Get Ready for the New Cola Wars

So what now, a war on soft drinks? This type of government meddling will do absolutely nothing to solve the adverse health effects of drinking sugary drinks in America.

Earlier this week the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a group that regularly pushes for increased food regulations and considers soda to be “a slow-acting but ruthlessly efficient bioweapon,” announced it would be launching “a major action regarding the regulation of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.”

The major action turned out to be a petition CSPI submitted to the FDA requesting that the agency take action to restrict the amount of added caloric sweeteners like sugar and high fructose corn syrup in soda, juices, and other beverages. In its petition, CSPI also urges the agency to take action to limit the presence of such sweeteners in non-beverage foods.  (Reason.com; Let Consumers Make Their Own Choices About Sugary Drinks )

All it's going to do is cost us more money for a war we will not win. Look at how successful prohibition was and the current war on drugs and poverty. These "wars" are costly and we are not winning them by no means.

So it would appear to me that some people are trying to create jobs for themselves to be paid in taxpayer's dollars. No thank you. Let the consumers decide whether or not they will buy these products. Educated consumers of the adverse health effects of these products will most likely not purchase them. In the end, those who still choose to drink them have the right to do so.

But it’s equally true that consumers have a right to make their own food choices, and that food producers deserve space within the commercial marketplace to meet that demand. And when a group seeks to use the power of government to restrict these basic freedoms after acknowledging the fact we have the power to change our own diets if we so wish, I have no choice but to point out its flawed logic and inconsistencies at every turn.

Now this is another beef I have with Obama care and government controlled health programs. If these people so choose to eat or live a lifestyle that is risky to their health or potentially dangerous, I don't think we should be forced to pay into a system to take care of them. So, since people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they also have the responsibility to take care of themselves. They should pay for it themselves. So then Federal government, how about you stop getting in the way of everyone's responsibility to take care of themselves?

It's our right to eat or drink what we want. I choose not to drink beverages that have high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, artificial colors or preservatives, because I know that they contribute to health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. I know the consumption of these drinks can be harmful to us; however, I also cherish liberty. So, if someone wants to consume these products, let them do so. 

I agree with Milton Friedman when he said, "I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my value system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal." Be it drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or even surgery drinks, I say it's the individual's right to choose what they are going to do or consume. That's what freedom is all about. If we want Americans to act responsibly for themselves, we need to treat them like adults and let them make their own decisions.