The cheeseburger bill

Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune

Wizards in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives have voted for a bill that would shield fast-food sellers from lawsuits blaming them for making people fat.

On this premise, Congress should logically pass a similar law protecting tobacco companies and retailers.

... No person or company selling a legal product to a willing consumer should be considered criminal just because misuse of that product can be harmful. People should be free to file lawsuits, but courts should so consistently throw them out that we all learn the lesson of marketplace freedom for legally marketed products.

Either we should legally prohibit a product or we should leave its purveyors and buyers alone.