Taking Trans Fats off the Menu
By David Holcberg (Washington Post, August 3, 2008)

Regarding the July 26 news article "Calif. Becomes 1st State to Enact Trans Fat Ban":

California has no right to ban trans fats in restaurants or in retail baked goods. The government has no right to dictate to restaurants and other outlets what food they can or cannot sell, and it has no right to dictate to individuals what food they can or cannot buy.

Individuals should be free to judge for themselves what foods to eat, including if and when to eat foods containing trans fats.

Those who think that trans fats are unhealthy are free not to eat food that contains them -- and free to persuade others not to sell or eat such food. They have no right, however, to impose their dietary preferences on those who disagree with them.