Today’s edition of the San Jose Mercury-News included a new entry for the nanny state hall of fame. A letter to the editor discussed a recent decision by Costco to stop giving non-members access to the food court. The author speculated that poor people’s lives would be improved. Instead of eating cheap junk food (implied if not stated outright) the poor folks will be able to buy healthier fresh fruits and vegetables.
The arrogance is breathtaking. Having been poor several times duiring my life I can assure the author that there’s a good reason to eat cheap food. It’s cheap! Only someone with zero experience with poverty could possibly write such a letter.
Even worse is the demeaning tone. “People buy cheap food at Costco because they don’t know any better.” By denying them access to the junk food they will magically discover the benefits of “healthy” food.
It’s people like the author that have made California what it is today — and that’s not a good thing.
(We have deliberately excised the writer’s name. You can find it by following the link in the first paragraph.)