McDonald's Didn't Make Them Fat

by John Stossel - October 11th2006 - Townhall.com

I have a question for federal Judge Robert Sweet: If your own children blamed McDonald's for making them fat, would you buy it?

I don't think so.

[snip]

Whatever happened to self-responsibility? Sure, McDonald's commercials put the best spin on its products. All advertisers do that. Individuals should exercise caution, and parents should teach their kids a little skepticism. It's not as if information about nutrition is hard to come by. Today we're constantly harangued about cutting calories, reducing fat, and exercising more. McDonald's competitors, such as Subway, provide lots of counter-information. You'd have to live in a cave not to know about this stuff.

Whatever happened to self-responsibility? The question is easy to answer. Judges and lawyers figured out they can get rich if anyone with deep pockets can be sued for providing a desirable product. If it is desirable, then consumers want it. If consumers want it, then you can blame the company for making them want it. Catch 22. Anone can be sued for making a desirable product and the judges and lawyers get rich by creating more lawsuits.

This is not about protecting the public. This is in fact arrogantly indifferent to the publics loss of choice. What companies need to understand is that being more careful will not protect them from lawsuits. The next round of lawsuits will be suing companies for not providing products the consumer wants. You think the judges and lawyers will not figure out how to blame companies for that? Our society could not possibly make a company provide something you say? 40 years ago when people first started joking about suing food companies for making food that was too popular the standard response was "you have to be kidding. No one with a brain would ever allow that."

Welcome to the "rule of judges".