Editor;
In the Apr. 2 to 8 issue letters section, “Another
Intolerant Thicko” joked about government regulating the amount of calories
in food in the same manner as they have attempted to regulate smoking. It
was all in good fun, but a few days ago I read in CNN where the U.S.
government is planning on regulating the amount of sugar and salt in foods
because of obesity and high cholesterol counts.
This is how it all begins and this is why I so resent
attempts to control my smoking by punishing me with unfair taxes and
insurance premiums.
It is no government’s business what its citizens eat
unless the consumption of a given substance causes them to commit a crime.
E.G. PCP, alcohol and driving, etc. etc. Someone needs to remind our
fearless leaders that they are there to serve us, not to regulate us.
What happens with government is easy to understand. A
given person becomes a government official and immediately thinks of his
position as one of power, not service. He also desires his position to
improve and if possible, to create a “Department”, so he can have as many
employees as possible. How does he do this? He waits for some citizen to
come to him complaining of a bad habit that one of his friends or neighbors
has. He seeks out other supporters of the same issue and now he has a
movement going. This affords him publicity and public support and soon he
has pushed through another law and created the department that he wanted so
dearly.
This procedure is repeated continually throughout
government and the result is governments that are ten times the size they
need to be in order to properly “regulate” their citizens. And the best part
of this scenario is that taxes must be increased in order to support the
growing bureaucracy. Taxes that are paid by the very people that are being
regulated. And people play into this foolishness because they are seeking
attention.
You tell me. Who does it hurt if a half dozen guys are
sitting in a private residence playing poker other than some of the players?
Who does it hurt if someone sits in a park and smokes a
cigarette, other than the smoker? Who does it hurt if someone eats too much
salt or sugar other than the eater? Who does it hurt if a couple of guys
place a bet on a game of pool?
And yet, all of these activities are now illegal thanks
to the would be do-gooders of the world who are seeking attention.
Our personal rights are being infringed on with an
increasing frequency and yet there is always a group of people available to
support the infringement in the name of “tough love”.
People had better learn soon that the best thing we can
do for each other is leave each other alone to live our lives the way we
choose. If one were to trace the origin of the ills of the world, one would
find that just about all of them begin when one person decides that he knows
what is best for everyone.
Do we need movements for change or betterment? Of course
we do, but we also need to use a little common sense, logic and the ability
to extrapolate exactly where any such movement will take us. If we don’t use
that common sense, I assure you that there is a government hack waiting
somewhere for us to help him build his sphere of influence. The result of
which will be more laws, larger government and more loss of freedoms. Unless
I miss my guess, most of us who chose to move to Thailand did so because we
saw a minimum amount of regulation, and yet, it is from the ranks of these
expats that more and more “movements” are being devised that will supposedly
improve things.
Jog your memories a little. Do you remember back when we
were kids and we would go to a nearby vacant lot or field to play football.
Those games are some of our best memories, but look what has happened to
them now. Organized leagues with costly uniforms, paid officials and parents
having fist fights in the stands. This is what happens when people begin to
believe that they have the answer, but don’t have the ability to project
where their solution might end up. Wise up Expats. Enjoy your life in
Thailand and stop trying to “improve” it.
John Arnone
Yasothon
