Whatever can we do about obesity? New York's answer was to ban super-size sugary drinks. Not so bad, on the surface, but after reflection, that law by a judges decision is out. And that's good.
Democracy means the freedom of choices. Limits are there (the freedom to swing my fist stops at the tip of your nose!) but generally we have a lot of freedom. Check it out historically, and by comparison to most of the rest of the world. We are free.
If I want to visit my son's family, I just get in the car and go the 90 miles. For my daughter's family, I get in the car and drive 1800 miles. I don't check with anyone, it's just a thing to be done. Many parts of the world don't have that freedom of movement.
Of course, it's not good for me to be obese (maybe a little chubby is o.k.), but freedom means I have the right to do dumb stuff! I can eat all the double cheeseburgers and king-size fries available, washed down with vast quantities of carbonated sugar drinks. I can drive irresponsibly whenever and wherever (tickets may happen). But that is my personal freedom of expression, and it is basic.
Restrained from doing harm to my neighbor and free to make personal choices is a fundamental value. The court was right to allow drinks to be whatever size one wants to order!
But, there are consequences to freedom that are a part of its makeup, part of its cost. And that's good; it encourages us to be grown-ups. I choose not to smoke, but I remember my grandfather's laughter as he said, "Turkish tobacco and Scotch Whiskey are gonna do me in someday". At 84, they finally did, I suppose. But we are free to weigh the costs, and that's good!
Sometimes, whatever seems like a cost just may turn out to be a very worthwhile bargain.
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