BrianGarst.com

“Community activist” Arthur Turner sees fat people. And like any good nanny, he wants to do something about it.  Naturally, that doesn’t involve hitting the treadmill to drop his own extra chin.  That would be too close to admitting that personal responsibility is the answer. He prefers to limit freedom of choice.

Burger King strapped him down and force fed him fatty burgers

Travel along a two-block stretch of Central Avenue in Prince George’s County, and you’ll find a staggering 11 fast-food restaurants.

For community activist Arthur Turner and state Sen. David C. Harrington (D-Prince George’s), the strip is evidence of the proliferation of burger joints and Chinese takeouts in the county, especially in poorer, inner Capital Beltway communities.

…”Our county is inundated with unhealthy food choices,” Turner said. “In some areas, if someone wants a healthy choice, there are no options. We want healthy options in our community.”

…Turner said that his group identified Panera Bread and Chipotle as preferable alternatives to a fast-food burger restaurant and that he plans to seek similar compromises with other developers.

Mr. Turner has confused cause and effect.  The people in this particular area have already decided that Panera Bread and Chipotle are not preferable alternatives, or those stores would have been there already making money without need of his benevolent interference.

He defines a “preferable alternative” as not what the people actually prefer, but what he prefers. Ultimately, what nannies always try to do is shape society through the use of government force to fit their own preferences. That is the antithesis of what a free society is all about.

If Mr. Turner wants to make a difference in a manner that is consistent with a free society, he should set about convincing people that his preferences are best without the use of government force.