weight loss and the government

Good morning...Once again the news stories contain articles discussing government intervention into the obesity issue by such things as taxing sugar-containing sodas and perhaps other food sources that are contributing to the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States.

The government (by the way, we all seem to use the word "they" when it comes to affixing blame to a situation..."THEY" really do not care about the small investor... "THEY" are responsible for the mess in this country.."THEY" don't know how to drive in the snow... Okay...who are "THEY"??????????) is paying lots of money for healthcare in the Unites States, and with that being the case, does the government have the right to take steps to lower the obesity rate by such things as "taxing" poor food and drink choices? I think that most of us agree (especially us non-smokers) that we could care less what the government levels on cigarette sales. Most of Americans could care less if there was A 20 dollar surcharge on a pack of cigarettes...only people who would care are smokers, tobacco companies and operations that profit from selling the cigarettes. How about people who have no weight problems who feel their insurance premiums are high and/or their federal tax dollars afre being spent on healthcare for people who have co-morbidities seondary to obesity? Does the non-obese person who does not drink regular Pepsi care if there was a 20 dollar surcharge on a can of Pepsi?

Fundamental to this discussion are the "rights" of Americans to consume the sugar drinks, be at a weight that is not healthy and not be "penalized" for this via paying higher health premiums, taxes on foods/drinks that perpetuate the weight problems etc.

My thoughts? This is a capitalistic society and I love the freedom of America for businesses to sell their products in a competeive manner. However, if there are definite food/drink sources....tobacco, alcohol, high fructose drinks etc that are hurting Americans, then the government should, in fact, act on the people's behalf to lessen the chances of poor food/drink choices being made. Your thoughts?