It is not government's job to mandate responsibility on our

In the thoughtful and deliberate words of Mike Crapo, we hear a call to personal accountability that resonates across generations: “It is not government’s job to mandate responsibility on our behalf. We have the intelligence and good sense to make wise consumption choices for ourselves and our children. It is up to us to do what is best for our health and our children’s health.” These words, though rooted in the language of public policy, speak to something far deeper — the sacred balance between freedom and responsibility, the eternal truth that liberty without wisdom leads not to greatness but to decay.

Senator Mike Crapo, a statesman of the American West, spoke these words as a defender of personal choice and individual stewardship. In an age where governments often step in to regulate the habits and health of their citizens, Crapo reminded the people that freedom demands maturity. His words are not a rejection of community or law, but a reminder that no law can replace virtue — that the strength of a nation begins not in its institutions, but in the choices of its citizens. “To make wise consumption choices,” he says, is not only to guard one’s body, but to exercise the moral will that underpins a free society.

The ancients knew this truth well. The philosopher Plato warned that democracy without self-discipline collapses into chaos, for when men demand freedom without responsibility, they become slaves to their own desires. Likewise, Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic emperor, taught that the first duty of a citizen is mastery over the self. In Crapo’s words, we hear an echo of these timeless lessons: that the governance of one’s own mind and body is the first form of government, and that those who cannot rule themselves will soon be ruled by others.

This truth is visible throughout history. Consider the rise and fall of Rome — a civilization built on discipline, duty, and civic virtue. As generations passed, luxury dulled their resolve, and dependence replaced responsibility. The state, once strong because of the integrity of its citizens, grew corrupt as individuals surrendered their will to comfort. The story of Rome is not merely ancient history; it is a warning written in fire for every free people. If citizens will not govern their appetites, governments will govern them instead. Thus, Crapo’s words remind us that health — both physical and moral — cannot be imposed; it must be chosen.

His focus on health and education reveals where the true power of a nation lies. To cultivate a healthy body is to honor life itself; to cultivate an educated mind is to protect freedom. The wise do not wait for institutions to shape these virtues — they begin at home. Parents, he reminds us, must teach their children the art of self-control, the joy of learning, and the discipline of care. For every generation that abdicates this duty passes a heavier burden to the next. A society that neglects education and health creates not citizens, but dependents — and dependency is the slow death of liberty.

Yet Crapo’s words are not a condemnation, but a call to empowerment. To say, “It is up to us,” is to affirm faith in the human spirit. It is a declaration that we are not helpless creatures needing constant guidance, but beings of intelligence and good sense, capable of choosing wisely when guided by conscience and reason. True freedom is not freedom from responsibility — it is freedom through responsibility. Each act of mindful choice — each decision to eat well, to learn deeply, to live honorably — strengthens the fabric of the whole.

Let this, then, be the lesson passed down: Do not wait for others to protect what you neglect to care for. The strength of a nation, a family, a person lies in the daily act of stewardship — in choosing the harder path of discipline over indulgence. Educate yourself, nourish your body, and guide your children not by law but by example. Governments may guide the structure of society, but only individuals can shape its spirit.

And so, remember the wisdom of Mike Crapo: freedom is not a gift to be consumed but a duty to be lived. The power to build a healthy world — in body, mind, and soul — rests not in the hands of rulers, but in the hearts of the people. When each person accepts this truth and lives by it, laws grow lighter, families grow stronger, and the nation itself becomes, as the ancients dreamed, a harmony of self-governed souls — free, wise, and whole.