Shut Up And Listen 141

The Death Of Personal Responsibility
Wow, it’s been about a month since the Liberals have taken power in Ontario and they’ve pretty much been fucking up the entire time. Who could have seen this coming, I wonder?
	Their first problem wasn’t really their fault, as it was the deficit left by the previous government. Instead of being only around two billion dollars as they claimed, it turned out to be close to three times that. The Liberals’ entire platform was based upon those numbers. Of course, it would be unfair to point out that Howard Hampton, leader of the NDP did warn Dalton McGuinty, leader of the Liberals about using the Tories’ numbers during the election. What do people on the left know about economics?
	So the larger deficit is now the excuse to pretty much not do anything they said they’d do, except for a few things. One thing they’ve done that I like is that they’ve stuck to their guns about no more tuition increases. But they’ve also kept one promise I really, really wish they hadn’t: an attempt to eliminate soft drinks from all schools. Okay, okay, I’ll give you elementary schools, but high schools? There’s trying to preserve health and then there’s just being fucking stupid. Yeah, there shouldn’t be pop machines in elementary schools. We had a vending machine, but it just sold stuff like Five Alive and other juice-based products. That’s appropriate for elementary schools, but high schools are different. They are meant to give teens more freedom, but still in a controlled environment. And we’re going to treat them like babies by going “Now, you can’t have any pop.”
	Yes, pop is unhealthy, but have they ever considered that high school kids make a choice of taste versus health? I know I did. I knew stuff like burgers, fries, pop, chips, pizza, and all the shit I ate were all unhealthy, but I chose taste over health. I still do. And if in twenty years, I have problems, I won’t blame anyone other than myself. You know why? Because I understand the concept of personal responsibility. I made a choice and knew all the facts, so it’s my responsibility if things go sour. Kids have all these facts already. We were taught all about healthy ways to eat in school and guess what? Many of us chose to ignore them!
	Besides, I knew a lot of people who ate healthily in high school because they made a choice to eat that way. When I’d get a burger and fries, they’d get a salad. It’s obvious that teens do have the knowledge by the number of kids who do eat healthy. It’s the same with teens who smoke. They all know the effects and do so anyways. It’s not as if they’re going to turn around and have anyone to blame but themselves in thirty years when they get lung cancer. The key to issues of health and personal choice is education. Give people the facts and if they choose to go against them, then accept it and move on. And that’s why I support the initiative to make sure pop isn’t sold in elementary schools (with the exception of those monthly pizza days many schools have, because a treat is cool every once in a while) and making sure those kids are well educated, so when they hit high school they can begin to take responsibility for themselves.
	There’s an initiative I’d like to see implemented in our schools.