The Indianapolis Star tries to have it both ways over the news that the American College of Sports Medicine has judged its city's residents among the most unhealthy in the nation:
Although individuals are, of course, responsible for their own decisions on what to eat, whether to smoke and how often to exercise, Indianapolis falls short as a community on collective health choices such as how much land to set aside for parks and how much money to devote to recreational activities. The College of Sports Medicine, which is based in Indianapolis, rated the 50 largest metro areas in the nation on 30 health factors. Indianapolis ranked 44th, barely ahead of Detroit; Birmingham, Ala.; and Memphis, Tenn.
Of course individuals are responsbile for their own decisions, but it is the duty of government to make it easy for people to make the right choices. Sorry, ain't buyin' it.
I know it seems dead-horse-beating cranky to keep insisting in the modern era that the proper role of government should be limited and tightly defined, but, dang it, the proper role of government should be limited and tightly defined. Protect me from enemies and criminals foreign and domestic, build a few roads and some schools, give me accurate information to help me make rational decisions, but otherwise leave me the hell alone. If you want some of my money to build a park, fine, I like parks. Make your case for it, and I'll let you know, but, honestly, "collective health choices" isn't going to cut it. What a telling phrase that is.