It's not my fault

Another fantastic article from Walter Williams has appeared on capitalism magazine. He talks about the new seatbelt laws, but he refers to the wider issue very well,

“Each year, obesity claims the lives of 300,000 Americans and adds over $100 billion to health care costs. Should government enforce a 2,000-calorie intake limit per day? There's absolutely no dietary reason to add salt to our meals. Salt can lead to hypertension-induced heart attacks that kill thousands. Should government outlaw salt consumption? Sedentary lifestyles have been shown to lead to shorter and less healthy lives. Should there be government-mandated exercise programs?”

Even though this article is directed at America, it is just as relevant in the UK. We no longer seem to want to take responsibility for ourselves. I am not the most slender person in the world, but whose fault is that? My own! I sometimes spend a bit too much money on a night out or buying DVD’s, who’s fault is that, is it play.com for making it so easy to buy online*, is it my local bar’s fault for serving well made cocktails? No, it’s my fault for making the choices that I do. This is true in just the same way as it is not the fault of Microsoft if Apple is unable to produce a sufficiently competitive product, nor is it a house builder’s fault if someone wants to buy a house but is unable to because of current housing prices, even though fault may lie with government planning restrictions (zoning laws in the states?). Please, can we all take a little more responsibility for ourselves and stop burdening other people with our own poor choices.

* I have no affiliation with play.com, other than being a loyal customer.