Quote:
Originally Posted by
MJ1970 
Well...you haven't given us a reason why you have the right to tell other people what they can and cannot do with their own bodies.
P.S. Most of what I wrote in that post wasn't opinion...it was fact about how the government's intervention into the agricultural sector of the market has clearly resulted in worse health outcomes for many Americans.
I couldn't help but read the quoted part before I realized it was jimmac. That is the only way I see his posts, as you may know. Ignore list, how I love thee.
Anyway, one has to realize how he and many other secular-liberal-progressives (whatever) think. It's not that most of them want to control our bodies (well, some do, but I don't think most do). It's that they have different views of two core constituencies:
1. They view
corporations as pure evil. They make products that kill us. They fire people. They reduce or eliminate health benefits. They avoid taxes whenever possible. We only need them because they do pay some taxes, and they do employ so many people. We need to onerously regulate those human being-hating, profit-mongering monstrosities to protect the public. In fact,they'd like to figure out a way to get rid of them and give everyone "green jobs" funded by tax dollars.
2. They view
citizens as victims. They are victims of food companies. They are victims of restaurants. They are victims of their employers. They are victims of their doctors. They are victims of the transportation companies/airlines (which the government has propped up, creating a virtual monopoly). They are victims, and they aren't smart enough to run their own lives. They can't plan their retirement, their college savings, their healthcare costs, their housing or vehicle costs, nor their credit card bills, nor their stock accounts. Stupid victims that need smart people in government to save them. That's what they need.
Well, most of us have a different view. We view
corporations (large and small) as the backbone of the economy. Make their lives easier, and the economy will grow. They will hire. Demand will be created. All ships will rise in the harbor. Now, they do need some regulation. Some WILL abuse their power. We need to regulate monopolies and have some basic protections for the consumer, like the requirement to disclose ingredients on food and to follow health and safety standards, etc. But we don't think corporations are all out to screw the world.
We view
citizens differently, too. We believe that people are (or can be) self-reliant. They should and can find a way to provide for themselves and their families. They should manage their own diets, education, job, housing and finances. They may need some short-term assistance when they lose a job. Those who can't provide for themselves mentally/physically need to be taken care of. But most people can and will provide for themselves, and can make decisions for themselves. They just need the information to do it. They know that fast food is bad for them. If they eat it anyway--with full disclosure on what it contains--that's their problem. If they take drugs--that's their problem. If they suck down a container of salt a week, that's their problem.
The worst part is that folks with view #1 rarely admit it. I have a feeling your sparring partner will go bonkers when he reads this.
