Nanny State

The Federal Trade Commission revised its guidelines for digital advertisers Tuesday, clarifying what the agency expects by way of disclosures on Twitter and in texts. In a nutshell, it said that even brief marketing messages have to make "clear and conspicuous" any disclosures that are necessary to prevent consumers from being misled. As the agency put it in a news release, "consumer protection laws apply equally to marketers across all mediums, whether delivered on a desktop computer, a mobile device, or more traditional media such as television, radio, or print.

Proposed legislation to remove junk food and sugar-loaded drinks from vending machines at California state office buildings and on government property is intensifying debate about when the battle against obesity becomes a gateway to "nanny state" tactics. Backers of the Assembly bill, AB 459, said California shouldn't condone the sale of fatty snacks and sodas in the workplace when taxpayers are already shelling out vast amounts to cover the healthcare costs of overweight government employees.

Barring high school students from buying Gatorade on campus, banning metal bats from their baseball games, making it illegal for adolescents to have themselves "branded" with a hot iron: Regulating teenage behavior has become an attractive topic for California's legislators. Some lawmakers also want to outlaw nipple piercings for teenagers, and prohibit them from snowboarding and skiing without a helmet or reentering a football game too quickly after taking a hard hit to the head.

The Federal Trade Commission revised its guidelines for digital advertisers Tuesday, clarifying what the agency expects by way of disclosures on Twitter and in texts. In a nutshell, it said that even brief marketing messages have to make "clear and conspicuous" any disclosures that are necessary to prevent consumers from being misled. As the agency put it in a news release, "consumer protection laws apply equally to marketers across all mediums, whether delivered on a desktop computer, a mobile device, or more traditional media such as television, radio, or print.

Re "It's Time to Face Our Child Care Crisis," by Connie Haddad, Dec. 14 Orange County Voices: Haddad is a staunch advocate of the "nanny state." Apparently her solution to parental responsibility and care-giving is let Uncle Sam do it. Why is it that every social issue that people want the government to take over is a crisis? There is little or no understanding by many young parents of what is involved in raising a child. Many young parents have a healthy appetite for things and luxuries and want them now. I have a hunch the issue of immediate gratification drives many mothers into the workplace.

As his wedding day approached, Chng Kai Fong fretted over just one thing -- ensuring his guests arrived on time for the time-honored rollout of the traditional Chinese dinner feast. He busily sent e-mails and telephoned friends and relatives to remind them not to be late. Then he got some unexpected help -- from a Singapore government that is ever willing to prod its citizens to be good and thoughtful neighbors.

San Francisco's board of supervisors has voted, by a veto-proof margin, to ban most of McDonald's Happy Meals as they are now served in the restaurants. The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat. The ordinance would also require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys. "We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice," said Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure.

California has often been tagged as the "nanny state" for passing laws that some people say interfere with citizens' lives. But now it has earned the label for a whole different reason, thanks to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Republican governor announced this week that he had appointed a nanny -- his own children's nanny, in fact -- as a part-time state regulator on the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Re "Keep the state off my plate," Opinion, Nov. 29 Out of all potential Op-Ed pieces, why The Times chose to public Julie Gunlock's piece is puzzling. Her contention is that the government is telling us what to eat. Been there, heard that. Gunlock need only review the work of Robert Lustig at UC San Francisco to realize that sugar, like alcohol and tobacco, has made us sick. The data do not lie. Although Gunlock is all for healthy choices, the majority of Americans are not. Government intervention is but one piece of the puzzle.

Can Americans have their doughnuts and their Big Gulps too? It seems a timely question, what with Friday being National Donut Day -- and coming on the heels of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to limit the sale of super-size sugary drinks. The Times' editorial board weighed in Friday in its usual sober way. In a nutshell (OK, a fairly big nutshell, but put down your smartphone for a second and actually read something), here's its take on the problem : The move exemplifies the tension between individual liberty and societal responsibility that's particularly acute in the field of public health.

Re "Keep the state off my plate," Opinion, Nov. 29 Out of all potential Op-Ed pieces, why The Times chose to public Julie Gunlock's piece is puzzling. Her contention is that the government is telling us what to eat. Been there, heard that. Gunlock need only review the work of Robert Lustig at UC San Francisco to realize that sugar, like alcohol and tobacco, has made us sick. The data do not lie. Although Gunlock is all for healthy choices, the majority of Americans are not. Government intervention is but one piece of the puzzle.

Can Americans have their doughnuts and their Big Gulps too? It seems a timely question, what with Friday being National Donut Day -- and coming on the heels of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to limit the sale of super-size sugary drinks. The Times' editorial board weighed in Friday in its usual sober way. In a nutshell (OK, a fairly big nutshell, but put down your smartphone for a second and actually read something), here's its take on the problem : The move exemplifies the tension between individual liberty and societal responsibility that's particularly acute in the field of public health.

One of the first decisions that my wife and I faced after selling our longtime home in New York's Westchester County was what to do with all the art done by our now-grown children back when they were in single digits. Sensibly, we decided to keep only a representative sample, and I started working through the collection, making hard choices. That evening, I found my wife going through the garbage. "How could you get rid of this?" she demanded, holding up our son's rendering of an American F-14 shooting down an Iraqi plane during the Persian Gulf War. She had a point -- or would have, if there hadn't been 10 more exactly like it in the pile for saving.

San Francisco's board of supervisors has voted, by a veto-proof margin, to ban most of McDonald's Happy Meals as they are now served in the restaurants. The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat. The ordinance would also require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys. "We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice," said Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure.

For all the Californians who thought they'd cornered the market on healthy living, meet Michael Bloomberg, the 108th mayor of New York. Since he took charge, the city has pioneered a raft of regulations to get its citizens to be healthier — or at least realize they're slowly killing themselves. The 68-year-old billionaire's campaign against death-by-preventable-disease has also spearheaded a national movement. On his watch, the city banned cigarettes in bars, put fresh produce in poor neighborhoods and went after trans fats like they were deadbeat dads.

There's a great moment in the 1993 movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer." Ben Kingsley plays a coach for a 7-year-old chess prodigy named Josh. Kingsley wants the boy to stop playing chess in the park and devote himself completely to Kingsley's tutelage. Josh's mother doesn't like the idea, because she's a jealous guardian of her son's childhood. "Not playing in the park would kill him. He loves it." Kingsley complains that her decision "just makes my job harder." "Then your job's harder," she responds.

Re "Understanding Powell Mania," by Donna Mungen, Commentary, July 17: Mungen's article on Gen. Colin Powell may be the most absurd thing I've ever read in The Times, which is saying something. Two egregious flaws in her reasoning: First, her laughable implications that Powell and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are politically interchangeable. Consider these elements of Jackson's political agenda that Mungen chose to ignore: his support for the growth of the nanny state, even as our federal government threatens to evolve into Big Mother.

Barring high school students from buying Gatorade on campus, banning metal bats from their baseball games, making it illegal for adolescents to have themselves "branded" with a hot iron: Regulating teenage behavior has become an attractive topic for California's legislators. Some lawmakers also want to outlaw nipple piercings for teenagers, and prohibit them from snowboarding and skiing without a helmet or reentering a football game too quickly after taking a hard hit to the head.

California has often been tagged as the "nanny state" for passing laws that some people say interfere with citizens' lives. But now it has earned the label for a whole different reason, thanks to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Republican governor announced this week that he had appointed a nanny -- his own children's nanny, in fact -- as a part-time state regulator on the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind.