LA Food Police Ban Burger Joints: Is Your City Next?

First Lady Michelle Obama hopes to curb childhood obesity by teaching children about nutrition and exercise. "There's no expert on this planet who says that the government telling people what to do actually does any good with this issue," she says.

But local government officials around the country have already adopted a more forceful tack, whether it's New York's salt assault, San Francisco's frown at Happy Meals or, most recently, South LA's all-out ban on new fast-food restaurants.

Reason.tv spoke with Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, one of the architects behind the ban, who argues that "in order to force choice into the market, we have to limit one that is overconcentrated and attract others that provide other options."

Reason Magazine editor in chief Matt Welch is skeptical of "the idea that you can create more choices by reducing choices," and fitness consultant and documentary filmmaker Chazz Weaver—who ate McDonald's for 30 days and lost body fat—points out that consumers can eat fast food in moderation and still stay healthy. Reason.tv also spoke with the co-owner of The Burger Stand in South Los Angeles about why he thinks that banning new fast-food restaurants is bad for business and bad for his community.

Writer-Producer: Zach Weissmueller. Senior Producer: Ted Balaker. Camera: Hawk Jensen, Paul Detrick, Alex Manning.

Approximately 8 minutes.

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