Smoking in Netherlands, contd.

A small victory for freedom and common sense, though for the wrong reasons: A court in Breda, Netherlands has overturned the smoking ban the government imposed last summer. The judge ruled that the ban violates Article One of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The judge argues that the ban disproportionately affects [...]

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New Yorker article on healthcare

Ashutosh points me to this fine article by Atul Gawande on healthcare reform in the US. While the overall viewpoint of the author is pragmatic liberal, the emphasis is definitely on the pragmatic — indeed, his insistence on the value of building upon existing institutions rather than attempting a drastic overhaul gives the piece a [...]

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Anecdotes and proposals on healthcare

I missed this post by Andrew Sullivan from a while back. One reason I’m a conservative is the British National Health Service. Until you have lived under socialism, it sounds like a great idea. It isn’t misery – although watching my parents go through the system lately has been nerve-wracking – but there is a [...]

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“The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is an interesting organization. Ostensibly, its purpose is to be a “strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science”. It publishes a health newsletter and has several programs to educate the public on various issues related to science, nutrition and public health. [...]

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Paternalism, Ramadoss style

After successfully combating the menace of smoking, he is now on a mission to eradicate the other great vice — alcohol. Sometimes I wonder where we Indians would be without Ramadoss. It is abundantly clear now that we are simply incapable of taking good decisions for ourselves. We masturbate, smoke, drink, maintain poor personal hygiene [...]

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Smoking ban extends to private clubs

Read about it here.

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Bar owners defy smoking ban

Good for them. “If I don’t want to pray, I don’t go to church. If you don’t want to smoke, don’t come in here.” (Hat Tip: The Agitator) Also read: San Francisco may tighten smoking ban

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Phelps vs Food cop: We mandate, you eat

We bring you, courtesy the great guys at CCF, the following awesome analysis: Also read: Your health is my business. And please do not point out that what works for Olympic athletes will turn an average person into a hippo. (Hat Tip: Reason Hit and Run)

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You cannot restrict your way into prosperity

I exaggerate not a bit when I describe the prevailing politics of L.A. to be roughly as follows: Wal-Mart and big box stores = evil, and need to be stopped at all costs. Also, we need more cheap supermarkets! Mom and pop stores need to be defended from Big Corporations, unless they sell fried chicken [...]

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“World no alcohol day”

This guy needs to loosen up. Someone get him a stiff drink!

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Mandatory health insurance does not work

There are many good arguments libertarians put forward against the idea of mandating universal health insurance (either through single payer or a Massachusetts style measure). It is morally wrong to coerce some people to disproportionately pay for others’ costs or to tell someone who decides to take his chance that he cannot do it. A mandate would almost [...]

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San Francisco may tighten smoking ban

From the SF gate report: Mayor Gavin Newsom has proposed prohibiting tobacco sales in pharmacies, including Walgreens and Rite Aid. The city’s public health chief said the proposal is modeled after rules in eight provinces in Canada but has not been tried anywhere in the United States. Supervisor Chris Daly has proposed legislation that would [...]

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Another extreme quote

This one is by former U.S. surgeon general Richard Carmona: As we look to the future and where childhood obesity will be in 20 years … it is every bit as threatening to us as is the terrorist threat we face today. It is the terrorist threat from within. Kerry Howley’s reaction to the above is [...]

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The nanny-staters

I had written earlier about the Japanese government acting as health police to force its citizens to slim down. Here’s a CNN video on the matter. One thing struck me after watching the video – not many people seem that unhappy at what I would consider an outrageous interference into one’s private matters. Well, if they have that attitude, I [...]

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Your health is my business

One of the dangers of publicly funded healthcare is that it increases the likelihood of the government micromanaging your health and other private affairs. Jacob Sullum wrote an excellent article in Reason last year about the totalitarian implications of public health. The Japanese government is the latest to prove him right. Under a national law [...]

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