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Labels fall under ‘education’ (assuming there’s valid science behind their conclusions) and not a ‘ban’. I’m all for education and disclosures in packaged foods/drinks. I don’t know how many people read the labels but I do. There have been many times when I’ve picked something up, read the label, and then put it back and sought a healthier choice.</p>
<p>Because preferences that are bad for my health have nothing to do with “freedom”. The only reason I could have such “preferences” is because I have been carefully trained to believe that such “preferences” are in my interest. They are not expressions of my autonomy as a human being, and they are not autonomously chosen.</p>
<p>Lungen stew was not an expression of my autonomy as a human being either. And the fact that my father had a “preference” for it was not any such expression either.</p>
<p>That we can have be trained to have different individual preferences is obvious enough. And if, in the public sphere, there are elected officials who wish to use their authority to both educate and protect us, I say go for it! (Of course, we might all have different targets, and different preferences, and assess risk differently - and I think it is wonderful to have those aired in the public realm. But there is no principled reason why they shouldn’t be.)</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be fabulous to have a hotdog eating contest where they advertised that the dogs were free of nitrites?</p>
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What may be bad for your health may not be a problem for someone else, which is where the freedom comes in. It’s not for you to decide or even to know someone else’s circumstances. What you can do is live your best life and refrain from imposing your values, preferences and needs on someone else. I also don’t believe that there has been nothing in your life that has been "bad"for you but has nonetheless given you pleasure or brought joy to your life.</p>
<p>I am personally offended by the conspicuous gluttony, not to mention public vomiting of the hot dog eating contests. They are also bad for THE CHILDREN and I demand that they be banned right now!</p>
<p>The funny thing about elections is that in some places the voters are completely incidental to the process.</p>
<p>"GCMom, did you see the pictures of Ramarley Graham’s parents weeping in the courtroom today while cops hooted and hollered? "</p>
<p>Always excited to start a “popular” thread, but winder if I “endorsed” the “wrong” story.</p>
<p>Dad and I met in the Bronx!</p>
<p>And 19 year old “hoodied” son “forgot”, and “failed to appear” for jury duty this AM.</p>
<p>Well, it’s unlikely that hot dog eating contests actually affect the health of very many people. I do agree that enacting public laws to govern the conduct of a few people that really doesn’t impact a significant segment of the public is a bad idea.</p>
<p>Obesity is not such a limited problem. The link between obesity and the widespread increase in the quantity of sugary drinks consumed by the American people is no stronger now than the link between lung cancer and tobacco was 50 years ago – but no weaker, either.
I think a regulation which effectively communicates to people that they’re consuming an unnecessarily large quantity of a basically unhealthy product is a good start. And requiring a person to buy two separate cups is a very good “label” - one that will be understood even by the illiterate or indifferent. Mini’s right: nothing’s been banned. Anyone is free to buy and consume as much soda as they want. But if they’re buying a soda at a fast food joint - the kind of place which deliberately steers folks towards larger portion sizes - they’ll be made aware of what they’re doing.</p>
<p>Do it for the children!!! They’ve outlawed flouride in the water here - soon to follow elsewhere. Think of all you’ll be saving on dental bills with the outlawed soda - seriously!</p>
<p>The truly healthy will need to use Ensure to wash down the weekly three types of cheeses!!!</p>
<p>YUMMY!!</p>