Free Ronald McDonald!

In most recent obsessive-anti-accountability leftist news, the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington D.C. has served a notice of their intent to sue Ronald McDonald. The Golden Arches are currently being hunted by the CSPI Nutrition police to remove toys from their children’s meals. Stephen Gardner, a litigation director for the joke of an organization said “McDonald's use of toys undercuts parental authority and exploits young children's developmental immaturity.” This is just months after Santa Clara County, California banned toy promotions in fast food meals in several parts of the county. (By the way, my sincerest sympathies go out to the rational citizens of Santa Clara County, for it must be difficult to raise your children with any sense of propriety, responsibility and self-confidence in a county whose message is that even what is put into their mouths is out of their control.)

Another statement issued from the CSPI, read that the plastic promotions “lure children into McDonald's restaurants where they are then likely to order food that is too high in calories, fat and salt, and that parents are not being responsible for what their kids order.” Odd, I was not aware children had the income required to order, well, ANYTHING. I mean, how many pre-teens and adolescents have disposable income? So, either, there is a black market for fast food (likely prominent in public schools) or Stephen Gardner and the rest of the Center for Science gang, have completely lost it.

To delve in a bit deeper, I’ve taken the liberty of examining the press release posted by the Center on June 22nd, and try to pinpoint some misleading, negligent, and just plain pathetic points to make their motivations, and the consequences easier to identify for the rational eye. Below are parts of the release, written by Executive Director Michael Jacobson, and ad-libbed in bold, by yours truly! following each paragraph:

ARTICLE:
‘Dangle a toy in front of a child's eyes, and you can bet the child will do just about anything to get it. And that's exactly what McDonald's (and other restaurants) do, using everything from TV commercials to signs in windows to the Internet in order to get kids to pester their parents to take them to the restaurant. It used to be that parents warned kids to run away from strangers offering candy, but companies have made an end run by laundering their perfidy through electronic media.’
“Pester” would be the key word in this introductory poo-a-graph! Notice the Encarta definition: annoy, harass, beg; this would be because a child, a dependent vessel of the aforementioned parent, has no authority over decision making. Also, notice television, signs and internet are perfectly legal and well-known forms of advertisement of any service. Other leftist services, such as abortion are also advertised in this way, especially on popular networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, although they not so honest as to use images to allow people to better understand their business.

‘Now kids absorb countless commercials touting premiums based on their favorite characters -- Shrek, Batman, Barbie, Beanie Babies, etc. -- and, surprise, surprise, ask their parents to take them to McDonald's. Consumer-marketing guru Adam Hanft said, "Happy Meals proved that you could actually 'brand' a meal and make children harass their parents for it.’
Contrary to the belief of Mr. Hanft, children are impulsive and lovers of immediate gratification, they would harass their parents for yarn if it were the most popular toy! This is not the effect of any fast food restaurant it is merely human nature at work. The only disturbing thing here is that parents feel so little concern for the health of their children that they are willing to sacrifice their well being by accommodating their incessant needs.

‘In 1978 America was at the brink of the obesity epidemic that has seen rates of overweight and obesity in children triple. Factors ranging from video games to less PE in schools contributed to the epidemic, but one indisputable, major factor is the increased ubiquity of inexpensive, high-calorie foods. This has only worsened over time.’
Carter may have had other priorities in 1978, but since 1990 when George Bush enacted the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act into federal law, people now have the access to the nutrition information of high calorie foods and decide for themselves.

‘Restaurant meals that include toys are coming under increasing attack. In March 2008 Consumers International and the International Obesity Task Force called for bans on the "inclusion of free gifts, toys or collectible items, which appeal to children to promote unhealthy foods." Months later, the city council of Liverpool, England, considered such a ban. And recently, Santa Clara County, California became the first jurisdiction to ban the inclusion of toys in unhealthy restaurant meals.’
The point that restaurants are coming under attack says nothing in means of validation of this lackluster, anti-business and anti-entrepreneurial argument; it only goes to show how stupid American have become, California and England at the top of this sad list.

‘This week, CSPI has upped the ante by threatening to sue McDonald's unless the company agrees to stop using toys to beguile young children. CSPI contends that tempting-kids-with-toys is unfair and deceptive--both to kids who don't understand the concept of marketing and to parents who have to put up with their pestering offspring.’
If parents cannot handle their children and their demands as young ones, God forbid the obese little tikes become teenagers anyway, as they’ll likely have so much say over their own households that own devices that 18 will be an unreachable age.

‘Furthermore, in a survey of 44 McDonald's outlets around the country, we found that the default side item in Happy Meals was usually French fries, not the healthier Apple Dippers. That is, in response to a customer's request for a hamburger Happy Meal, over 90 percent of the clerks did not ask which side dish the customer wanted, but automatically provided fries.’
Nothing can be done about the lack of popularity of healthy food. McDonald’s (in my humble opinion) has been more than accommodating to the lack of restraint of the negligent American parent. Super-sizing has been eliminated, which likely created incredible losses for the Arches, also healthier foods have been added to give customers choices, against the intentional design of the company which was to be “A BURGER JOINT” not grocery store! McDonald’s understands choices, now the American public need to do the same. McDonald’s is NOT YOUR ONLY OPTION, take advantage of other establishments.
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The pining issue here is that most literate (and even several illiterate persons) are aware that happy meals are not healthy for anyone; and that 485ish calories, high fat and sugar content are the core of such happy meals, and they therefore should not be eaten in excess as most fast food should not. That leaves just two question in my mind: Why can’t Food-Nazi groups like the CSPI put the fact together that children are the consumers and NOT THE CUSTOMERS? And lastly, who gave kids the ultimate say-so to replace discipline with weakness?