Obesity has reached new levels in recent years for “despite years of efforts to reduce obesity in America, including a major push by Michelle Obama, federal health officials reported Thursday that the share of Americans who were obese had not declined in recent years, and had edged up slightly.” (Tavernise ) The rise in obesity is matched by increasing controversy over who is ultimately responsible for keeping Americans healthy. Should the government step in and be the parent who forbids bad choices when it comes to eating? Or should every person determine their own path when it comes to nutrition and eating healthy? Some people believe the government should regulate nutrition while others believe that each individual is responsible for their own decisions and must suffer the consequences of the decisions made. The debate has gone back and …show more content…
We need to appear strong to countries around us and when the government is trying to control the people of the United States and gains too much control, we end up appearing divided to other countries . An example is when Mr. Bloomberg’s plan became the focus of attention and the mayor of London suggested that his city would “offer sanctuary to refugees from the soda tyranny in New York” (Grynbaum, “In Soda Fight, Industry Focuses on the Long Run). It seems that he is making fun of our country - we need to be united and show strength by being able to make educated decisions on our own, not because the government tells us to. Sandy Douglas, the president of Coca-Cola North America, said “pediatricians are absolutely right to be stressing healthy eating and drinking to parents and kids ” but he “suspects that completely eliminating them is not necessary for kids to be healthy any more than eliminating ice cream, birthday cakes or cookies. The key is moderation” ( O’Connor). We need to take responsibility as