Miss. Considers Restaurant Ban For Obese

A lawmaker in the fattest state in the nation says he wasn't trying to offend anybody by filing a bill that would ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers.

He says he never even expected his plan to become law.

"I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi," said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier.

"It was a far-reaching bill, but you're trying to get people's attention to study the proper motive of obesity which is a concern to all of us," Read told CBS News'The Early Show. "Sometimes you have to go a little extreme to get the dialogue started."

Mississippi is the first state where more than 30 percent of adults are considered obese, according to a 2007 study by the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to "shred" the bill filed by Read and two other House members, Republican Ted Mayhall of Southaven and Democrat Bobby Shows of Ellisville.

"While I appreciate the efforts of my fellow House members to help curb the obesity problem in Mississippi, this is totally the wrong approach," Holland said in a news release, reports the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Steve Holland said today he will "pocket veto" House Bill 282, which means it will die in a subcommittee this week.

"It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions," Holland said Monday.

Still, in a state where lunch buffets are laden with fried chicken and butter-soaked vegetables, Holland said he understands the intentions of the bill's sponsors.

"Certainly, I can identify," Holland said. "I'm obese myself."

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a Washington-based nonprofit group supported by restaurants and food companies, blasted the no-serve bill in Mississippi.

"Give me a break," J. Justin Wilson, a senior research analyst for the group, said Monday. "Bills like this strip personal responsibility out of the obesity equation. Frankly, that's the only solution to the problem."

Jackson restaurant owner Al Stamps said it is "absurd" for the state to consider telling him which customers he can't serve. He and his wife, Kim, do a bustling lunch business at Cool Al's, which serves big burgers - beef or veggie - and specialty foods like "Sassy Momma Sweet Potato Fries."

"There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations," Al Stamps said as reggae music played in the background. "I'm sorry - you can't do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat."

Mississippi has not ignored its obesity problem. For more than a year, one of the state's largest health insurance companies, BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi, has aired TV ads with Republican Gov. Haley Barbour urging people: "Let's go walkin'." And a 2007 state law requires at least 150 minutes of physical activity instruction and 45 minutes of health education instruction each week for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Until then, gym class had been optional.

"I think it's definitely a publicity stunt and a troublesome one," Joseph Nadglowski, president of the Obesity Action Coalition told The Early Show. "We are not going to help those affected by obesity by further discriminating against them."

"Unfortunately, there's this view that if you stigmatize someone who's obese or you discriminate against them, you're going to help them lose weight," Nadglowski said. "But research actually shows this is absolutely not true."

Read, a pharmacist, acknowledges he would have a tough time at restaurants if his bill were to become law - he said he is 5-11 and about 230 pounds. Even though the bill will die, Read said he hopes he has created serious discussion about an expensive public health issue.

"Obesity is like an 800-pound or 1,000-pound or 2,000-pound elephant walking around," Read said. "And everybody ignores it."

"We're not trying to hurt people," Read told The Early Show. We're not trying to discriminate against people. We want people to think."

[mississippij]

I am so PROUD to be obese and from the great state of Mississippi! Yeah Us! If such a bill ever did pass, the first restaurants to close down would be right around the capital because our obese Governor, and the at least 50% of our legislators who are obese wouldn''t be able to eat out anymore. Has anyone ever actually looked at someone and accurately guessed if they were obese or healthy? I would imagine that the 30% of Mississippian''s who are considered obese is WAY off. A 6 foot tall man would have to weigh less than 221 lbs to not be obese. What do you think 221 lbs looks like? Looks pretty skinny to me. Even the lawmaker that proposed this is obese! How Ig-na-rant is that! Sounds like something that stupid, uneducated Mississippi would do! Why can''t this state ever get published for doing something right! Thanks Mississippi Lawmakers for making us look like absolute fools to the rest of the nation/world(as if we needed any help in that department)! If you are going to put a limit on being served in restaurants, you sure better regulate how much food I can buy at the grocery too!

I call for the citizens of Ellisville, Gautier, and Southhaven to send a note to these particular lawmakers by not re-electing them next term. Your vote is your voice Mississippi! Congratulations Representative Reed, Shows, and Mayhall, you just lost 30% of the vote!

