vegas wrote:
Sanitation have direct effects on all, so yes, there should be governmental involvement in that.
Your entire lecture on the government controlling aspects of your life does not apply to sanitation?
Public health is a public matter just like sanitation because it directly effects everyone as well. An infected person with some deadly disease will infect everyone if not properly treated.
But if someone persists in abusing his body with poor diet and/or substance abuse over the decades, why is that my burden to contribute parts of my resources to heal such persons ? If I refuse to help, then I am an 'evil' person while the abuser is the righteous victim of my callousness ? Sanitation is indeed public health, but a shot of Jim Beam with a double bacon cheeseburger and deep fried potatoes behind closed doors is not.
The slippery slope is your assumption about fat people or smokers being unproductive and non-contributing to society but all these are irrelevant.
The state has the duty due to its mandate to provide to everyone equality towards some basic rights and that is why everyone including fat people subsidise the courts and the legal system so that everyone(citizenry) is an equal member before the law, that is why everyone including fat people subsidise education, so that everyone including entitled thin people have access to basic education, that is why everyone subsidises the military & the police so that everyone has access to security.
The right to equality before the law(courts)
The right to security(police, military, fire brigade, coastguard)
The right to education(primary, secondary schools)
If you as a country/people choose to exclude the right to health from you list, well you know that is fine, it is your country after all, but as I said do not complain if you are called a tin-pot third-world country who cannot even afford to hospitalise its poor sick people.
EN EL ED EM ON
...take your common sense with you, and leave your prejudices behind...