Hi All,
Our Outreach Director Starchild did a great job presenting the Libertarian point of view at the Commonwealth Club on San Francisco's Proposition E, a "soda tax" on the November 4 ballot. Starchild's purported opponent was Supervisor Scott Wiener (arguing in favor of Prop E); however, I came away feeling the real opponent was Dr. Robert Lustig, the "impartial expert" on the panel.
So, out of curiosity I watched the series by Dr. Lustig, "The Skinny on Obesity," produced by UCTV. These are very short, non-technical, interesting to watch videos (only one is longish). The science behind the negative effects of unhealthy foods is credible and worth noting. The conclusion, from a Libertarian point of view, OMG! In essence, the conclusion is that it is absolutely impossible to exercise free choice over behavior; therefore, essential that government intervene in behavior it deems harmful to society. Well, never mind that if it is impossible to change behavior, a ban or a tax won't do it either. Never mind that these videos show all sorts of "unhealthy" foods, while his point at the Commonwealth Club seemed to be we need to tax sugar as the culprit (or do we ban/tax one unhealthy product at the time?).
For Libertarians and other liberty-leaning folk, I recommend watching this series, especially the last video, when the conclusion is made explicit. It is always good to know what your opponent is thinking if you are to counter effectively.
http://www.uctv.tv/skinny-on-obesity/
If the link does not work for you, just Google "The Skinny on Obesity, Lustig."
Marcy