Is it the government's job to tell you what and how much to eat?

We say no. To see why, we need look no further than the arrogance displayed this week when the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban for at least a year on the construction of new fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles.

Sure, some joints sell burgers that have 1,000 calories, 50 grams of fat and nearly 200 mg of cholesterol. The health risks are well known. For example, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock in "Super Size Me" documented how a steady diet of McDonald's burgers and fries sabotaged his waistline and arteries.

That's not the whole story, however. Another filmmaker, Soso Whaley, documented a regimen of meals under the Golden Arches and she lost weight -- from 175 to 139 pounds. Others have had similar experiences. And of course, there's that obese fellow who ate all his meals at a well-known sandwich chain and also slimmed down considerably.

Those who have thrived on "fast food" of course picked items with leaner meats, more vegetables, and healthier toppings. That's the point: people can choose better ways of eating. It isn't government's job to pick out your diet. It's yours.

Nevertheless, busybodies across the nation have been trying to micromanage what you eat. The Los Angeles plan highlights the elitism lurking behind this effort.

South Los Angeles has many poor people, and they often need what fast-food eateries provide: jobs, places to meet and inexpensive food sold at a wide variety of locations and times. Sometimes people have jobs that burn a lot of fuel -- finishing cement, working on an assembly line, cleaning offices. Such folks need good solid meals. And those who also work the night shift find very few snooty French restaurants open when they have to eat.

We guess that most of the would-be elites have jobs that don't burden them with such concerns. An elite late snack? They just have food delivered, very possibly by someone who lives in South Los Angeles who may want to catch a quick sandwich after work.

And when the ruling class goes out to eat, they probably take in as much unhealthy food as anyone grabbing a hamburger or taco in an unfashionable part of town. If a member of the Los Angeles City Council at a fancy restaurant orders the steak bernaise, it may have more than 1,700 calories and 130 grams of fat, making the thickest fast-food superburger look in comparison like tofu spread thinly over a stalk of organic celery.

But the elites aren't trying to shut down fancy restaurants.

One news report noted that 30 percent of the people in South Los Angeles are obese, and only 14 percent of those in the trendy West Side are. So what? It's L.A. -- in the West Side, most of that blubber has probably just been liposuctioned away.

In short, the vendetta against fast-food restaurants reeks of elitist disdain for those they presume to rule. People in South Los Angeles choose the foods they like. Maybe some of them could make better choices. That's for them to decide.

The anti-fast food measure also showcases something else so many of our leaders possess: a profound and dangerous ignorance of economics. If there is a real demand for salad bars and fresh fruit snacks in a neighborhood, the market will supply it. The L.A. ban will merely increase the lines at the fast food restaurants that already serve the area.

Course this is just one small episode in the relentless march of the Nanny State. San Francisco regulates the size of pets' water dishes and bans plastic bags. New York cops ticket people for sitting improperly on milk crates. Schools in the Denver area have banned schoolyard tag. Seattle has so many restrictions on where people can smoke that in some spots the only place a person can legally light up is in the middle of a street -- but then that could be loitering.

These are just a few of the ways that government at all levels is whittling away at personal liberty.

Americans need to stand up and stop the Nanny State. Being free means being able to make choices, even risky choices. People in a free society do all kinds of wild and crazy things -- riding motorcycles, hang-gliding and eating giant sandwiches.

But they also start new businesses, think of new ideas, start families, and all kinds of things that can be difficult and even dangerous. Freedom means being able to make choices and take risks, without the interference of government. Going to a fast-food joint and ordering a big cheeseburger or a small salad should be among them.

Do you agree?