Polluting the Language
7 April 2006
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Proposing that government create and enforce "tradable emission allowances" for high-calorie foods, John Sotos abuses language by describing obesity as "a pollution problem" ("A Modest - and Slimming! - Proposal," April 7). Pollution is a problem because those who generate it ignore the preferences of those who suffer it. No such "externality" causes weight gain. Those who produce high-calorie foods do so in response to the preferences of those who consume these foods.
As for Dr. Sotos's claim that "we Americans cannot help but ingest the calories present in the environment all around us," I can say only that if our minds and spirits are so utterly feeble that we can't control our appetites, then I wonder how we can be trusted to choose the political leaders who will protect us from our irresponsible selves.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Proposing that government create and enforce "tradable emission allowances" for high-calorie foods, John Sotos abuses language by describing obesity as "a pollution problem" ("A Modest - and Slimming! - Proposal," April 7). Pollution is a problem because those who generate it ignore the preferences of those who suffer it. No such "externality" causes weight gain. Those who produce high-calorie foods do so in response to the preferences of those who consume these foods.
As for Dr. Sotos's claim that "we Americans cannot help but ingest the calories present in the environment all around us," I can say only that if our minds and spirits are so utterly feeble that we can't control our appetites, then I wonder how we can be trusted to choose the political leaders who will protect us from our irresponsible selves.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Friday December 29, 2006 at 2:38pm