How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Oh how I love this. Tomorrow, San Francisco's "Happy Meal Ban" goes into effect. In order to include a toy with a meal, restaurants must comply with city-developed nutritional standards. Standards that are so difficult to meet, even McDonald's new healthier meals don't come close to meeting. San Francisco Weekly explains how McDonald's is responding to this:
Come Dec. 1, you can still buy the Happy Meal. But it doesn't come with a toy. For that, you'll have to pay an extra 10 cents.
Huh. That hardly seems to have solved the problem (though adults and children purchasing unhealthy food can at least take solace that the 10 cents is going to Ronald McDonald House charities). But it actually gets worse from here. Thanks to Supervisor Eric Mar's much-ballyhooed new law, parents browbeaten into supplementing their preteens' Happy Meal toy collections are now mandated to buy the Happy Meals.
Today and tomorrow mark the last days that put-upon parents can satiate their youngsters by simply throwing down $2.18 for a Happy Meal toy. But, thanks to the new law taking effect on Dec. 1, this is no longer permitted. Now, in order to have the privilege of making a 10-cent charitable donation in exchange for the toy, you must buy the Happy Meal. Hilariously, it appears Mar et al., in their desire to keep McDonald's from selling grease and fat to kids with the lure of a toy have now actually incentivized the purchase of that grease and fat -- when, beforehand, a put-upon parent could get out cheaper and healthier with just the damn toy.
I love it. My does regulation lead to unintended consequences.
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Comments :
May '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
A womens' choice is laudable and one shouldn't judge when it comes to aborting her child. When it comes to feeding her child the state will dictate how a women feeds it. Liberalism at its' finest.
Mar '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Standards that are so difficult to meat, even McDonald's new healthier meals don't come close to meeting.
Shouldn't that be "don't come close to meating?"
Apr '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Basil Fawlty
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Standards that are so difficult to meat, even McDonald's new healthier meals don't come close to meeting.
Shouldn't that be "don't come close to meating?" · Nov 30 at 6:39am
Great. Now sentences must meat nutrition guidelines, too.
May '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
The funny thing about Happy Meals is that seniors buy just about as many as youngsters. They like the smaller portion size.
Do you think we should restrict seniors from Happy Meals. It could cause them to feel younger.
Mar '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Basil Fawlty
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Standards that are so difficult to meat, even McDonald's new healthier meals don't come close to meeting.
Shouldn't that be "don't come close to meating?" · Nov 30 at 6:39am
I know meat was a typo, but in the context of this story, I'll ignore that and consider it a brilliant word device. You're a genius, Mollie ;)
Edited on Nov 30, 2011 at 8:24amFeb '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Puritanism is alive and well. It's now called 'Liberalism' and Mencken's famous definition is still apropos: "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."
To which might be added the equally memorable, "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."
Aug '10
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Pilli: The funny thing about Happy Meals is that seniors buy just about as many as youngsters. They like the smaller portion size.
Do you think we should restrict seniors from Happy Meals. It could cause them to feel younger. · Nov 30 at 6:52am
Not just seniors. I know lotsa people who get Happy Meals because they want a blast of McDonalds flavour but they don't want a big meal. After all, a Happy Meal has way fewer calories than a Big Mac or Quarter-Pounder combo. For many adults, the Happy Meal IS the healthier choice.
Mar '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
If you are following the Atkins diet, or its derivatives, the grease and fat are the good part of the meal - the bun is the unhealthy part.
But, yeah,"Liberals" follow "Science" and compel others to follow their crackpot whims.
Edited on Nov 30, 2011 at 8:15amJun '10
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Say I'm in SF, with a three-year-old grandchild in the back seat crying for a toy. I'd pay a dollar. Ten cents is a no-brainer.
Good for McDonalds--one tiny blow at the growing edifice of the administrative state.
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Douglas
Basil Fawlty
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Standards that are so difficult to meat, even McDonald's new healthier meals don't come close to meeting.
Shouldn't that be "don't come close to meating?" · Nov 30 at 6:39am
I know meat was a typo, but in the context of this story, I'll ignore than and consider it a brilliant word device. You're a genius, Mollie ;) · Nov 30 at 7:52am
Yes, that was, um, exactly what I was doing. Thanks for, um, picking up on that (and pay no mind to the fact that I corrected the spelling just now).
May '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Ahhhh. The Revenge-Effects of good intentions.
You want to reduce head injuries in the NFL & NHL? Get rid of the helmets.
Apr '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Liberalism is astounding. They tell you how to raise your children, to prevent child abuse, and turn the world topsy-turvy. In the 50's it was ok to spank your child, but not ok to kill them before they're born; today you can kill them, but God forbid you spank them. Who makes these decisions anyway?
Nov '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
The market will always outwit the regulator.
Aug '10
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
If that were true, then over-regulation would not be a problem.
Nov '11
Re: How to Thwart a Happy Meal Ban
Misthiocracy
If that were true, then over-regulation would not be a problem. · Nov 30 at 2:04pm
Oh, it's still a problem. It imposes additional costs. What I meant was that the creativity of the market can find away around all but the most authoritarian of regulations.