The Smoking Ban

The smoking ban to be imposed early next month seems to me like a knockout punch to our civil liberties, yes we all can agree smoking is dangerous to everyone exposed to it. Like all other dangerous activities if people are worried they will keep themselves out of harm’s way;  if they know it’s dangerous then allow individuals to deal with it how they see fit. My question is which civil liberty is next, what we eat? For the past couple of years there has been attention paid to obesity being an epidemic, obesity arguably is similar if not worse than smoking for causing health problems and shortening life.

Overweight people who are so due to laziness and over-eating are detrimental to the society they belong too; much like smokers were before they were ostracized. There are several ways in which over-eaters damage their society. First, they not only strain our over taxed healthcare systems (much like smokers) with their plethora of obesity related health issues, diabetes, heart diseases etc, but they also psychologically damage those around them. The main concern is ‘children see children do’ the number of obese people a child will see in their adolescent lives may very well make them accept obesity as normal and thus more inclined to join their ranks or at least worry less about their body weight.  Obese people over-eating and eating junk food in public is detrimental to those trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by making the dangerous foods visible to the public eye; one only has to remember the old adage ‘out of sight out of mind.’

In almost every way smoking was a problem, obesity and over-eating fills the void. Anyone who has watched TV knows the dangers of smoking; think of those issues and apply them to obesity and over-eating. Second hand over-eating even comes into play; those who over-eat have an impact on the globe; especially when the over-eaters come from countries the size of the US. First, there is the energy used in growing, processing and packaging the foods the obese eat. the staggering amount of people engaging in over-eating there is little doubt that over a period of time their habit will affect the environment or at least the air quality for non over-eaters.  Do not forget the implications of the waste created by these over-eaters, both biological and manufactured. The breakdown of this waste will affect the air quality in surrounding areas while possible contributing to the degradation of ecosystems and watersheds.

            Forget the health implications overeating poses on the obese; look to the health implications second hand over-eating poses on non-over eaters. Second hand over-eating is playing a huge role in shaping the economy, the environment and our children’s psyches. Over-eaters need to be stopped; the government needs to act on this epidemic before it is too late, before the damage is irreparable.  I for one want the government to regulate what I eat, where I eat and when I eat; if it’s for the benefit of the greater good I feel this is a liberty worth surrendering. The government needs to take responsibility for this deep-seated social issue and impose new laws prohibiting such actions responsible for so much damage already.