Not All of San Francisco's Insane Live on the Streets

Yesterday I told you I was a Progressive. Perhaps I should modify that. I'm probably more of a moderate since I see insanity on both extremes on any issue. Take San Francisco's law on Happy Meals for example.
They have decreed that the city's McDonald's may no longer sell Happy Meals with a toy unless the meal contains more healthy ingredients. Last night The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had a great take on the issue when his correspondent, Aasif Mandvi interviewed City Supervisor Eric Mar. You can see the full interview here:   
http://www.thedailyshow.com/           
( I am still trying to figure out how to embed video, so please forgive the link)         
Probably the best part of the interview is when Mandvi asks Supervisor Mar why they can't simply insist Netflix send a copy of Super-Size Me! to everyone in the city. His response? We can't demand such an action from a privately owned company. Apparently, no one told Mar McDonald's isn't publicly owned.
While this law in San Francisco is wrong on so many levels, it is a foreshadowing of something many in the government would like to see happen nationwide. They want nothing more than to be able to mandate what foods you serve your family.
One of the chief arguments for this movement is that obesity is at an all time high. More children suffer from diabetes and other weight related health problems than ever before. Yes, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. But it all starts at a much deeper level.
Before we begin telling parents they can't feed their kids fast food we must address who these obese children really are. Most of them are from single parent homes, or live in a poverty-stricken environment. The reality is processed food is far less expensive and easier to fix than healthy foods. Food stamps only go so far and fresh fruits or vegetables are not cheap. Healthy food must be made more affordable.
Every year there are more budget cuts in education. Many of the cuts mean classes such as PE are eliminated or available only once a week. To make up for time cuts, recesses are being eliminated. Anyone who knows anything about education understands you cannot take free time away from children without affecting their minds and bodies. When there is no P.E. there is no incentive for children to exercise.
Most marketing to children centers around video games. Unless they are playing some of the more active WII games children are spending hours in front of a screen. Parents need to be more involved in enforcing rules that insure children are not playing every free moment. When both parents work, or there is only one parent involved, this is difficult. Yet, there seems to be no question that any funding might possibly go toward after school programs.
Taking toys out of Happy Meals accomplishes nothing. It will not encourage parents to stop feeding their kids unhealthy meals, especially if it's all they can afford when they go out. It only punishes the children, giving them no justifiable reason why.