don’t consider their body a temple, but a Staten Island landfill.

Entering a fast food restaurant screams unhealthiness. It’s a trade off for quick service and consistent quality. Where else are the foods we eat preceded by a prefix, or served by minimum wage workers. Did you ever think eating that Big Mac, or Whopper was healthy? Was it the mayo dripping through the roll that gave you that impression, or maybe it was the shimmer of the beef oil that the French fries were soaked in. Suing the fast food industry for making you fat is like suing a gas station for making you broke. Nobody made you drive an H2 Hummer, and nobody made you eat in their restaurant.

Pundits will try to argue that litigation is allowed against the tobacco industry and the same standards should be applied to the fast food industry. What a joke. Cigarette manufacturers claimed that cigarettes were good for you in the 1930’s and 40’s. This was a lie and led to millions of people smoking. Lawsuits in this case were justified. Fast food restaurants never made the claim that eating their products contributed to good health, they simply claimed their food would be fast and “delicious.”

McDonalds’ recent move to vanquish the super size option in its stores led to much applause. However it’s bogus, the differential between a large and a super size fries is negligible. Secondly, if I want to eat a super sized meal it’s my right. Again, you drive the Hummer, you pay for the gasoline, I drive the Prius, and I reap the benefits.

This brings me to another issue, moderation. The Atkins craze is out of control! Have you ever met anyone getting fat from eating grapes and drinking orange juice? Get a grip, bread doesn’t make you fat! Eating cake, cookies, doughnuts, fried food and drinking soda makes you fat. In fact according to ABC News’s 20/20 eating foods that have been modified to be “low carb” often contain additives that may make you feel ill, or cause severe diarrhea. (Well that’s one way to loose weight I guess).

I’m afraid we’re teaching our youngsters a horrible nutritional lesson. Middle schools and high schools are licensing their districts to cola companies, and many kids are drinking an average of at least one soda a day. Companies subsidize funding of the districts in exchange for exclusive rights to sell their products. The sad truth is it’s easier in most schools to buy a bag of potato chips then it is to buy an apple. If we can make nutritional foods easily accessible at a young age the patterns will continue. Fruits and vegetables are tasty, they can sell themselves on taste alone; we just need to introduce them to our kids.

I’m not at all against eating “junk food” (in moderation of course). Nothing beats that craving for onion rings, or that zesty tub of nachos layered with cheese and sour cream. But lets get real. The fast food companies didn’t make you fat, you’re the one who put the burger in your mouth. Maybe if these men and women posing as victims quit exercising their mouths and started exercising the rest of their bodies their argument would have a little more merit.