[breisingerme]

You know what makes me mad about this. There are people out there with a really high metabolism that all they do is eat, eat and eat. They are still skinny. Then there are people like me that don''t eat much at all and have some weight on them. But, the skinny people that eat whatever they want and don''t excerise have high cholestoral. Maybe they should start testing everyone''s cholestoral, and judge from the inside instead of the outside!!!!!

[wisill]

The Law we REALLY NEED, is one that bans ignorant politicians. Making a point about something you believe is a problem is one thing, wasting taxpayer''s money when that time and resources could have been spent on problems they could fix quite another. Maybe some of the rest of you are comfortable in the direction our government is going, personally I''m not. What I do with my life and how I spend it is MY BUSINESS and MY CHOICE as long as it doesn''t infringe on the rights of others. If I want to be fat, that''s my choice and if I''m not a burden on society with that decision nobody has a right to tell me I can''t be fat. I certainly don''t have a problem with it, why should you?

Humans are naturally descriminatory, and if not allowed to descriminate against another''s color of hair, skin, religion, nationality they keep looking for something else to fulfill that desire. So they pick on smokers, fat people, skinny people, poor people, rich people, people in old cars, people with no jobs... everyone is fair game. It all comes down to others wanting to run the lives of someone else, a place where they have absolutely no business being.

[bcmsteacher]

Last night, I was driving home and heard about this awful bill towards obese people. I had to share it with my students today. I believe, that if 12-15 year olds understand the consequenses of this proposed bill, surely the lawmaker who proposed it should.

Here''s what they have to say:
"Why would you even want to pass this law if you are talking about yourself? Would you want to be weighed in every time you walked into a restaurant and sat down to eat with your family? I think it would be embarrassing myself." -Student 1
"I think it''s rude, cruel, and hurtful to obese people, and I would hate to see people get judged by the way they look. It''s not right for skinny people and obese people to be treated differently. They should all be happy with how they are." -Student 2
"What''s next, will you pass a law that only skinny people can marry skinny people and fat people marry fat people?" -Student 1.

It''s just not right! There are many contributing factors to obesity - not ONLY what you eat. Fast food is as unhealthy for skinny people as it is for obese people.

[keithle1]

The restaurants in Mississippi would go out of business in a month. No one left to serve.

[grammawhamma]

What this all boils down to is the greed for money. The health freaks won their battle over the smokers...so now it is on to fat people.

Money...they are so concerned that the obese are unhealthy and thus the money to treat them will be coming out of their pocket.

Well, in my opinion, people who strive to live forever will still end up dead. It just might take them longer. They will eventually become a burden to their children, society and drain social security. Not to mention the over populated earth.

[milady6761]

Could not believe my ears this morning!! Wow! I realize that they say this is too absurd to ever be put in force, but... give people an inch.... First Cookie Monster is demoted to "Veggie Monster", Santa Claus is projecting the wrong image (fat)...so how long will it really take?? Did these people have an epiphany one night or what? Were the host/hostesses supposed to be waiting with a scale at the door? The next thing you will see is the "obese" having their "dealers" ...hey little skinny kid...can you score me a Big Mac?? Or maybe buzzers at the candy aisles ...step away from the candy...you are too heavy. What a joke! Good for a few laughs anyway. Seriously, though, don''t let them take any more away from us than they already have...what has happened to America..land of the free??

[tatm06]

Why would this guy even bring this up. When did obesity become such a political problem. I don''t get it. When the government tell me I can''t go to a restaurant we have a problem folks this isn''t America the land of the freedom of choice....................

[kareninfla]

FYI: Rep. John Read weighs in at 230 lbs., so he would have had to face his own public humiliation if his outlandish, insensitive bill had passed. Meanwhile, he apparently missed the news that it actually costs *more* to care for thin, healthy people who live years longer, according to a recent Dutch study that counters the common perception that preventing obesity would save governments millions of dollars.

The study found on average that healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years. Ultimately, the thin and healthy group cost the most, about $417,000, from age 20 on. The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000.

Looks like it''s back to the drawing board for Rep. Read and his co-horts!

[irishcoda]

Outrageous! If legislators want to "make a point" and keep the topic open for discussion why not focus on issues like making healthy foods more affordable? How many people can afford gym memberships and spas?