Interesting discussion with a co-worker about "Nanny State" policies.

[Make7]

38. I think smokers do pay more for health and life insurance already.

Not to mention the social stigma it has become when smoking in many public places.

Unhealthy eating is more difficult to measure the associated costs compared to the other examples (helmet laws, seat-belt laws, smoking). Unfortunately some of the cheapest foods are also not very healthy, so I'm not about to suggest penalizing people who can sometimes only afford things that may be unhealthy. Also I'm fairly certain people need to eat - that cannot be said of riding a motorcycle, driving a car, or smoking.

This is the age old debate - what are the functions of a proper government and how much involvement should it have in its citizens lives. That's why there are so many laws and they keep changing - no one ever seems to agree where to draw the line. In fact most people change their minds on many issues throughout their lives, so expecting everyone to agree on pretty much anything seems pretty idealistic.

It is often useful to try to reduce things to basic philosophies since the details of implementation can cloud the underlying issue(s). And it will help people see where others are coming from (or if they have even thought things somewhat through).