Welcome to Nannyfornia!

While I was tied up with work and travel, a couple of interesting stories made it into my reading pile.  Together, they convince me that the concept of personal responsibility must be virtually illegal.

First, I saw this article in the Wall Street Journal (subscriber link):

Ian Perry, a Los Angeles city-council member, is spearheading legislation that would ban new fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC from opening in a 32-square-mile chunk of the city, including her district. The targeted area is already home to some 400 fast-food restaurants, she says, possibly contributing to high obesity rates there — 30% of adults, compared with about 21% in the rest of the city. Nationally, 25.6% of adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While some cities have bans on new fast-food establishments, they typically are for aesthetic reasons or to protect local businesses. Ms. Perry’s initiative seems to be a rare instance in which a major city brings health issues into restaurant zoning. The fast-food ban would last a year, although Ms. Perry hopes to make it permanent. On Tuesday, a committee will make a recommendation on the measure before sending it on to the full city council for a vote.

I have to admit that I’m not particularly opposed to the idea of fewer fast food restaurants around.  The use of zoning laws to support a public health issue is the sort of creativity I appreciate.

But then, we have this story in the New York Times:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday that will prohibit restaurants and other "food facilities" from using oil, margarine and shortening containing trans fats.

The intent is certainly admirable…but in the land of the free and the home of the brave, aren’t people permitted to make their own personal decisions?  Doesn’t freedom include freedom to make bad decisions, provided we accept the risk/consequences?