Big Gulp vs. Big Government

Late night comedians and others are sharing derisive laughter over NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to quench residents’ thirst for sugared beverages.  As a good liberal only trying to do good, he wants to down-size (16 oz limit) fast food beverage cups.  The impetus is the undeniable fact that high sugar intake contributes to obesity which increases an individual’s health risk (undoubtedly).

It is indeed amusing that a big city mayor would find time to focus on the beverage capacity of a soda cup (free refills are not to be proscribed just yet).  One would think that the dismal state of New York City’s educational system would be a higher priority than soda pop consumption.

Yet, humor aside, isn’t Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal rather symptomatic of the left’s attitude toward human behavior?  If it is viewed as undesirable, pass a law against it. 

I rather doubt that there are many people who do not recognize that sugar is loaded with calories.  Nonetheless, this knowledge does not deter everyone from its excessive consumption.

So what is to be done?

A conservative is likely to say that freedom means the right to make wrong choices.  But the individual so choosing is personally responsible for the consequences.  If that means higher health insurance premiums for the obese coke drinker, for instance, he brought it on himself.

A liberal is prone to distrust an individual’s judgment in general.  The individual, accordingly, must be guided (even forced) to do what is known (by the liberal protector) to be in that person’s self-interest.  And society – you and me – is responsible for the consequences.

Obamacare is a direct descendant of this nanny-state mentality.