Freedom Takes Another Hit
This time, it is the left that has landed a solid blow to the body of the concept known as "freedom."
New York City has banned the use of trans fat by restaurants. The New York City council is smarter than its residents and knows what is best for them.
This encroachment on freedom is scary. It is not the government's fault. It is ours:
"I don't care about what might be politically correct and what's not," said Murray Bader, nursing a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning. "I want to live longer!"
Well, Mr. Bader, why do you need the government to ban trans fats for you to stop eating them? You do not. Just do not eat them. If you really want to live longer, stay off the road. Move to a city with less crime. Do not take baths, you might slip, fall and break a hip.
Toni Lewis, while eating at McDonald's, demonstrates the double speak of those that favor government intrustion. She said, "This is New York. People eat out a lot. We don't have a choice."
You do not have a choice? In New York? Look a little harder, Ms. Lewis. And do not eat at McDonald's.
Tim Zagat, publisher of Zagat's restaurant guides, is also in favor of the ban. "You can't put lead in your food, right? With trans fats, you're not going to die as fast, but they are clearly bad for you and people don't even know when they're eating them."
First, if a restaurant put lead in its food, no one would buy it.
Second, if people don't know when they are eating them, it is not important to them. If it was important, they would know and they would stop of their own volition.
That is why freedom is so hard. It requires people to learn things and make judgments. Fascism, from the left or the right, is easy. The goverment tells you what to do. You do not have to worry about decisions. The government knows what is best.
Ms. Lewis added: "I welcome the intrusion." Good. More are coming.
If that concept does not scare you, nothing will.
