The slow (but picking up speed) erosion of our freedoms continues in Broome County and New York State. It started some years ago with laws that “save lives” like forcing people to wear seat belts, forcing parents to put their children in “approved” car seats, and forcing motorcyclists to wear helmets. None of these practices are bad in and of themselves, and if these laws did not exist, I would observe these practices anyway. But that’s the point. When you force people to do something “for their own good,” you erode away choice and freedom, and ultimately you erode away what is unique and precious about America.

Eventually, liberals who attain political power will limit more and more of your freedoms in the name of saving lives and protecting people, to the point that virtually all individual freedom is gone. (Next up: You’ll be forced to use those stupid compact fluorescent light bulbs because incandescent light bulbs have been banned and will soon disappear from shelves–thank you global warming hucksters.) The loss of individual liberty is called fascism when there is a single dictator who controls the levers of power and limits everyone’s freedom. It’s called communism when it’s a committee of people controlling everyone else.

The latest attempt to limit your freedoms in the name of “it’s for your own good” is a ban on trans fats in cooking. From today’s Press & Sun-Bulletin:

The use of trans fat is being hotly debated as bans are put on various “unhealthy” products such as shortening. Those suffering most are the restaurants and bakeries being forced to change (sometimes decades-old) recipes in order to comply with health standards.

New York City, followed closely by Philadelphia, was one of the first to ban trans fat completely. Now Broome County and the rest of New York state might not be far behind. According to Claudia Edwards, Broome County public health director, legislation is pending to ban trans fat in restaurants and bakeries by Dec. 31, 2009. (Trans fat wars: A look at what a potential ban would mean for local restaurants)

Folks, do you now see why it’s so important to elect freedom loving (mostly Republican) people to office–even at the local level? The article does not say where the pending legislation is located, local or state (most likely in Albany), but in either case, we need to stop this madness.

I do not, as a matter of principle, cede the point that trans fats are bad for you. How many times over the years have we heard “eggs are bad for you” and then a year or two later, “a new study has found eggs are good for you.” The same for many other foods and ingredients. These stories come around in the mainstream media like clockwork. Today trans fats are bad. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Here’s another graph from the P&SB story that sounds like something from Communist Viet Nam following the fall of Saigon:

For all local restaurants, trans fat inspections will eventually be incorporated into the regular inspections that already occur. Restaurants that have gone through the education process but remain noncompliant will face fines once the legislation passes.

Did you catch that? They’re going to “educate” restaurant owners. Let’s just call it what it is, “We’ll send them to re-education camps until they get their heads screwed on straight.” Do these people even realize what they’re saying??? What they’re thinking??? It’s bizarre. They’re communists and don’t even realize it because they’re stupid–they haven’t studied history. History teachers have been too busy talking about Woodstock and how America sucks to be bothered with teaching about the fallen condition of man and how that condition manifests itself in evils like communism and fascism. And how freedom and liberty are the virtues that have built our country.

Even if trans fats are bad for you–and I don’t cede that point–it’s still MY choice whether or not to consume them. It’s my choice as a consumer, and my choice as a company (restaurant owner, food manufacturer, etc.) to use it in my manufacturing process. I’ll settle for a compromise and say let’s label products that have trans fats (oh wait, we already do that!)…but don’t make honest, hard working people stop using trans fats because ninny nanny socialists want to control other people’s lives for them. Get out of my kitchen! Get out of my bedroom! Stay out of MY LIFE! Worry about your own life and what you do with it.

Please folks, vote the socialists out of office–anyone on the Democrat ticket who is also on the Working Families (aka Citizen Action) line. We can’t afford these people any more. We certainly can’t afford to keep losing our freedoms, which is surely what will happen if they continue in office.

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