[Mrs Quadcrew]

I know that the trans fats are bad for us ~ that is why I try to pay attention to what I eat when going out now. I don't need for the government to step in and do it for me.

IMO I think it is a horrible idea to have the government stepping in and making LAWS like this. When they have domestic violence and hunger and child abuse under control, then they can look at policing the restaurants.

[Tara D]

Well, I think there are a lot of people that are not saavy enough in the system to be able to make the decision to avoid transfats. I know that when I was in high school, my knowledge of nutrition was definitely limited. I was glad that the government took steps to make sure that my house didn't have asbestos and lead based paint when I was growing up. I was glad they were protecting me against lung cancer (mesothelioma) and mental ******ation when I didn't know have the skills to protect myself. The damage would have already been done. KFC and Nabisco have done taste testing and their customers can't tell the difference. If the food tastes just as good, why not eliminate it...for those who aren't yet able to protect themselves.

[Mrs Quadcrew]

I guess we will just agree to disagree on this one! There are much more important issues (IMO) than whether a restaurant serves items with trans fats.

[Mami]

For those of you who think the government has no place in regulating the ingredients at restaurants that serve the public, why not take this argument further? Why don't we legalize cocaine, crystal meth or whatever they call it, heroin? After all, it should be our own personal choice right? If anything, I think drugs should be legal before transfat in restaurants is legal. After all, you KNOW you're taking that drug and you know darn well it is bad bad bad for you. So if you want to take it at your own risk, go ahead (though I'm really not advocating this as individuals and society will pay in the form of higher crime and sickly unproductive addicted people). HOWEVER, if almost EVERY restaurant (aside from very high end ones which supposedly dont use transfats) uses transfats, you are relegated to only eating at home if you don't want transfats? Would we allow arsenic in our food if it was a flavor enhancer? after all, a little won't kill you right? NO. So why do we think its OK to allow a fat which is cancer-causing and poisenous, and not even naturally made like saturated fat, into our system. Furthermore, why is it wrong for the government to do what it can to keep its population healthier if the bottom line is that it will cost the government money via medicaid/medicare/emergency room care when the health effects take hold. GO MAYOR MIKE BLOOMBERG for enabling us New Yorkers to eat healthier when we are dining out in our beautiful city!

[Tara D]

I definitely agree there are much more important issues...but I don't think we should ignore all the less grave issues in the meantime if they're relatively easily done. Artery clogging starts in childhood, and we already know that people are saying that children today have lower life expectancies than their parents. I do think all the media attention on this was a waste compared to the other issues (domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, hunger). We SHOULD pay more attention to those things!

[Libby1972]

What really grosses me out if the fact that something can say "CONTAINS NO TRANSFAT" and yet contain partially or fully hydrogenated oil. Uhm....THAT IS TRANSFAT!!! I avoid that ingredient like the plague!

[AnAbsoluteDiva]

Originally Posted by Mami

For those of you who think the government has no place in regulating the ingredients at restaurants that serve the public, why not take this argument further? Why don't we legalize cocaine, crystal meth or whatever they call it, heroin?

That's a bit out there, don't you think?

I've never seen anyone piimp out for a burger or live under a bridge for a bag of fries.

[Mami]

Originally Posted by AnAbsoluteDiva

That's a bit out there, don't you think?

I've never seen anyone piimp out for a burger or live under a bridge for a bag of fries.

Absolutediva, I was responding to the libertarians in this thread who argue that government has no place in our lives to regulate our personal choices and behaviors. I was actually being quite sarcastic in that comment [though most people wouldn't pimp out for drugs if they were cheaper (like cigarettes); most drugs are very cheap to make and are only expensive because they are illegal.] My point was that if the government can regulate harmful substances like illicit drugs, then it should have the same right to regulate trans fats which is an unnatural substance that causes cancer, heart disease and other major problems.