What is the limit on the government’s power to make you do things for your own good?
I know that we have to cooperate to make world work for everyone. Traffic laws and ending pollution are evidence of that. But laws that restrict the choice of soda size, ban plastic bags or straws wouldn’t be necessary if people didn’t desire them for their own reasons.
Politics is the place where we fight this out and what works for one group at one time may not work for another group at a different time. I had a thing for the Nanny State a few years ago. Now I’m more sanguine. The group instinct is real because we have group needs but as the opening question said “What is the limit?”
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This a good question because the gov’t legislates with the intention of changing behavior all the time. In fact you may be hard pressed to find a law that isn’t intended to change behavior ( even in the tax law deductions for mortgage interest (please buy a house) or charitable contributions– support the poor so the government does not have to) Look how our speed limits on Interstates changed in the past 20 years (lower during the oil crisis) then back up again.
Sugary drinks make for an interesting question- but look at Tobacco- the tax just keeps going up and up, not for the intention of getting more tax but clearly trying to stop people from smoking. I, for one, think that is a good thing–
Desire is an interesting question. I dont know about straws– but the desire for big drinks comes from the greed of fast food restaurants and soda manufacturers marketing efforts– “buy more from us”