I truly believe we are at such a crucial point in molding American government that a few mistakes, maybe even just one, will seal our fate leaving us with no chance of ever being free again, if indeed we have not already done so. We have forgotten how precious and fleeting freedom is, and how difficult it is to achieve?
I will always be extremely leery of ANY government, and ours is no exception. Do we not remember that power corrupts absolutely? Haven't we learned time and time again that if a power can be abused, someone will abuse it? Can't we all agree that if a system or law can be exploited, someone will exploit it? Any powers given, no matter how good the intentions, or how seemingly necessary the situation in which they are given...ALL OF THEM will be abused. Absolutely.
You, the American people, you, my friend & neighbor, YOU the one reading this blog...you want the gov to solve all our probs. You want the gov to make sure that I DO NOT: smoke on MY property, get an abortion, discipline MY kids, teach teens about sex or give them condoms, etc. These choices I can make for myself, but I probably will not be allowed to because you do not want me to. You love to give away our freedoms.
You are dead set on making sure I am a slave. Your need to tell me what to do, how to live, when to sit & beg, is so great that you forget that we share the same bed. You know in your heart, and affirm every chance you get, how much better you are than I. So proud are you in your judgements of me, and so sure. Yes you.
My point is that if Americans didn't spend so much time worrying about what other people are doing, and utilized that time finding out ways to enjoy or protect their own freedoms, America could be what it pretends it is...a land with unlimited possibilities.
One good example is marijuana. Some people enjoy it, some don't. If you don't want to smoke it you don't have to. I personally do not. No one is going to make you or I smoke. But that's not good enough, is it. You have to make sure others don't get that choice and stop them from doing something they enjoy, that makes them happy. You selfish prick.
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There's one principle I apply when it comes to the extent to which I think people have a right to impose their will on others:
ReplyDelete"That which impacts me I have a right to impact."
In other words, anything you do which affects me is something that I have a right to have a say-so in or exert some influence over.
Example: (I'm not sure if the premise is true but I've heard that it is) If insurance companies raise rates in states that don't have a motorcycle helmet law (or seatbelt law), that means that one person's choice to not wear a helmet makes me pay more money in insurance premiums. In that case, I believe I have the right to either 1) dictate (through government) that insurance companies CAN'T charge me more based on what other people do or 2) dictate that everyone has to wear a helmet.
Example: People eat themselves into diabetes and other dietary-related health issues, taking up space in hospitals, taking up time in operating rooms and taking up organs from donor pools - all of which could have been used on people with ailments that weren't caused by poor behavioral choices. So while I know people faint at the freedom-crushing concept of regulating what people eat, if not that, then I think we should be able to dictate that medical care for those suffering from self-induced ailments (smoking, poor eating, etc...) take a lower priority. So the 400 pound guy who ate himself into heart disease becomes very unlikely to actually get a new heart unless everybody out there with a congenital heart defect gets theirs first.
Example: The emissions put out by the vehicles people drive affect the air that we all breathe. So we have a right to pass laws which restrict how much emissions a vehicle is allowed to put out. Same with regulating how much people can use their fireplaces - even though it's within the privacy of their own home. (I don't remember if there were "no-burn" days in Vegas, but there definitely are here in Phoenix.)
Basically, most things we do have some impact, direct or indirect, on those around us. You can either see this as the cost of living in society or you can see it as justification for everyone to exert influence over everyone else's rights/freedoms/actions. I see it as the latter.