The nanny state in the kitchen

The Washington Post is running a series of articles discussing the childhood obesity epidemic. Today's article was bemoaning the fact that the government is failing to take action. Various interest groups want the government to impose changes on the food industry, and restrict advertising that could reach kids. However, the concept that the government should be directly responsible for the nutrition of our kids is ludicrous. People are responsible for how they choose to eat, and if they have kids, they are responsible for what their kids eat. If the government wants to help, then it could encourage nutrition education in the classroom, since that helps individuals make informed choices. But setting limits on what types of food are available completely undermines the concept of individual responsibility.

I can imagine what life would be like if the government started regulating what people could eat. "You are not allowed to eat a hamburger today - you have to eat tofu. And because of last year's Farm legislation, tomorrow you will have to eat two portions of corn." Can you imagine living life like that?