What You Eat Is Your Business

The government should not be able to tell people what kind of food they can and cannot eat. Each person has a personal responsibility for his or her health that they should have control of. This is why the controlling government should not regulate what people choose to eat.

They may not completely agree with the author's arguments or support the idea of the government's interference in the matter of obesity. However, Balko does make attempts to address such counterarguments. Balko includes in his essay information on government restricting diets and having socialist insurance, which is not helping the obesity problem, but it is only making it worse because it is not allowing people to take their health in to their own hands so they have no drive to lose weight or eat healthy. He supports this claim by targeting society, including those who may be obese. Balko is trying to show them that the laws our government is making is not helping anyone because obese people are not becoming any healthier and taxpayers are still paying for health care for those who do not even care about their own

First off, in Radley Balko essay, “What You Eat Is Your Business” he thinks people need to start being responsible for their actions, because maybe it will help people from being so obese. Health Insurances should reward people for having a health style. Radley Balko talks about that if someone is paying for his health medicines, what is stopping him from not having something unhealthy (467). Nutritional testing is being conducted on restaurants by Congress (Balko 467).

In the essay, “What You Eat is Your Business”, Radley Balko writes to tell his audience about how the government is trying to control people’s health and eating habits by restricting food, taxing high calorie food, and considering menu labeling. Balko includes in his essay that government restricting diets and having socialist insurance is not helping the obesity problem, but it is only making it worse because it not allowing people to take their health in to their own hands so they have no drive to lose weight or eat healthy. In his essay, Balko is targeting society, including those who may be obese, he is trying to show them that the laws our

Judith Warner and Radley Balko have different opinions on the notion that the government is helping people to make healthier eating choices, where one opposes it and the other supports the claim. Radley Balko shares the idea that if the government stops aiding people with health insurance easily, it will stop the poor eating habits and force people to choose healthier foods when shopping. Balko expresses his feeling sin the following statement: “And if the government is paying for my anti-cholesterol medication, what incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger” (Balko 397). This statement paints a clear image of one of the reasons behind unhealthy food choices, which is encouraged by the government by providing insurance for citizens spontaneously. Balko is upset

Why does America have an obesity problem? Do we blame it on ourselves, the government, or the supermarket? It is obviously and individual’s responsibility to keep one’s self healthy, but are there ways the government can strive for an overall healthier diet for Americans? Can we change the manipulative ways of Super Markets and persuade them to look past profit? The American government should put in effort to provide a better dietary path for American citizens by working on motivating individuals to make better choices in their diet, pushing Super markets and industries to work together to lower prices of healthier foods, and placing policies and banning unhealthy ingredients in junk foods. It may not be the governments fault, but obesity is such a big issue in American culture that we need to make some major changes and the government is the only one who can make that happen.

Balko declares that government policies are “bringing government between you and your waistline” (396). While there is no doubt that there is a problem with obesity, Balko hypothesizes correctly that government programs, which are meant to halt obesity, are instead incentivizing it. In the words of Balko “If the government is paying for my anti-cholesterol medication, what incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger?” (397). Further, with new legislation that requires insurers to give healthcare to people regardless of pre-existing, or even self-imposed medical conditions, we have completely

“The Cato Institute’s” Policy analyst, Radley Balko, in his article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” talks about the idea of obesity and whose fault it is. Balko’s purpose is to convey the idea that obesity is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s or anyone else’s for that matter. Ultimately, Balko’s “What You Eat Is Your Business” has a strong hold on ethos, pathos, and logos, making for a successful and persuasive article.

In order to prevent higher rates of obesity in the community, government has to intervene. Marion Nestle claims that "a recent

The Declaration of Independence reads, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Whether or not the government should have a say in our diets has become a controversial issue. Some people think that a controlled diet would aid all Americans because of all the processed foods, while others argue that it would negatively affect Americans. The government having a say in our diets would take away these freedoms that are stated in the Declaration of Independence, would make it difficult for the needy to buy these healthy foods because of how expensive these foods are, and since healthy foods aren’t available everywhere, would

Within past decades and the unequivocal heyday of fast food, obesity has become an undoubted issue for America, as well as other countries across the world. In terms of how to solve this issue, the majority of people are split on whether the government should have an active part in health regulation. Michelle Obama, who gave her statement in her, Remarks to the NAACP National Convention, as well as others such as Tim Minchin in his song, Fat Children, believe that one’s weight is a personal issue that should be solved socially, devoid of government interaction. In addition to their belief in trying to solve the obesity epidemic with creating an increased sense of social responsibility, they also make use of popular culture to aid in their points.

Did you know that more than half of adults are overweight or obese? That's more than 121 million people living in the United States. We clearly need aid to help cure one of our country's largest problems. The government should regulate food and drink. This is because people have trouble making healthy decisions, it will help lower the amount of people who are overweight/obese, and because being unhealthy affects others.

Over the past 50 years, the way we eat has changed more than it had in the previous 10,000. Now, 60% of Americans over the age of 20 are overweight. The fast-food industry is highly responsible for today’s health epidemic. Some people choose to blame the government for not balancing individual rights, and the common good. However, the government is not forcing you to eat. You put yourself at risk of diet related health problems.

Obesity has become a serious problem with more than one third of adults being obese in the United States. Obesity is seen as a self-destructive behavior accompanied with smoking and use of other drugs thus, government officials and other business bureaucrats expressed the need to impose higher health insurance premiums on the obese. Obesity is not always due to the personal behavior of people and can be linked with the environment and genetics; I personally feel that obese people should not pay a higher health insurance premium compared to those that aren’t. Government officials and other business bureaucrats

Balko begins by introducing some of the policy the government put in place to response to the obesity epidemic in our country. He states that “For decades now, America's health care system has been moving towards socialism.” He cites President Bush’s decision to assign $200 million to anti-obesity measure and congress attempt to implement menu-labeling in to a law is a wrong approach to take on obesity. Balko state that the government policies are “bringing the government between you and your waistline” (396). In his opinion, “This is the wrong way to fight obesity” (Balko). He argues that our government should be focused on fostering personal responsibility and accountability among the public concerning individual health. He feels that consumers should take some responsibility of what they eat. Giving this example, “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s” (Balko). He argues that obesity should be taken out of