Subject: Obesity and Accountability 

From: Gene Balfour

Date: June 8, 2013 11:21:16 AM EDT

To: Letters (National Post)

Robert Fulford’s article “The elephant in the room” about obesity raised questions in my mind regarding ‘accountability'  for this issue.

In Ontario  the majority of us  have elected a public health care system that pays the financial costs of  obesity-related illnesses. This setup, in effect, rewards those citizens who engage in life-style choices that lead to obesity at the expense of  citizens who apply self-discipline  to avoid such health risks. Notwithstanding the fact that we all experience unique genetic and socio-economic factors that may  advantage  some individuals to maintain healthy weight levels, everyone faces adversity in life - why should those who respond creatively and responsibly to life’s challenges be burdened by those who fail to choose  a similar path?

Fear can be a positive emotion. Many years ago, a friend of mine suffered his first heart attach at age 26. Three years later, after dropping 60 pounds and the smoking habit, he and I completed the Boston Marathon – the first of dozens of marathons he subsequently ran.

How many of our over-weight citizens must experience a life-threatening event like my friend before they make the positive life-style choices that he made? How many will be as lucky as he was to get a second chance? And why are the responsible taxpayers among us forced to pay for the privilege of so many people who play the game of  Life-style Russian Roullete with their lives ?

Gene Balfour

Thornhill

Age 61 - active recreational hockey player, cross-country skiier, Skiker, exerciser, non-smoker. mesomorph

Canad's for of "democracy' is a Socialist Streamroller

Canada’s current form of democracy is a Socialist Streamroller flattening freedom and prosperity as it lumbers on in time. At its helm are a revolving door of madmen who believe that they can legislate prosperity for all. These madmen are hired by the majority cadre of citizens who value “care-giving at any cost” and wear this misguided sentiment as a public badge of honour that trumps anyone who values “personal self-reliance whenever possible”. 

Atlas Shrugged when the true prosperity-builders faced an unstoppable Socialist Streamroller in Ayn Rand’s masterpiece. Let’s hope that this remains just fiction.

Democracy leads to fascism

I believe that modern democracies lead inevitably towards fascism [defined as collusion between "Big Government" and "Big Corporate" to do each others' bidding.] In the 1930s, Mussolini set up Italy's economy along these lines. Today, the USA has fascist relations with Wall Street, the home mortgage sector, the military industrial complex, the US auto manufacturers, and many others.

The elements of democracy that drive a country to fascism include:
- Citizens at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid ['the "have-nots" ] always vote for more government freebies which are paid for by those citizens in the higher portion of the socio-economic pyramid ['the "haves" ]. This enables politicians to "buy votes" with promises of more freebies for the much more populous "have-nots".
- Over time, as socialist politicians [those who promise and deliver government freebies] continue to win power over political parties that promise to deliver more frugal governments, the size of the public sector grows unchecked in order to deliver on socialist promises and to placate special interest groups [such as public sector unions] that have supported the socialist cause politically.
- Currently, some 40+% of voting age citizens either work for a government enterprise or depend on government programs for aid. These voters will never vote for smaller government or government austerity programs/constraint because it is a vote against their self-interest. This means that any party that will campaign for "less government, lower taxes and fewer regulations" will never succeed because 40+% of the voter base is already committed to a Big and Bigger Government political ideology. Have you every seen the Liberals, NDP, Green or Conservative party ever openly campaign for Smaller Government and win? Of course, the media never pays attention to the Libertarian Party which is the only one on any election ballot that exists solely to achieve "less government, lower taxes and fewer regulations" .
- The above evolving political landscape is joined by another force that is just as powerful - either overt or covert State and Corporate collusion. The overt type are the state-owned or state-controlled/subsidized enterprises that must do what their political masters dictate. Examples, the Beer Store, LCBO, entire energy sector in Ontario, the banks [controlled by government monetary policy issued by the Bank of Canada], etc. The covert type are the corporations that appear independent, but whose political lobbyists have succeeded in extracting advantages in their markets. Examples: any corporation that receives government subsidies or regulatory advantages that provide the company with a competitive edge or barriers to entry for smaller competitors: - think the Telecommunications industry in Canada.
- When the above forces add up, it is clear that the form of socio-economic fascism that exists today in the USA and most of the Western world, is an ongoing evolutional force that will favor more and more state control and fascism. Where does it end ? Can it be stopped? 

The economic defaults of nation-states such as New Zealand in 1985 are the most common way that this trend stops, but why wait for such a national crisis such as the one in Greece to curb this trend? It could be stopped only if a hard cap on government spending AND a return to a "hard currency" were implemented. Stop printing money [ its counterfeit, dontcha know, unless the government does it] and allow government spending ONLY from collected revenues [ debt-financing must stop].

Full disclosure time …. 

Gene Balfour
Member of the Ontario Libertarian Party.
Thornhill Candidate in the last provincial election