Government intrusion should not replace personal responsibility, especially in health & exercise

DELTONA -- Today we are seeing more government intrusion in our lives, but before I go further let me give a little information about my background. My mom is a fruits and veggies person who is always energetic.

From the age of 18 to 50 ,she put on only about 15 pounds. Her mom was a petite person. My father, on the other hand, was from family that tended to be a little heavy set that liked sweets and fattening food. When he was younger he was a little overweight.

My father decided help himself. In college he took up tennis, When he worked he would walk during his lunch hour and after he retired he power walked six miles a day in the morning. When I was in fifth grade, I was the chubby kid who sat in front of the TV. It was from inactivity that I put on weight.

That summer I decided not to come back to school chubby.  So I watched what I ate and started doing sit ups everyday.

In sixth grade, I came back skinny.

Grown up, I am not someone who necessarily works out religiously, but I just keep myself busy to burn calories and mostly eat little meals throughout the day. I made a choice in how I eat and live my life. My problem is that the government is now trying to take our choice away.

Grown up, I am not someone who necessarily works out religiously, but I just keep myself busy to burn calories and mostly eat little meals throughout the day. I made a choice in how I eat and live my life. My problem is that the government is now trying to take our choice away.

Take a look at New York. They tried to tell people what size sodas they could drink. They put in place a ban on businesses that they could not sell sodas larger than 16 oz. Fortunately, after legal wrangling, the ban was overturned before it could take into effect. My question is what would have happened if it had not been overturned. What would be next? Food portions limited when New Yorkers eat out? If so, then goodbye Carnegie Deli, a New York landmark. They might have lost this battle, but the war on our freedoms is just starting.

I do not believe this will be the end of the government dictating how we live and more states or the federal government trying this elsewhere. I believe if the government had their way, our world would start looking like the movie "Demolition Man," where everything about people's lives are regulated. In the movie people could not eat anything not deemed healthy, etc.

My point is that my father made a choice to keep the weight off and I made a choice as well. This is a country based on freedom, but the government wants to dictate to us how to live.

It is common sense that if you you eat too much you're going to put on weight. If you put on weight you have a good chance of shortening your life.

It is common sense that if you you eat too much you're going to put on weight. If you put on weight you have a good chance of shortening your life.

Instead of forcing everyone to restrict how they eat through government regulations, why not educate people to get from in front of the television, tablet or phone and go outside and do something active. Each person makes a choice about their diet, but the government wants us to have no choice.