WEDNESDAY 5-21-08…In a Tidbit from last week, I told you how bureaucrats manage to conjure up the idea of “sin taxes” and how they succeed in getting the general public to go along with ‘em.
First, lawmakers and activist groups vilify an “undesirable” activity like eating, drinking and even enjoying a hot dog, with wide-spread public relations campaigns. Then, they leverage the public’s resulting fear or disapproval of said activity to pass increasingly draconian regulations….and taxes.
The most recent example comes from the Center for Consumer Freedom which points out that one professor at London’s Center for Food Policy wrote an opinion piece on the current problems facing humanity i.e. global warming, and obesity. One single sentence spells out the mantra of food cops. “Consumer choice has increased massively, but CHOICE is part of the problem…not the solution.”
The author then went on to list various ways in which the government can step in and save us from ourselves. One proposal included a plan to mandate special food labels that display the amount of water needed to produce them. For instance, one pint of beer requires about twenty gallons of water to produce. Activists argue that if consumers saw how much water brewers use to make a six pack, then beer lovers will forego their favorite brew.
So, that’s how it’s done folks. Watch and see which items of food and drink show up in the cross hairs. We’ve already seen the attacks on fast food restaurants. In some areas of New York, zoning laws are being changed to prohibit fast food restaurants, menu labeling showing how many calories you’re about to consume, assuming that you’ll immediately toss away burger and fries, and opt for a cup of yogurt instead.
In other words, you simply can’t be trusted with the complex task of choosing what YOU want to eat. The government wants to do it for you.
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Tidbits from the BS Notebook 
It was likely the Center for Food Policy that ruined fish and chips. That a “Center for Food Policy” even exists is a testament to social engineering gone berserk. The empire is indeed over, supplanted by tedious, self-justifying, bean counter “professors” and “food activists”. The government Britain gets is the government it wants? It is hard to believe this is what they want.
It’s not that we can’t be trusted. It’s that consumers should know all the facts, so we can make the best choices for ourselves. The companies that fund the CCF want to hide things from consumers (ie. harmful ingredients, animal abuse, etc.)