Nanny State or Employer Rights?

I'm in disagreement with my favorite blog. I guess it has to happen sometime. The question is whether NYC Health Dept. is over the top with their new rules about employee conduct in the workplace. See Here for background. I am not saying that the rules are over the top and ridiculous, because I believe they are; but I think the bigger picture here is whether the employer ~which is the NYC Health Dept~ has the right to dictate to its employees what they can eat and drink during meetings and parties. What’s the difference in a company banning alcoholic drinks during working hours and sodas?

The difficulty for some is that it’s the NYC Dept of Health and so it’s a government entity. It’s also a fact that many in government ~and outside~ want to regulate what we can and cannot eat; i.e. Moochelle and her “fight against obesity” ~which she herself is losing, but that’s another subject altogether~ I know that NYC is regulating what restaurants can serve, but that’s precisely why I think this is why as conservatives we should be on the side of the employer ~which happens to be a government agency~

Small businesses ~and large~ are being regulated to death. My dh works for a religious drug rehab and they have to consult with a lawyer when they need to fire someone; and TN is a right to work state. What about smoking? Smoking is banned in restaurants. Shouldn’t that be up to the owner of the restaurant? What has happened to Americans? If we don’t like something someone else is doing, we think there needs to be a law against it. Why are we a nation that is so worried about offending someone, that we limit everything?

As a Constitutional Conservative, I believe in limited government. I think we need to do away with whole depts.; the EPA, FDA, HUD, Dept of Education, just to name a few. I think it’s hypocritical to say that I believe individuals can make their own choices for their lives, but business owners can’t.

What do you think?