Minnesota cheeseburger bill would bar fat people from suing fast food chains

(CBS/AP) ST. PAUL, MINN. - Minnesota lawmakers must have a beef with fat people who blame fast food restaurants for their weight problem.

How else to explain the passage of the "cheeseburger bill?" That's what people are calling the bill - just passed by a state House panel - that would block super-sized consumers from suing fast-food chains and other food companies for their weight problems.

The Civil Law Committee approved the "Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act" on a voice vote.

The bill would prevent consumers from suing the food industry for weight gain, obesity, and health problems caused by long-term consumption of fattening foods and non-alcoholic drinks such as soda.

The sponsor, Republican Rep. Dean Urdahl of Grove City, says the bill would prevent frivolous lawsuits. Urdahl has been pushing the legislation since 2004.

It's no secret that American is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. In 2009, the prevalence of obesity was below 20 percent in only two places in the U.S.: Colorado and the District of Columbia.

So whoever or whatever deserves the blame for super-sizing our citizenry, there's plenty of blame to go around.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHOULD FAT PEOPLE BE ALLOWED TO SUE THE FOOD INDUSTRY? OR DO THEY DESERVE ALL THE BLAME FOR THEIR WEIGHT PROBLEMS?