Governments should

Politics International Politics
21

[quote=“Kenny McCormick”]I think individuals should be able to decide their own habits…
if they want to smoke and drink all they want be it hard liquor, cigarettes or drugs, dangerous sexual behavior, go for it.

on the other hand, don’t expect the government and hence other taxpayers to foot your medical bill when you get lung cancer, lose your liver, or some other medical problem. why should the rest of us be subsidizing for someone else’s lifestyle and mistakes.

and don’t bother or endanger other people’s lives because of your lifestyle. i.e. don’t drink and drive, don’t smoke in a crowded enclosed area. I think this is one of the few times government needs to regulate for a public health/safety issue where acts of others could affect your lives. [/quote]

Oh there is the rub… how do you regulate for stupidity, while maintaining certain freedoms? How does the government go about covering the cost of all of the increased medical costs that it will be forced to spend for those Medicaid persons who drink themselves into cirrhosis of the liver? Smoke themselves into cancer or emphysema, eat themselves into obesity (there is of course medical reasons for some obesity…that is not what I mean) and drive around drunk, smoke while pregnant… on and on and on…

This is the age old question of regulation no?

22

What is the price tag on freedom?

23

These days? About a buck 98.

24

[quote=“Sharky”][quote=“Kenny McCormick”]I think individuals should be able to decide their own habits…
if they want to smoke and drink all they want be it hard liquor, cigarettes or drugs, dangerous sexual behavior, go for it.

on the other hand, don’t expect the government and hence other taxpayers to foot your medical bill when you get lung cancer, lose your liver, or some other medical problem. why should the rest of us be subsidizing for someone else’s lifestyle and mistakes.

and don’t bother or endanger other people’s lives because of your lifestyle. i.e. don’t drink and drive, don’t smoke in a crowded enclosed area. I think this is one of the few times government needs to regulate for a public health/safety issue where acts of others could affect your lives. [/quote]

Oh there is the rub… how do you regulate for stupidity, while maintaining certain freedoms? How does the government go about covering the cost of all of the increased medical costs that it will be forced to spend for those Medicaid persons who drink themselves into cirrhosis of the liver? Smoke themselves into cancer or emphysema, eat themselves into obesity (there is of course medical reasons for some obesity…that is not what I mean) and drive around drunk, smoke while pregnant… on and on and on…

This is the age old question of regulation no?[/quote]

in my second paragraph, i suggested the government, and in effect, taxpayers, do not cover for these medical costs for people who recklessly ruin their health.
of course, how to separate these costs from other “acceptable, normal” costs is a daunting task. an alternative is to dump medicaid altogether.

perhaps the government should only cover the first 10% of costs or an annual quota of say x dollars depending on your age. or the govt should only cover for annual health checkups (dental, vision, general). i’m not entirely sure how medicaid works as i’ve always had to pay for my own health insurance while in the states.

obviously not an easy answer, but the government needs to educate people on personal responsibility (since the community and parents seem to have largely dropped the ball here). this is a nine-headed dragon.

25

And look how that turned out. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

But not on whether to invade Iraq. :laughing:

I couldn’t vote in this poll – where is the choice of “remove all such regulations and taxes, let people live their own lives, and let businesses market what their customers want”?

I think I’ve eaten at a McD’s twice in the last nine years, and those only because I’d missed a couple of meals and had a choice between passing out or stopping at the Golden Arches. They’re a poor value and the “food” tastes awful. My money, my life, my choice. No problem.

As for medical costs – pay for it yourselves. If you smoke yourself into lung cancer, the money you save by not paying $4/pack in taxes on cigs should be more than enough to cover a simple lung removal after 20 years. :unamused:

26

forget mcdonalds and liggett, we’ve got to stop Big Chocolate.

theonion.com/onion3626/hersh … obese.html