The nation's tyrants have already begun using the tobacco litigation template against the food and beverage industries. In addition to obesity lawsuits against McDonald's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Nabisco and others, they're calling for the labeling of fat content. Cowardly executives are complying by providing additional nutritional information and even downsizing some of their products. If they think appeasement will deter the tyrants, who know what's best for Americans, they have another think coming.

Decades ago, the government conducted costly education campaigns and mandated labels on cigarettes warning about the dangers of smoking. That didn't deter successful lawsuits against tobacco companies and neither will its equivalent, nutritional or fat content labeling, deter lawsuits against the food industry.

Abandonment of assumption-of-risk doctrine means Americans pay more, and will pay even more, for the goods and services. When we ski, we risk breaking a leg -- but since we have diminished responsibility, the higher liability insurance premiums paid by ski lodges translate into higher lift ticket prices.

If food companies are to stay in business, they too will have to pay higher

liability insurance premiums and hire teams of lawyers to defend themselves. Who do you think will bear the final burden of these costs? Nullification of responsibility for our actions has had a devastating effect on our economy, not the least of which is international competitiveness. When are we going to call for a halt?