Should the government take more control over peoples lives?

Question

With levels of obese people rising along with the levels of adverts telling you how to eat and exercise properly, how to be healthy and how damaging being obese is, i wonder, are a majority of people simply to stupid to look after themselves. People smoke, drink and do drugs even though they know it could and may kill them, and yet they still do it, despite all the warnings they continue, essentially killing themselves. So should the government take on a more facist approach to managing its population, is it there duty to make people do what it is in thier best intrests to do, because apparently a large amount of people are simply incapable or unwilling to do it for themselves.

Answer 1

The majority of people are NOT obese so your assertion holds no water.

Answer 2

The government can admonish, educate, tax, and legislate certain punishments but the government is limited in what it can do, short of your suggested fascist approach. The private sector, however, is beginning to seriously look at the bottom line. Real money interests will change behavior.

Insurance companies are already taking matters into their own hands by raising rates for people with unhealthy lifestyles. Some employers are taxing or refusing to hire or firing employees whose lifestyles cost them money. Health care costs are not something that employers take lightly and more are finding ways, both negative and positive, to influence employees. This may become much more prevalent and then you'll have people running to the government to try to have the government protect them against strict employers.

Answer 3

The government has no right to interfere in peoples lives's. Most legislation they make now is Nanny state politics. Let them inform the people of dangers, but then let people decide for themselves if to take the advice or not. After all look at advice your given on food one minute, it good for you and the next a rival manufacturer counter claims, that there product is healthier. The answer to getting people healthier lays with scrapping the NHS and making everyone pay for their own medical insurance. Life style would be a large factor in deciding the premiums.

Answer 4

Well I dont know if you know this, but drug use is ALREADY illegal.

People will always pursue the things they like because they like them for whatever reason. Look at prohibition. It completely didnt work because there is a huge market for it. Some people by nature are self-destructive and you just cant help that. Writing a few laws isnt going to do anything. Its just going to add more govt, more intrusion, and more taxes.

Answer 5

i think you must be a very strange person.
the government should do what the voters want not the other way wrong.
you say people are killing themselves my reply is yeah so and what?
people will die young why do anything about it? people know the risks and if you die ten years early big deal. whats that got to do with the government?
nothing surely it just means we are less likely to have a pension crisis in 10/20 years time

Answer 6

The government, at various levels, heavily taxes cigarettes and alcohol. Changes in local laws regarding smoking and the increased liability of servers of alcohol are also designed to influence behavior. NYC is banning trans fat in restaurant food. There is little more that local, state or federal government can do, in addition to these types of measures, besides public service messages.

Answer 7

dont let them fool you, if they were so conscerned they would go after the people that were promoting the poisons, and stop production, but they need zazi traitors so they do it the long winded way by bullying every body, and causing hatred of the gov.and destroying liberty and freedom, to get away with it they have to sound like its good for you, its a desception,

Answer 8

Haven't they taken enough control? Freedom doesn't even seem free as it is. I don't think taking more control is going to help things much. People have the information available to them, it's their own faults if their destructive behaviors are killing them-- I feel like people would continue the destructive behavior regardless. There comes a point where there is too much government infringement.

Answer 9

This is a quote from former Congressman JD Hayworth (R) - Arizona, "not only NO but HELL NO!".
Keep the government out of my lungs, house, pants, arteries and everything else! If I am having money problems...guess what, that is MY problem. F**k liberal policies!!!

Answer 10

No, the government needs to back the hell off. We are the People and the government needs to remain as the Government of the People, not the other way around.

Answer 11

*cough*
are you out of your mind????!!!! do you want anyone telling you what to do? just because you dont fall into any of your mentioned categories, it wouldnt bother you for the gov. to tell you what to do. what if they said you cant listen to jazz, or play golf, or paint your house green? what then??? because it will end up going there. i think it would be best if you minded your own business and leave people to run their own lives. if you dont like smokers, fat people, or sedentary types....stay the hell away from them. they dont like you either.

youre in the UK right? or not in the US. you may be used to govt control, but we do not play that game. well, san fransiko does. grrrrrrrrrrrr........

get real! i agree with the first guy......liberal..rrruuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnn...
run as fast and as far away as you can.