Letter to the Governor

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Dear Governor Schwarzenegger, Yesterday, I sent an email to you regarding the ban on trans fat. I'll admit that when I wrote the email, I was angry. While I have not changed my position on the issue, I think I need to give you a more rounded explanation as to why I'm against this law. You see, I see this law as just one more way to enable too many people to depend on the government to take care of them instead of being responsible for their own actions. Even if you make the restaurants take trans fat out of how they cook, the people who are obese and unfit will remain so. It is a mind set and not something the government can control. Let me try to explain. Twelve years ago, I was on welfare because I'd been evicted after losing my business and having no money. I learned firsthand that the only way to get off welfare was to buck the system. That's exactly what I did but it meant risking everything. Most people on welfare have been on welfare for years and it creates a defeatest mindset. I had an advantage because I grew up in an above average economic situation and I had a good education and a decision in me not to ever give up on getting out of that economic situation. But most of the people on welfare feel helpless to do anything for themselves. The same rule applies to people eating well. The State of California cannot force people to eat well. The only way our government can help people make healthy choices is to quit trying to control and start empowering them by teaching them. I live in a place right now where a woman across the hall has a three year old daughter whom she constantly feeds sugar in various forms. And, she lets the child run all over the building when we have 3 registered pedophiles living here and countless drug addicts and dealers around here. How are you going to force her to take proper care of her daughter? How are you going to force anyone to stop feeding their children sugar and fat? You can't and making restaurants use better ingredients will never solve the problem. How many laws are you and the liberal group going to pass that aren't going to do any good? You can't change people with laws! You change people by empowering them and encouraging them to make the right decisions. The problem is that anyone in politics doesn't want to empower people to be responsible for themselves because then the politician loses their edge to control the same people. The sad thing, Mr. Schwarzenegger, is that you had the potential to be a great leader but instead, you let your ego get in the way and acted pompously with the teachers' union and you sold out when you flopped instead of reassessing the situation and fighting it with wisdom instead of your movie star image. You let your ego and image get in the way of what is best for our state. It's not too late but you have to decide whether you want to be remembered as a great leader or a movie star. You can't have both. Think about it.