Define “voluntarily”
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is waging a war on salt. Claiming that high amounts of salt can increase blood pressure, a major factor of heart disease, the city is going to try to persuade food manufacturers across the entire country to agree to gradually reduce the salt content of food. This of course comes not long after NYC’s recent initiatives to ban smoking and trans fats.
High amounts of salt can increase blood pressure. So what? The salt content of food is already displayed on nutrition labels. If you want to limit your intake of salt, read the label and wisely stay away from things such as turkey meatballs and chicken noodle soup. Problem solved.
The worst part about this, however, is this little passage:
Thomas Frieden, the city’s health commissioner, said he wants manufacturers and restaurants to join the war on salt voluntarily. If they don’t, the city could pass legislation making it the law.
So the NYC definition of voluntary is ‘do this on your own or we’ll make you do it.’ That appears to be the exact opposite of voluntary. Government officials can spend all the time they want wishing businesses and people would act the way they want them to act. But when they talk like this, they’re simply exposed for the power-loving imbeciles they really are.
By Matt
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