McDonald’s sales were down in October and that has the worldwide chain wasting no time in responding to the marketplace — proving once again that market forces communicate what consumers are demanding and what producers must supply if they want to stay competitive. Intervening in the market — as government loves to do — only distorts market forces.
And that’s why nanny-staters such as NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg should stay out of the drink business. If consumers want to buy large sodas – and they’ve proven they do – then restaurants will put large sodas on the menu. If consumers don’t want large sodas – and back up it up by failing to buy them – large sodas will disappear from menus. We were founded as a free society, which means we have the freedom to make bad decisions and/or decisions others don’t like, so long as the behavior isn’t illegal and doesn’t perpetrate fraud. But we also must take responsibility for those bad decisions that lead to bad outcomes. In the case of over-indulgence in food and sodas, and the health issues that sometimes go along with it, higher risk should be reflected in higher insurance premiums.
And that’s the reality that nanny-staters like Bloomberg refuse to accept. Human nature will always lead some folks to partake in things that aren’t good for them in the long run. No amount of government intervention can “protect” us from ourselves. We have to have the character to do it for ourselves, or pay the consequence.
