Nanny State Strikes Again

A state assemblyman from Brooklyn, NY introduced a bill in Albany that would ban the use of salt in restaurant cooking. The wording of the A 10129 states, "No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food for consumption by customers of such restaurant, including food prepared to be consumed on the premises of such restaurant or off of such premises."

The author of the bill, Felix Ortiz, said that the salt ban would allow restaurant goers to decide how salty they want their meals to be. He went on to say, "In this way, consumers have more control over the amount of sodium they intake, and are given the option to exercise healthier diets and healthier lifestyles" What would happen if a restaurant chooses to ignore the salt ban? Of course in true nanny fashion, there would be heavy fines imposed of $1000 per violation.

One question I have in regards to this new proposed legislation. Will this ban all salt in the recipe or will a little salt be acceptable? The reason I ask this is because many recipes require that salt be added in order for the recipe to turn out. Cookies require salt. Soups, stews, and chowders all call for salt in one form or fashion. What about breads and cakes. Almost any dish that is cooked needs some salt in some form or fashion and at some level. But don't listen to anyone who cooks for a living or for pleasure.

Who thinks this is a great idea? You guessed it, the dictator-in-chief, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. For those who don't know about Bloomberg, he is one of those people who pours salt on his Saltine crackers. Apparently he doesn't subscribe to the idea of, "What's good for me is good for thee."

Besides the issue of government micromanaging the lives of New Yorkers and anyone else who visits the state, my biggest beef with this proposed legislation centers on those of us who don't add salt to their meals after they are cooked. If I don't add salt when the food is being cooked or baked, I will not add it after it is completed. When I get fries at a fast food place I will typically tell them to either go light on the salt or no salt on the fries. Do I want the government to get involved and tell them they can't put salt on the fries? Hell no!

I have a novel idea, those who want to lower their salt intake, don't go out to eat as much or find a place that offers low salt dishes. Believe me, if there is a market out there for a restaurant that caters to those who want to limit their salt intake, one will pop up and will be successful without government intervention, if not, it will fail.

Oh, and one more question. If it were to become law, would the new law pertain only to salt by itself or would it include any seasoning or spice that has salt in it? Seasoning salt, garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt,lemon pepper mix, taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, and the list goes on. What do these items have in common? They all have some sort of salt in them. Will this proposed law include butter and margarine? They have salt or sodium in them. Instead of trying to ban a naturally occurring substance, why don't you let us make our own decisions and live with the results of our own choices. If someone has health problems because they eat too many foods that are high in salt, don't blame the salt; blame the person who made irresponsible choices.

Call me crazy, but I think that people should start taking more responsibility for their actions and choices instead of playing the victim. Shut up and take responsibility for yourself.