Bulgaroctonus

The approach I have been considering is one that uses the FDA to crack down on harmful foods. As I stated before, this involves greater education about the products being offered, and removal of especially vile items. My approach attacks the issue on the supply side, it does not take the food out of the hands of fat people. The FDA action I am proposing targets certain products, not people.

Of course, a certain amount of discrimination may arise. This is simply because it is fat people that consume the most of the aforementioned products. However, this discrimination is part of no government policy and is consequential.

From what I understand, you must also consider drug users and cigarette addicts discriminated against. Is this not true? If we cry 'discrimination' at every single government action, not much will get done. The U.S. government already does penalize people for their habits, although you may not like it. U.S. residents are not allowed to have homicidal, kleptomaniacal, or destructive habits. We are not allowed to possess or consume certain products. The U.S. government is definitely in the business of discouraging certain habits, and far less than many countries.

A government that turns a blind eye to its people's habits is doomed to failure.

My approach targets the market, not people. It is preemptive, not post facto.

No. Is that another Seinfeld episode?

Sometimes, that necessity does exist. First of all, there have been many W. Pitts throughout history (two prime ministers of Britain at least). So which do you quote? Anyway, this quote presents the same false dilemma. Allowing the FDA to watch certain harmful foods does not lead to slavery or despotism or anything like that.

Well, then they should have built a direct democracy! For some reason, they created a republic, where elected officials make decisions. One might argue cynically that many people don't know what is best for them anyway (i.e. fat people).

Again, the ghost of Mr. Burke can rest easy. I recognize your fears, but I think you overestimate the danger that things like tax incentives and FDA food labels pose to our great republic.

Yeah, well ol' T.J. also kept more than a hundred slaves, so all his ramblings on liberty need to be taken lightly. Again, this quote is not needed.

The Articles of Confederation were a failure. The Articles supported the Congressional direction of the Continental Army, and allowed the Thirteen Colonies to present a unified front when dealing with the European powers. But as an instrument of government, they were largely a failure. Congress could make decisions, but had no power to enforce them.

Perhaps the most important power that Congress was denied was the power of taxation: Congress could only request money from the states. Understandably, the states did not generally comply with the requests in full, leaving the confederation chronically short of funds. The states and the national congress had both incurred debts during the war, and paying congressional debts became a major issue.

Shay's Rebellion (1786-87) was caused largely by the huge debt that the government under the Articles of Confederation was unable to solve. Thus, the payment devolved onto those farmers that could least afford to pay it. This sparked rebellion and forced a reassesment of the Articles.

I can find nothing about the Articles originally planned to be temporary. I don't know about that point.

The theme of your postings seems to be libertarian. That is, the power that the government exerts today is a perversion of the Constitution. I have interpreted this as a tendency towards powerless government.

There are economic attacks on cigarettes, and that's not illegal. I'd like to see your response on this point. A possible campaign against obesity is very similar. This is not discrimination, and if it is, it is very light and consequential, as I have stated above.

I will ignore all future references to Pol Pot or any other dictators in context of this thread.

You used the Franklin quote in an inappropriate context. So, yes, it was misused. Also, I have said before that my whole approach is centered around nutritional and tax reform. Scientists have already shown that eating junk food and getting fat is bad for you! In this case the government does actually know what's best!

We have to avoid the sweeping generalizations that you are making. Sometimes the government is wrong, and sometimes it's right. That's how it is.

You have not listed what rights will actually be taken away by my plan. There it is. My plan does not want to make it bigger. Trust me, I'm the one making it up. We are not going to go from food labels to wire taps to death camps. It's just not happening.

The context was wrong in your case.

What's that you said? It sounded like something '...Pot.' Thank you O Zen Master Kennedy for such a prophetic statement. I'll say that "Obesity is the jailer of the blood vessels, and the enemy of cardiac health."

Can we stop trading quotes?

I wish I could roast the word 'discrimination' over a slow fire. I wish I could disembowel it and chop it up. I wish I could clone it, only to crucify 'discrimination' all the way down the Appian Way. I wish...I wish... [starts panting, twitching, bangs head against wall...] Damn you bastards...damn you to hell...[raises fist defiantly and passes out]

[arises from stupor] ...I have answered your claims of discrimination!

I grasp the concept. I'm concerned about legal terminology. I think that 'Not Constitutional' is encompassed by the term 'Unconstitutional.' I'm going to do a search of legal terms, since that is what matters.

I equate the above statement with irrelevance.
Haha, smart Alec. The phrase red herring has a number of metaphorical senses that share the general sense of something being a diversion from the original objective:


So nice of you to be condescending. Your metaphor was incredibly obscure. Did you actually expect me to remember your statement, almost fifty posts ago, about turning a corner to death camps?

I have a list of people I want to hurt. It's a small list....