As if the happy meal is the only unhealthy choice at Mc Donalds. People go to fast food establishments not to eat healthy. With the toy taken out of the happy meal, children now not being bribed to eat at McDonalds will now demand that their parents take them to their first choice a vegan restaurant and demand that their parents order tofu chicken strips or a veggie burger.
lance - 14 years ago
No one complains when they no longer allow cigarette manufacturers to use cartoon characters or flavors to market to kids, but take something that kills even more people than smoking (complications due to obesity) and people are suddenly outraged. What sense does that make?
Wes - 14 years ago
This is absurd, and I can't imagine how it's even legal. People really need to start thinking before hopping on every ban bandwagon that comes along because they're setting a lot of dangerous precedents. Not to mention my parents took me to McDonalds when I was a kid maybe once a month, and 25 years later I'm fit as a fiddle. Parents shouldn't be taking their kids to McDonalds every day - but they also shouldn't be letting them sit in front of a computer screen playing World of Warcraft for 12 hours on a sunny Saturday or opt out of gym class. But the same people who want to ban dodge ball and keep their kids away from the competitive nature of physical education, also want the government to make sure their kids don't have access to junk food? Come on parents, start PARENTING. Plus, how can a government that allows people on food stamps to purchase junk food and sodas from convenience stores justify telling a private company that they can't pair a toy with a meal because it encourages an unhealthy diet? And can't you get a Happy Meal with a salad now anyway?
You gotta let people raise their kids. This ban - like most bans - is cosmetic pandering to the "Won't somebody please think of the children!" crowd, which is a sadly growing number of people who are uncomfortable making their own decisions or intolerant of vices that don't come from a prescription pad. It doesn't address the cause of obesity, it doesn't educate about health. A lot of people will say, "Well it's a step in the right direction", but it's not because it allows the state to take parenting away from the parents, and as we continue creating more and more of these nanny laws (dodge ball, spanking) we will continue rearing a generation of children with even less decision making abilities than their parents as more and more choices are dictated for them.
If you wanna make people health, teach them how to eat right and exercise. I'd rather have a handful of healthy bodies with healthy minds than an entire population of buff drones who wait for the government to tell them how to poop.
Amanda Taylor - 14 years ago
While I appreciate the effort that is being made to improve the nutrition of America's youth, the government is continuously revoking more and more of our parental rights. Happy Meals are not the problem here, in fact, parents are free to purchase the Happy Meal toy and can couple it with any meal they want. The real issue should be why there are not any truely healthy meals on the majority of our fast food menus. Even the salads at McDonalds are calorie traps, most served with fried chicken on top, not to mention the lack of quality ingredients.
As if the happy meal is the only unhealthy choice at Mc Donalds. People go to fast food establishments not to eat healthy. With the toy taken out of the happy meal, children now not being bribed to eat at McDonalds will now demand that their parents take them to their first choice a vegan restaurant and demand that their parents order tofu chicken strips or a veggie burger.
No one complains when they no longer allow cigarette manufacturers to use cartoon characters or flavors to market to kids, but take something that kills even more people than smoking (complications due to obesity) and people are suddenly outraged. What sense does that make?
This is absurd, and I can't imagine how it's even legal. People really need to start thinking before hopping on every ban bandwagon that comes along because they're setting a lot of dangerous precedents. Not to mention my parents took me to McDonalds when I was a kid maybe once a month, and 25 years later I'm fit as a fiddle. Parents shouldn't be taking their kids to McDonalds every day - but they also shouldn't be letting them sit in front of a computer screen playing World of Warcraft for 12 hours on a sunny Saturday or opt out of gym class. But the same people who want to ban dodge ball and keep their kids away from the competitive nature of physical education, also want the government to make sure their kids don't have access to junk food? Come on parents, start PARENTING. Plus, how can a government that allows people on food stamps to purchase junk food and sodas from convenience stores justify telling a private company that they can't pair a toy with a meal because it encourages an unhealthy diet? And can't you get a Happy Meal with a salad now anyway?
You gotta let people raise their kids. This ban - like most bans - is cosmetic pandering to the "Won't somebody please think of the children!" crowd, which is a sadly growing number of people who are uncomfortable making their own decisions or intolerant of vices that don't come from a prescription pad. It doesn't address the cause of obesity, it doesn't educate about health. A lot of people will say, "Well it's a step in the right direction", but it's not because it allows the state to take parenting away from the parents, and as we continue creating more and more of these nanny laws (dodge ball, spanking) we will continue rearing a generation of children with even less decision making abilities than their parents as more and more choices are dictated for them.
If you wanna make people health, teach them how to eat right and exercise. I'd rather have a handful of healthy bodies with healthy minds than an entire population of buff drones who wait for the government to tell them how to poop.
While I appreciate the effort that is being made to improve the nutrition of America's youth, the government is continuously revoking more and more of our parental rights. Happy Meals are not the problem here, in fact, parents are free to purchase the Happy Meal toy and can couple it with any meal they want. The real issue should be why there are not any truely healthy meals on the majority of our fast food menus. Even the salads at McDonalds are calorie traps, most served with fried chicken on top, not to mention the lack of quality ingredients.