Fat lawsuits, obese kids need diets
by Bernie Scheffler, editor-in-chief

    A few months ago I bought new running shoes. They are so comfortable I’ve been putting in more miles than usual and have lost weight … I should sue Adidas for making me anorexic with their oh-so-comfy footwear.

   Wait, that sounds pretty ridiculous, right? Don’t laugh; Adidas may be next on the ridiculous lawsuit defendant list.

   In a similarly stupid case in New York, the parents of obese kids are suing McDonalds for their children’s weight problems.

   The fast food industry is not to blame for America’s growing obesity problem, nor is it guilty of making kids overweight.

   The real problem is that most Americans don’t like to hear or say the word “no.” The simple truth in this matter is that if parents hadn’t given in to their children’s desire for fast food, they wouldn’t be as fat.

   McDonald’s is no tobacco company. They don’t put addictive additives into their food or spend millions to cover up how unhealthy their product is. Just ask them for nutrition information on their food, and they cheerfully hand it over. America, believe it or not, is free to eat whatever it wants.

   So why aren’t these parents stepping up and taking responsibility for their children’s health? After all, they are the ones who bought the food in question. They probably didn’t even take their kids to the park to get some exercise afterward.

   The parents are pointing fingers because, like the children they’ve raised, they don’t like being told “no” or admitting failure. They feel better having a big, evil corporate entity to blame for their problems. It’s easier to get a cash payoff than to fix the problem.

   The big loser in the whole situation (besides McDonald’s, which will probably settle to avoid going to court) is the American public. When are the frivolous lawsuits, which waste the resources of our judicial system, going to end?

   Personally, I hope McDonald’s stands up and takes this one to court. Clearly, the company has done nothing wrong; it need not compensate these parents for their own lack of backbone.

   Now, I’ve got to go call my lawyer about those shoes ...