Saving You from Yourself (Updated)

“Today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,”

We were in the air, returning from Boston when this showed up here in the paper last week. The trans fats ban was signed into law two Fridays ago by the Governor.

Stephen Joseph who was a consultant to New York City in developing its ban, said trans fat is a larger health risk than saturated fat because it reduces so-called good cholesterol.

Who is Stephen Joseph, you are asking yourself? A dietician, perhaps or someone who holds an advanced degree in medicine and who also specializes in heart disease or cholesterol? Nope. Dude’s a lawyer....

The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Tony Mendoza of Artesia, said he hoped the legislation would lead to similar laws in other states.
“They've come to the realization that this is something that Americans want, that Californians want,” he said. “People are just more health conscious about what they eat.”

As sure as the Sun rises in the East, Tony has confused Californians desire to eat healthier with a desire for legislation dictating what they can and cannot eat but given a choice between the two, we know on what side of the coin our friends in Sacramento will always come down.

The California Restaurant Association opposed the California bill but has no plans to challenge the law, spokesman Daniel Conway said.
Conway said the association has no plans to challenge the law, in part because restaurants already are phasing out trans fats to satisfy customers.

Yes. You would be 100% correct if the first thing that crossed your mind was: “Then why do we need this law?” And as we’ve written before and as often times happens when legislation is passed in the name of the “N-word”, this law may actually be counterproductive as people pile-on even more trans fat-free goodies out of a false sense of security.

Our schools are miserable, we are paying way too much for goods and services across the board because of our politicians’ refusal to even consider off-shore drilling, we are facing a water shortage where plans to build a desalination plant here in San Diego lack the political backing to stand-up to environmental groups and we will continue to drive business and industry out of the state (… as companies decide to manufacture, cement, for instance in Nevada and Arizona only to truck it right back into the state in order to comply with the California Air Resources Board’s phased-in mandates to reduce CO2 emissions…. actually pumping more CO2 into the air) but….. doggone, we’re healthier and safer now because Sacramento has outlawed talking on cell phones while driving and trans fats in restaurants.

Dontcha feel so much better knowing people much smarter and benevolent than you have got your back?

UPDATE #1:We were watching the Hall of Fame preseason game this evening between the Washington Redskins and the Indianapolis Colts and ‘Skins QB Colt Brennan a rookie out of Hawai’i was making a very impressive showing with 2 touchdown passes. Commentators Al Michaels and John Madden were commenting on how Brennan’s name just sounded like a QB’s name. Madden commented that only thing that would make it better would be if he were from Butte, Montana (he's from Orange County, California) and Michaels felt compelled to one-up Madden by saying, “Yeah, and smoking a Marlboro.”

It’s obvious that Michaels didn’t get the memo and if he did, he chose to ignore it at his own peril. When the hell are people going to realize you just can’t make flip comments like that anymore. Its poor form and just encourages bad behavior. Can you imagine, now, the literally dozens of kids who were watching this game and because of Michaels' rash, insensitive and socially-corroding remarks, will want to go to Hawai’i to play football and smoke… though, we’re pretty sure that if they smoke anything in Hawai’i it won’t be cigarettes. Irresponsible. Simply irresponsible and unacceptable behavior that cannot be tolerated any longer. We need a law!!!

Phone(y) Safety

Perhaps the ultimate paradigm of the non-sensical, useless and quite possibly counterproductive nature of Sacramento politics went into effect today as the hands-free cell phone law will be enforced statewide.

Article here suggests that it’s the actual talking that is the real distraction and we can personally attest to this being true as talking to a passenger while we are driving provides the same amount of attention-diversion as does yakking on the cell phone, which by the way, we try to keep to an absolute minimum.

But never mind all that…. Only Sacramento (or D.C.) can pass legislation that still allows you to dial by hand (eyes not on the road) and text (again, eyes not on the road) but still let you talk as much as you want as long as you’re at “10 and 2” and then with a straight face tell us that its for our own good… that it will save lives.

We didn’t necessarily agree with helmet or seatbelt laws thinking it was a matter of personal choice but also realized these laws codified absolute common sense in terms of vehicular safety. This cell phone law breaks new ground, though, in demonstrating how the “do something, do anything” approach to the law-making of those smug bastards in our state capitol is the rule rather than the exception.

Obscene...?

Big Oil – Big Government update:

… and introducing Shell Oil’s new CEO… Maxine Waters.

Firmly reasserting itself atop the dung heap of shameless pandering and completely insane ideas, the House jumped into the fray with some suggestions of their own. Head Madam Maxine Waters (D-CA) felt that if privately owned and operated Big Oil could not bring down the price of oil perhaps government could.

Link: sevenload.com

If video fails to launch go here. If that fails, here is the gist: Ol’ SMaxine wants to sociali………………………………… wants the government to take over oil production.

You know, it’s a sad, sad day in American politics when a Leftist like Waters is unable to even articulate the term “nationalize” in its proper context. It makes one wonder just what the hell is going on with our public education system where the language and terminology of socialist policy is not being properly taught.

Update #1: Mongo reminded us in the comments of something we saw but forgot to point out. At the end of Waters' finger-wagging, check out the expression on the gentleman and especially that of the lady to Waters' right. She has this sort of endeared expression that is reserved for batty old aunts... as in, "poor old aunt Maxine... she really has been dealing well with her dementia but sometimes, well sometimes she just kind of loses it and says the wackiest things, bless her little heart."

H/T: Hot Air