Politics Magazine
I am probably going to anger some of my brothers and sisters on the left with this post, but that can't be helped. I firmly believe the most important values an American can have are a belief in democracy and freedom. And I believe that a new law being proposed violates the principle for freedom (which is the right of every person to live his/her life as desired).
I am talking about the newest proposed "sin tax". It would put a 1 cent tax on every teaspoon of sugar that goes into a soft drink (and would levy that tax on the manufacturer -- which would drive up the cost of the product). The idea is that driving up the cost would cause many consumers to forego buying the product -- and the tax proceeds could be used to fight obesity and diabetes. The people proposing this law are convinced that sugar is bad for people. They could be right, even though I tend to think its use in moderation is not harmful. But even if they are right, I oppose this law.
I have no problem with their belief, or their right to promote that belief. I am a firm believer that Americans should have the right to free speech (even if that speech is offensive). Those who believe sugar is bad for a person should be able to use every available method (TV and print ads, articles, social media, etc.) to promote their message. But when they try to impose their belief through the passage of a law (which would apply to everyone), then they have crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed.
The crazy part is that many of these people who want to impose this "nanny state" tax are the same individuals who oppose right-wing fundamentalists when they try to impose their religious views through the passage of law (believing that would be for the "good" of everyone). I believe these efforts of both the right and left to dictate the choices and behavior of other Americans are wrong. Freedom means you should have the right to make your own decisions -- even if those decisions are thought to be wrong by others.
You may be saying to yourself at this point that the law only raises the price of the product significantly, and anyone who wants to buy the product could still do so. If you are talking about the rich and the upper middle class, that would be correct -- as they could still afford to buy the product even if the tax doubled or tripled the price. But most Americans aren't rich or upper middle class. Over half of the American population lives on an income within 150% of the poverty line -- and these are the people that would be most severely affected by this new tax.
These people (poor, low-wage workers, people living on a fixed income, unemployed, etc.) -- the very people whose cause the left champions -- are the people whose freedom would be curtailed. Many of them would have the choice of buying that product taken away from them by do-gooders who claim to know what is best for everyone else -- and that is just wrong. It denies them the freedom to make their own choices, and live their lives as they wish -- and they should have the same rights to make their own choices as any other Americans (regardless of whether others might think their choices are bad ones).
I believe this bad "nanny state" law should be tossed in the trash before some misguided legislators can pass it. And I am not alone in this belief. As the chart above shows, only 20% of Americans would support this crazy tax, while a massive 72% say they oppose it.
It all boils down to whether you believe in a free country, or a country where government can dictate the choices of it citizens "for their own good". I choose freedom -- and the right to make my own choices (regardless of what others may think of those choices).
The chart above was made from information in a recent Rasmussen Poll -- conducted on August 5th and 6th of a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with a margin of error of 3 points.
