Mississippi Lawmakers Pushing “Anti-Bloomberg” Bill That Prohibits Calorie Count Laws

(Great Beyond)

Lawmakers over in Mississippi are probably not going to be best friends forever with New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg any time soon, considering they’re pushing a bill that’s the opposite of what Bloomberg is trying to do in his city. No matching bracelets for these two camps.

The New York Daily News says over in Mississippi — which the story points out is the most obese state in the U.S. — they’ve approved an “anti-Bloomberg bill” that would ban communities from requiring restaurants to post calorie counts or limit portion sizes.

And lest you think a local rule against toys in kids’ meals would be a good idea, the bill would put the kibosh on that as well. The governor is expected to sign the bill.

State Sen. Tony Smith wrote the bill and also owns a BBQ chain. He says it’s all about limiting the power of the government.

“If we give government a little more control of our personal rights — where does it stop?” he told the Daily News, adding that Bloomberg’s health crusade gave him some motivation to write the bill.

Mississippi passes ‘anti-Bloomberg bill,’ banning local limits on portion sizes and requirements to post calorie counts [New York]