Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have been knocked off his high horse earlier this week when a New York judge overturned his soda ban, but that hasn’t stopped the outspoken Bloomberg from vowing to continue his crusade to rule people’s lives. Following the judge’s ruling, Bloomberg said:
BLOOMBERG: This wasn't a setback for me. This is a setback for the people who're dying. In case you hadn't noticed I watch my diet. This is not for me. I want to leave this world a better place for my kids and their kids. And shame on me if I don't.
It is no secret that Glenn does not support Bloomberg or his initiatives because of the lack of freedom and individual responsibility they typically entail. “Does Bloomberg think he’s God,” Glenn asked on radio this morning. “Here's the thing. Here's what I'm for: maximum liberty, maximum responsibility.”
We have moved away from a culture based in individual rights and responsibilities to one that focuses on the collective. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be held accountable in our choices and decision making. “I'm doing what I'm doing in my life. I have choices in my life. You have choices in your life,” Glenn said. “You want to eat sugar? Here's a five pound bag of sugar. You think that's poison? You stay away from it.”
While Glenn advocates maximum liberty, Bloomberg’s policies are rooted in minimum responsibility for everyone. “It’s my responsibility what happens to me. I want maximum liberty, and maximum responsibility,” Glenn said. “Bloomberg wants minimum responsibility for everyone. Maximum responsibility on his shoulders for my life. Nobody is giving you that responsibility, Mike. You don't have responsibility over my life. You want to make the world a better place, make people more free. Now the only way you can make people more free is to help them educate them.”
The adage, give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime, is particularly apropos in this situation. “Teach people. The best way to teach people is through example,” Glenn said. “Bloomberg is just jamming it down your throat… If you still don't take to their nudge then they'll start to slap or shoot.”
The problem, Glenn explained, is that too many people are afraid and, as a result, they accept the overreaches of government. “Don't be afraid,” Glenn said. “I spent most of my life afraid. Don't be afraid. It's okay. It is so freeing when you take responsibility your own self… And if you don't, we're all going to be living in a state where the Bloombergs are going to tell us exactly how much we can eat, exactly when we have to exercise.”
“We don't need [Bloomberg and [his] rules. We want to cut our own path. We want to go our way. We want to follow our own hearts,” Glenn concluded. “Some of us would like to remain free and independent.”