Wednesday, March 18, 2009
40 Jealous Whores / Hannan / Politics Councilmember Michael Craddock Would Like You to Know He's Fat
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 10:00 AM
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Ever been in a room when a fat man acknowledges his own rotundity? It's wonderful. Everyone loosens up because hey, he said what some people were thinking. That was Michael Craddock at last night's Metro council meeting.
"I'm 52 years old," said the District Four Councilmember, "and I've been fat all my life."
It was like the opening line from an AA meeting. Except funnier. Of course, Craddock wasn't yapping just to hear himself talk. He had a point to make: that laws that force chain restaurants like McDonald's to put calorie info on their menu--like the one about to be approved by the state Health board--abdicate responsibility from the guy buying the sandwich.
"When I go get a Big Mac," Craddock continued, "I know it's got special sauce and all that. I don't have anyone to blame but me."
It's a valid point. Especially coming from the dude wearing XXL. But that doesn't mean it's right...
The Board of Health mandate that some councilmembers are trying to stop only requires the most basic info. And it's not aimed at anyone but the national chains, restaurants that can better afford to make changes to their menu.
As a grown man, Craddock already knows what kind of damage he's doing to his body by eating fast food. But can the same be said about kids who eat half their meals off the Dollar Menu? Probably not.
Providing nutritional info is a basic consumer service. It's a natural evolution from the truth-in-labeling movement that began 30 years ago. Craddock's points are well-taken. But they represent an outdated point of view.
Craddock and his supporters won the battle last night. Couching their argument against posting calories by saying the Board of Health was subverting the council's authority, they won the right to have their bill move on to a second reading (just barely - it took a a tie-breaking vote to get the 15-14 margin).
But whether done by a state agency or the council themselves, calorie info is coming. Just try to keep up, fat man.
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