Counterproductive knee jerk nanny statism is magical:
A ban on new fast-food restaurants in poor Los Angeles neighborhoods has made headlines around the world, but residents say they don’t plan to give up their cheeseburgers, fried chicken and tacos anytime soon. The moratorium, which was passed in July, was intended to fight obesity in low-income communities of America’s second-largest city… The move is trend-setting California’s latest salvo in an expanding war on the fast-food industry… But residents are skeptical that such laws will have much impact in Los Angeles’ low-income and minority neighborhoods… Edwin Tsai, interviewed at a cluster of fast-food chains in the affected district, which includes the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles, West Adams, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park, said there were reasons people eat at places like McDonald’s. “It’s fast and easy. I think people will still come here no matter what,” Tsai, 23, said.
No kidding. As if no executive from Chipotle or Salad Farm ever looked at a map and said “hey, why don’t we move into this densely packed urban neighborhood” before concluding “you know what, consumers there probably wouldn’t purchase our food.” As if – but for evil corporations – everything would be kittens and rainbows and low yield, locally grown organic produce.
Many people who have complete ignorance of market dynamics might hesitate before regulating a market. But not our zealous city officials. Because they’re doing what’s right! Even if the actual result will be market stagnation, where the only new restaurants that could compete and provide people with jobs are banned. And this stroke of brilliance is on top of this summer’s statewide ban on trans fats – a measure paradoxically supported by the same insufferable hipsters who just the month before had been protesting LA’s efforts to move trans fat-soaked taco trucks away from the fragile local businesses that they undercut.
It’s physically excruciating, how bad these people are at everything.
While we’re discussing LA and hipsters and being bad at everything: I loathe these people and I deeply resent that they’re going to be crawling around my town:
Heeb Storytelling, the traveling road show of Heeb Magazine, has been performed in Manhattan since the summer of 2003, was the lead in Time Out’s “New Super Jews” cover story in November of that year and has been performed in virtually every major city in North America. In 2009, Grand Central Publishing will be releasing a Heeb Storytelling anthology edited by Heeb Arts Editor Shana Liebman, titled Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish.
“Sex, Drugs, & Gefilte Fish.” Get it? The title alone screams disaffected hipness. Because being Jewish means being ironic.
References:
* LA’s fast-food ban draws skepticism [Reuters]
* California Bars Restaurant Use of Trans Fats [NYT]
* New York – Where Even Non-Jews Get to Sound Anti-Semitic as Long as They’re Trying to Be Funny (And They Promise They Don’t Mean It) [MR]
* HEEBs Take Over L.A. [Mediabistro]
Previously:
* Will Liberals Please Stop Finding Ahmadinejad So Damn Fascinating?
* Hysterical Liberal Calls To Ban Coulter Somewhat Inconsistent With Their "Free Speech" Celebrations Of Ahmadinejad’s Columbia Appearance
* The 5 Stages Of Liberal Mourning Over Palin
