Americans with Disabilities Act - A bad idea may expand like your waistline

Last week I criticized the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as lousy feel good legislation that has grown to mandate many requirements not envisioned when initially passed. One aspect I did not address was the very definition of a disability. On the surface it seems like a simple thing. A disability should be fairly clear cut. Paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of a limb, etc. However, when there is the possibility of growing government involvement in our lives we should always expect the worst. The ADA is no exception. The area of mental health has seen the greatest expansion of the ADA as anything from not paying attention (ADD) to being a drunk (alcoholism) can be classified as a disease rather than a personal failing. What brought this to mind today is comments from a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson called Wednesday for obese Americans to be brought under the protection of the Americans for Disabilities Act.

"This is an issue of basic civil rights," said Richardson. "There are no federal laws that protect obese Americans from discrimination in the workplace, school, or anywhere else. This must change."

Great. Just what we need - another protected class. What a nanny state clown.