Posted by
Jason on Monday, February 25, 2008 5:37:49 PM
That's the claim that is being made by Lawrence Gostin, a law professor (that's like a music professor sounding the alarm about "global warming," but I digress). He truly believes that obesity is a greater danger to our world than terrorism because the diseases that result account for "60 percent of the world's deaths." What a joke...
People should eat less and exercise more. It's common sense. But, if I'm fat and get heart disease or diabetes, it's my problem. I could've and should've taken better care of my body. I don't need a bloated government bureaucracy telling me how to live my life and I certainly don't want that government getting even bigger, and taking more of my money in taxes so that they can tell other people how to live theirs.
There are consequences to the decisions we make... yes, perhaps even dying a few years younger than we might have otherwise. That doesn't make it a greater threat than terrorism. It is the responsibility of government to protect its citizens from a suicide bomber.
It is not the responsibility of government to insulate people from the natural consequences of poor decisions.