30 years ago, the government did little to regulate where people smoked but did issue guidelines as to why people shouldn't smoke. Now smoking, at least where I live, is generally only allowed on private property not generally open to the public and not within the commons of an apartment complex.
There is a long distance between the helmet law and the fascist state, I'll grant you that. It's just one little law, among many thousands, that prevent people from disposing of their lives and property as they see fit. It's a symptom of the fact that we have subjugated our rights completely to the government, and while those in power still allow us a sizeable measure of freedom, there is no guarantee that they won't ask for more. Sure, you can draw a line in the sand and tell the government that beyond helmet laws and anti-drug laws that you won't accept any more interference in your life. But others will accept more interference and often they will outnumber those who felt government has gone far enough. Yu will find that because you let your rights be given up for restrictions on others that you wanted, that you have no leg to stand up on when demanding that government not grow anymore. You can voice your displeasure, but what principles will you stand upon? It's all or nothing for Libertarians because we stand on a principle, one that is not compromised. By accepting a helmet law which accedes our responsibility for our own lives and safety to the state, we accept that the state may regulate other aspects of our lives if enough people get together to vote for it. Why not have dietary laws? As a libertarian, they are abhorrent to me, but as a citizen who believes that I should not have to pay lots of taxes to cover the healthcare for other citizens who care little for their body, I don't see why food intake shouldn't be regulated by the government. I don't eat alot of junk food, so it doesn't harm me! There are alot of things that are dangerous that I don't do, so I don't have any problem with all of those activities being outlawed. Maybe we should even have laws that require each person to exercise one hour per day - we know it's good, and many people won't do it unless they are forced to do so, so let's dispense with the guidelines and start with the monitoring. I bet I could get a sizeable number of Americans to agree with the idea, and all I need is a majority of the voters to agree..... -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Vic Cinc Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 7:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: liberty at any price Re: [Libertarian] Re: LP Moderates Succeed in Deleting Half the Platform Cory Nott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Vic, > > Some people look to government for guidance regarding dietary concerns. > Since the government doesn't (yet) regulate the amount of fat we can eat, > that is a clear signal to some people that it's ok to eat as much fat as one > wants. Therefore, it's acceptable for the government to regulate our diets > by force even if most of us are smart enough to figure out that poor eating > habits are bad for us. the government does not regulate the amount of fat you eat, but it does provide guidelines. > I would far rather have liberty at the price of your death on the road > because you were too stupid to wear a helmet, than your thin, unhappy life > in a fascist state (I'd probably be killed by the government for speaking > out.) there is a long distance between a helmet law and a fascist state. why are libertarians so completely uncomprimising? > If you subjugate your natural rights to the government for the "greater > good", there is no limit to how much of those rights the government can, and > will, eventually take. this is the problem with libertarians its all or nothing, what I am saying is the LP needs to learn to moderate or face continued political oblivion. Vic [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/6pRQfA/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/KlSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
