The Salt Police Are Coming.

A wise man once said it is better to keep your mouth shut and to be thought of as an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it. Unfortunately politicians and celebrities are unfamiliar with that philosophy. (Although it is fortunate for us so we can poke fun at them.) A bill has been introduced in the New York State legislature to ban the use of salt in all food preparations in restaurants. Customers would be allowed to use salt shakers. The man who introduced the bill is Felix Ortiz, a Democrat from Brooklyn. The reason he proposed the bill is because his dad used too much salt, developed high blood pressure and had a heart attack. Using that logic I would guess had his dad died in a car accident he would be proposing banning all cars. Assemblyman Ortiz has admitted he knows nothing about cooking and never studied what effect this bill would have on the restaurant industry. (I was stunned by that revelation. I figured the man was a Rhodes Scholar.) The best comment I read was from a man who claimed Ortiz should go back to his Puerto Rican roots. Before you think that was a racial slam the man who suggested it was Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz, a fellow Puerto Rican. You can read his remarks here.

I could be wrong, but my belief is this bill was introduced as a way for Assemblyman Ortiz to make a name for himself. He would bill himself about the man who cares for the health of the people. He has made a name for himself, but it is not what he imagined. I took a little bit of time to exam his record. I spent a little time checking out the bills he has sponsored. I quit counting after I hit 150. That doesn't count the ones he is co-sponsoring. Life shaking things like ordering health inspectors to educate food workers about allergens, authorizing school districts to come up with drug policies for students and mandating drug testing for police officers at least 4 times a year. I guess he is trying to justify his salary. With all of the financial troubles we are facing today I believe that lawmakers should be concentrating on those issues instead of making more laws that end up spending more money. I know what my problem is. I watched too much Star Trek and I think like a Vulcan.

For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with his proposals that I listed, other than the salt one. I just don't feel they need state mandates. In case you are wondering exactly how that picture goes along with today's theme, those are salt and pepper shakers.