Legislating Health?

Look, there’s no arguing that plenty of people in the U.S. and elsewhere could and probably should eat better, but there’s no reason we need the government limiting business licenses for fast food companies. Unfortunately, that’s what city officials in L.A. are considering:

As America gets fatter, policymakers are seeking creative approaches to legislating health. They may have entered the school cafeteria — and now they’re eyeing your neighborhood.

Amid worries of an obesity epidemic and its related illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, Los Angeles officials, among others around the country, are proposing to limit new fast-food restaurants — a tactic that could be called health zoning.

Obesity in America does cause problems, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, all the talk about an "obesity epidemic" is overblown.

And one phrase in particular is bothersome: "legislating health."  We’ve already got John Edwards running on a platform that borders on health-care authoritarianism.  Now, it looks like legitimate businesses might end up being denied the opportunity to set up shop because the government’s trying to exert influence over the nation’s eating decisions.  This is one of the most important reasons why government health care ought to be opposed.  Not only is it costly, but it invites the government to control more and more of our daily behavior.