In "Cutting the Fat" on Dec. 7, Kian Barry declares that Americans' freedom and individual choice were quashed on Dec. 5 with New York City's Board of Health's decision to ban the use of artificial trans fats in city restaurants. He claims the board has set a precedent for government agencies to begin micromanaging its citizens' lives.
"We as a people have rights that need not be infringed upon until our rights begin to infringe upon those of others," Barry said.
However, under this faulty logic, one can claim that personal freedom died long ago.
An important function of the government is to protect its people.
Unfortunately, this sometimes requires protecting us from ourselves. In this effort, the government has been controlling aspects of our lives for years even if we are not infringing on others' rights. Consider the seatbelt. Not wearing one does not infringe upon anyone else's rights but drivers and passengers are now required to wear them in 49 states. This may impinge on our rights a little bit, but seat belt legislation has undoubtedly saved countless lives. Automobile accidents are a leading cause of death in this country, and requiring seat belt use has helped cutback on deaths. A fairly new epidemic in the United States is the ever-expanding waistline. With recent statistics showing that approximately two-thirds of Americans are overweight, perhaps a small sacrifice of personal freedom can help save some of them.
Barry also seems to implicitly claim that a person's choice to overeat does not infringe on others' rights. This is quite far from the truth.
Obesity places a huge strain on society as a whole. Overweight people are predisposed to a range of other medical and psychological conditions.
These people place an undue burden on the American health system. Why should healthy Americans who invest in insurance be forced to share in the medical expenses of those who choose to predispose themselves to dangerous conditions? They also place an additional burden on other public services. For example, public transportation consumes more fuel and has more wear and tear on vehicles. In essence, those people that choose to maintain a normal weight are covering the extra cost for those who do not. This certainly appears to begin infringing upon the rights of normal weighted people.
The idea that we will all be eating government approved rations for our meals is preposterous. The government regulates nearly every industry in order to assure public safety, but we have not progressed anywhere near totalitarianism even in the most strictly regulated industries. The Food and Drug Administration retains tight control over what medications are available both with a prescription and over the counter. New drugs undergo stringent animal and human testing to ensure safety before they are released to the public. However, we have not entered an age where the government produces all drugs. There is still ample competition in the drug industry as anyone can see with seeming endless advertisements for medicines. In many cases, including the removal of trans fats from foods, surrendering a small piece of freedom, has many positive consequences.
Michael J. Cullinan is a Rutgers College first-year student.
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