Lousy Legislation

What is the purpose of government? In theory, our great legislators of this great nation are elected to protect our basic human rights, uphold our oldest of edicts, and give the opportunity to every citizen to achieve his or her ‘American Dream.’ Now, on paper, literally, this is a great concept. But, if you’ve bothered to see Wall-E or look around your local haunts anytime lately, you can see a cultural shift to laziness and expanding waistbands.

While perusing CNN.com for an interesting article, I saw that California Governor/Baby-sitter, Arnold Schwarzenegger, thought it necessary to brag and bask in the victory of terminating the use of trans-fats in all restaurants in California starting in 2010. This is actually great. But, have we become such an infantilized culture that we can’t just make healthier eating decisions independent of any binding legislation? The reason a Whopper or a Bloomin’ Onion tastes so good is because you know how bad it is. Now, I don’t recommend having these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but an occasional indulgence never hurt anyone. That is, until it becomes a frequent habit. With obesity on the rise and our wills to independently better ourselves on a steep decline, no wonder it is necessary for government intervention to make what sits on our forks is a bit healthier.

So it seems we as a people have been so far gone that simple self-control can’t keep our waistlines in check? Have we become so pacified that valuable legislative resources must be wasted to protect us from our appetites?! I’m all for ensuring that our food doesn’t contain any sort of harmful toxins and/or EPA/FDA violations, but every once and a while I want a gross, greasy meal from Whataburger at 3 AM!