Could President Barack Obama please keep his intrusive hands to himself?

Just when I thought the rights of the American people had been threatened enough by Obama’s ever-inflating government, the president decided to threaten something else, something very close to the Southern heart: Coca-Cola.

Obama is calling for legislation to ban sugary snacks from schools and signed an executive order Tuesday to jumpstart his initiative.

Yep, if the community organizer-in-chief gets his way, it could mean saying sayonara to soft drinks and candy bars within public schools.

Since when is it the president’s job to save the American people from not only Al-Qaeda and hyperinflation — but also calories?

America has some fat kids — any sampling of kiddies waddling off of a school bus will confirm that fact.

But it’s not the government’s job to tell people what they can and cannot eat any more than it’s Washington’s job to cool global temperatures or try and force me to buy health insurance.

Oh, wait … those are already on Barry Obama’s executive to-do list.Now, to give Obama his due, obesity among American children is serious. The CDC reports approximately 19 percent of children 6 to 19 are obese. But to this, I have two things to say.

First, what about the other 80-plus percent who, according to Obama’s legislation, would be denied their God-given right to Snickers and Fanta?

Too often in this country, the minority is catered to while the silent majority is forced to weather the crippling legislations that lash out of the Capitol.

Second, what happened to those age-old American mantras of personal responsibilities and individual liberties?

We are living in what is called the freest nation on earth, yet we are OK with a polarizing president’s assault on personal choice regarding what our nation’s schoolchildren eat? I disagree. I say let’s hear it for Snickers eaters and Fanta drinkers!

The anti-obesity task force is spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama. Now, I completely support her “Let’s Move” campaign — it could be the most productive campaign by a first lady since Nancy Reagan chanted “Just Say No” from the White House’s Truman Balcony.

Michelle’s crusade to encourage kids to turn off Hannah Montana and actually venture outside — into the sunlight — to play and exercise is commendable. However, it is not the role of the Obama administration to ban certain food in schools. Where will it stop?

Will the toxic legislation ooze upward from public schools to public universities? Will delicious desserts disappear from our own dining halls? Will my beloved snacks disappear from store shelves thereafter?

Will Obama push for tripling taxes on what he considers to be unhealthy food, as he did to cigarettes?

I spent 13 years eating burgers and fries in the public school system. I attribute my healthy weight to the fact that my parents made me play outside. Maybe we could use more parents like these and not so much government red tape.

We don’t need Obama to be our babysitter. We don’t need Obama to be our nutritionist. We need him to be our president.

If Obama swaps Snickers for celery and cola for carrot juice, athletics at schools will suffer. Money raised in vending machines often helps buy gear for sports teams.

Sorry, soccer team. No new jerseys this year. So much for encouraging physical activity.

If the Snickers threat doesn’t persuade you to accept this argument — and you know you can’t resist the tempting combination of rich chocolate and crunchy peanuts — try this: Reports out of Washington indicate the president’s plan would cost an additional $1 billion. That’s nine zeros — and that doesn’t sit quite right with me, either.

Maybe our president should focus more on reducing unemployment and salvaging his plummeting approval rating than on monitoring what comes out of vending machines.

Life is too short to spend it munching on government-mandated cauliflower stumps. Let’s leave the parenting up to mom and dad, not Uncle Sam.

— Daniel Burnett is the managing editor of The Red & Black