Education, not Regulation

So, today, I'm thinking of education rather than regulation concerning several issues.
Putting a real true effort into education for:
1. chilhood obesity
2. teen pregnancy
3. marital and family stabilty
4. seat belt and kids seat laws, sitting in the back of a pickup, helmets on motorcycles
5. parenting skills (what works, what doesn't)
6. financial management (individual)
7. healthy practices for adults (alcohol, smoking, marijuana)
8. more to come...
I believe that if we educate our people on topics, we give them the right to choose their path in an informed way. We cannot write laws to keep people from making poor choices, this limits our freedom, makes people angry (which is unhealthy and counterproductive!) and bogs down our political and law enforcement system... not to mention the burden on the taxpayer. However, we cannot sit on the sidelines and watch children being thrown from cars b/c their parents don't buckle them in. Let's make a real investment in adult and childhood education beyond reading, writing and arithmetic. Writing a law to stop a societal symptom is like taking a pill to keep the food you are eating from getting you fat. The side effects are terrible and you just have to keep taking that pill! Lets cure the disease, lets learn what the root of the problem is and stop it by helping people help themselves. Education is the key to success.