Lessons from the Road; J. Baden and R. Marotz-Baden

They see the arches as a font of cultural sin rather than a source of nourishment. Some would rather be seen entering a porn shop than passing through the Golden Arches. Others view it more accept able to have breakfast whiskey on their breath than a McDonald's shake. To many of these people, McDonald's symbol izes what they find so objectionable in America. The arches mean plastics and conformity, dead end alternatives to unionized jobs for the masses. McDonald's represents the antithesis of the sticks, twigs,and sprouts that make up seven-grain vege tarian organic sandwiches. McDonald's succeeds by identifying a market and evolving to give people what they want as tastes and sensitivities change. However, many environmentalists imply that people want the wrong things. To them, McDonald's success assaults refined tastes and ecological sensitivity.It takes some courage for academics with an enviDr. Baden is Chairman of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE), with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Bozeman, Montana.

Dr. Marotz-Baden is Professor of Health and Human Development at Montana State University, Bozeman. ronmental bent to defend McDonald's. We do. Here's why. First, one of Ramona's graduate degrees is in nutrition. She spent several years studying people whose diets contributed to their death. She was delighted when McDonald's hired Hazleton Labo ratories, a nutritional testing firm, to prepare McDonald'sFood:The Facts... ,a complete book let on the nutritional composition of every item on their menu. It guides her choice of a Chunky Chicken Salad with low-fat dressing, an apple bran, no-cholesterol, oil-free muffin on the side, with perhaps a low-fat frozen yogurt for dessert. While major portions of their menu are as bad as Ben & Jerry's premium high butterfat ice cream-e.g., the McD.L.T. with its 580 calories, 36.8 grams of fat, and 990 milligrams of sodium-their muffins,salads, and yogurts may be eaten with a clear conscience.

McDonald's has responded to changing nutri tional preferences and knowledge by adding items to their menu, while subtracting saturated fats. Since one American in seven eats in McDonald's each day, these changes are significant. Second, while we don't have a wide variety at McDonald's, we like to avoid nasty surprises when eating. We appreciate the company's quality con trol, and we know that we will be served in less than three minutes, willsoon be back on the road, and are most unlikely to get food poisoning. Third, we learned that McDonald's service is usually fast, friendly,and competent. The facilities will be reasonably clean, and our car will be safe while on their lot. Fourth, it is a pleasure to watch a firm with a 51 Environmental iconoclasts John Baden and Ramona Marotz-Baden take a break at the Golden Arches. commitment to being "the world's best hamburger store" impart a respect for standards to employees.

If we had to choose between hiring a youth certi fied by McDonald's or by a public high school, McDonald's wins. Finally, whatever their motivation, McDon ald's believes that it is good business to stress good corporate citizenship. During the past few years, they led the introduction of more environ mentally responsible behavior in the fast food industry. They reduced volume, reused contain ers, and were working toward recycling plastics and paper. The company's recent decision to renege on commitments to experiment with recy clingfoam containers, however, was a disappoint ing concession to environmental symbolism. McDonald's now emphasizes paper packaging for its public relations value, whateve;r the facts. Scientifically oriented environmentalists lament this lost opportunity for a major national compa ny to experiment with recycling. We can understand why few academics cheer McDonald's progress and leadership. Many intel lectuals and environmentalists are distracted by image and ignore substance. The symbol of the Golden Arches provides a wonderful backdrop to demonstrate one's aesthetic, cultural, and environ mental superiority. For some, this imagery is too valuable to yield to mere facts.

The number of these critics, however, is small. McDonald's needn't worry about market share missed. But the critics have influence, and as their numbers grow, McDonald's will respond. We might even see the option of an organicallygrown, whole-grain vegetarian sandwich in a recyclable wrapper. Knowing McDonald's concern about pleasing people, it will even taste good while reflecting America's changing sensitivities. D 52 The 1946 Voter Revolt Against Government Regulation by Gary M. Anderson G overnment seems to grow constantly big . ger and ever more intrusive in our lives. Modern history reads like a tale of inter ventionism run· amuck. In a recent Freeman ar ticle, Robert Higgs outlines the pattern of govern ment growth in the United States in the 20th century.! He explains that national crises (e.g., World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II) have contributed to a shift in public ideol ogy, leading to popular acceptance of ever-bigger government. Increasingly, special interest groups have learned to manipulate the political process for their own ends, and the private economy has become a "cash cow" used as the source of govern mental subsidies and other forms of favoritism.