By Selwyn Duke

A New Mexico lawmaker aims to cut the fat – not in government, but through it. Educator-turned-legislator Gail Chasey (D) has proposed a measure dubbed the "Leave No Child Inside" bill, which would levy a 1 percent excise tax on televisions, video games and video game equipment to fund programs designed to fight childhood obesity.

Such health-oriented measures are nothing new. Some years ago two college professors suggested a tax on high-fat foods to discourage their consumption, and some cities and counties have outlawed trans-fats. Then there is the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, which banned smoking in vehicles when children are present. And lest you think this phenomenon is unique to the Great White North, know that a legislator in Long Island, N.Y., once proposed the same law. I guess a man’s car is no longer his castle coach.

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