Sugary Drinks In Howard County

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Recommended: Defined freedom

The definition of freedom is the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under restraint. An executive order made on December 11, 2012, bans non-diet sodas at county events and in county buildings. It also limits the percentage of high-calorie packaged snacks that vendors can offer. 56% of Howard County is either obese or overweight. The Institute of Medicine believes that 20% of that is caused by the consumption of sugary drinks. Politicians are policing people's rights by restricting people from buying what they please, limiting what vendors can sell, and by trying to change the way citizens in Howard County live. Firstly, people rights are being policed by politicians by having restrictions on what people can buy at county events and in county buildings. "I was furious when I first read this order because the bottom line is people have a choice of what they feed themselves, [The regulations are] a violation of a person's freedom, their right to choose." (New regulations ban sugary drinks, restrict sales of some foods.) People are allowed to choose what they want to eat, where …show more content…

"...the county's health department recommends about a healthy lifestyle, and for that reason alone it is worthwhile. If it proves to have a normative effect — that is, if it helps county residents conclude that sugary drinks should not be a mainstay of their diets — then all the better." (A small step against obesity in Howard Co. Our view: Ban on selling sugary beverages in county buildings helps create a healthy culture) It is not the county's job to decide what should be in people's diets and what they should and should not eat. They should be giving people more choices not trying to tell people what is best for them. People can choose what they eat and how they live. It is not Howard County's responsibility to try and change

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