They went and did it again. Already the city has banned smoking in any and all places of business, regardless of whether it's public or private ownership of each business.
Not that I think stopping me from breathing smoke is necessarily a bad thing, since I'm rather strongly allergic to tobacco. But it should be my choice, not the government's as to whether I go somewhere I know will pollute my lungs and eventually cause my respiratory arrest.
But now, they're even more pissy about adults who choose a different lifestyle -- or deathstyle -- than theirs. The silly-ass mayor and his cronies have decided that the city has until July of 2008 to get rid of trans-fats in all its restaurant foods.
Quite frankly, I like my occasional trans-fats. On any given Sunday, I buy my eclairs, Danish, doughnuts and crullers to take to the auction (I call it Sund'y go-ta-meetin' foods). I'm pretty sure the doughnuts & crullers would taste funny if they were to be fried in lard or tallow. On the other hand, they might start using real butter in the pastries. That would kick hindquarters -- and it would raise the dander of PETA that we'd have a boost in demand for bovine products again, just when they thought they were going to be weaning us from the poor widdle moo-cow's teat. There's a big happy thought, there is!
But the downside for me, of the potentially-increased use of butter, is that I'm also lactose intolerant. I eat stuff made with crappy trans-fats because they're the stuff I can digest without lots and lots of pills. And I'm not the only person out there with this problem. Lots of people in this world go all icky inside after a little pat of butter. Are New Yorkers prepared for the upsurge in methane (and other unpleasant fundamental issues) released within city limits?
The saturated fats available for deep-frying, too, don't meet the religious standards for quite a few Americans. We have a pretty good number of Hindus who can't eat beef tallow, and gosh-darned-plenty of Jews and Muslims who can't go near pork lard. Will, say, McDonald's have to establish multiple kitchens, so they will be able to serve the varied clientele within a standard urban setting? If not, they'll surely be sued for prejudicial practices. The ACLU will be happy to shut down a behemoth like Mickey-Dee's over something like that.
Hmmm. Is Mayor Bloomberg thinking that it's a good thing to get rid of any city's biggest employers of teens and first-time workers? Yeah, that will do wonders for every city's crime rate, to put a buzillion youths out of work, wandering the streets, poor, bored and frustrated. We'll always have Paris.
In other words, it's not just about fitness, it's not just about food, and it's not just about the religious practices around those two issues. It's not even about all of the above, plus businesses owners, once again, being told how to operate, plus the potential damage to regional and national economies.
It's ultimately about me. It's always about me.
People who have never met me, never walked a mile in my shoes, are trying to tell me how to live my life. The sanctimonious twits need to keep their hands out of my mouth. As long as I'm not causing harm to anybody except myself, as long as I'm willing to take responsibility for my shortened breath and shortened lifespan, I should be allowed, if I want, to die with a cheap, fried Danish in each hand and a smile on my face.
I am, after all, legally an adult.
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