NANCY REYNOLDS/Reflections
Do you love it when the government tells you how to feed your kids. Is it like getting a recipe from grandma?
Education is one thing but legislation is quite another. Lately all kinds of threats have surfaced – each one tinier than the other. If they all become law perhaps not one soul will consider visiting here, much less taking up residence. It will be just too time consuming and too data driven.
Someone may soon demand that all restaurants publish calorie counts right beside prices of the food on the menu. All this tinkering could adversely impact fast food outlets (where our kids find jobs) and restaurants of all sizes. Think of the family outings.
Taking your kid to the soccer game loses a lot when a hot dog or hamburg can no longer become a reward, a ritual, a together time or just plain shared fun because of fat content or calorie count.
Can you imagine the tender moment when your loved one whispers “but darling it only has 500 calories”
Special occasions may suddenly change – candle light will give way to the glare of the bulb so the calorie conscious can easily read the menu and soft music will become whispered suggestions about fat and protein.
Freedom of choice will have a whole new meaning
So what is next- will the sale of cheeseburgers be restricted to those who can prove to be over 18?
Even the pleasure of shopping is changing in some jurisdictions with a proposed ban on sale of plastic bags.
No more running into the store on the way home from work to pick up treats for dinner unless you can juggle a few items on your bicycle or in the crowded subway or bus. If you have the money you might make it home with a cloth bag or two to add to a collection that is already a pain
And we may not be as neat. Stooping and scooping may give way to watching and walking unless you can afford to buy special bags for that specific purpose. Perhaps only the well to do will be able to afford pets.
What about the small business owner who ordered countless plastic bags imprinted with advertising? One more loss may be unsustainable.
There are so many ways governments could help us it is almost ridiculous that the elected folks thing of things that are really just the stuff of living and surviving. But then it took us years to get rid of prohibition,. It is only recently that provinces who wish can allow sales of local wines to cross political boundaries.
We wonder if possible obesity and the clutter of plastic bags trump disaster planning for entire provinces and beyond, or health care issues, or education geared to the workplace and so on and so on and so on.
One Comment on "Reflections: What’s next? Cheeseburgers sold only to those 18 and over? With proper ID, of course"
Just because we elected “Big Brother” doesn’t mean we should blindly follow his lead….
Some of us need to start thinking for ourselves – and our kids.