Not My GOP!

Whatever has happened to the GOP? How could a law like this ever be authored by a man who calls himself a Republican?

HOUSE BILL NO. 282

An act to prohibit certain food establishments from serving food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the state department of health; to direct the department to prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese and to provide those materials to the food establishments; to direct the department to monitor the food establishments for compliance with the provisions of this act; and for related purposes.

And if a restaurant fails to go along with this and serves someone who, in the opinon of the state of Mississippi is obese -- even if the meal served is a cup of non-fat cottage cheese with some fresh sliced peaches on top -- watch out for section 1(3) of the bill!

The State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section.

The bill was drafted by Mississippi state legislator W.T. Mayhall, Jr., who has the initial R after his name. Blogger Sandy at Junkfood Science decided to give Mayhall a call to see if the bill was a joke or was for real:

I called lead author, Rep. Mayhall, and asked if this was serious legislation or tongue-in-cheek to make a point. He kindly took a moment to answer my question while the legislature was in session. He said that while, regrettably, he doesn’t believe his bill will pass, this is serious. He wrote it, he said, because of the “urgency of the obesity crisis and need for government action.” He hopes it will “call attention to the serious problem of obesity and what it is costing the Medicare system.”

Since when have Republicans put governmental know-it-all-ism ahead of personal choice and freedom?

Mississippi readers, how about you and your friends get together over a nice slice of pecan pie, and initiate the recall of Mayhall and his Republican co-author on the bill, John Reed? Remind them what the Republican Party is supposed to stand for.

Thanks to Jim for the reminder.