Friday, February 03, 2012

Why I'm Not A Statist

On the topic of why sugar should be classified a controlled substance:
Once Demon Sugar has been properly classified alongside Demon Rum, these super-nannies recommend “using taxation, controlling access to sugary products and tightening licensing requirements to sell sweet snacks and drinks in schools and workplaces.”

But don’t worry – they say they’re “not advocating a major imposition of the government into people’s lives.” They will be “gentle” when they set about making “sugar consumption slightly less convenient.”
Let's remember what Daniel Webster is quoted as saying:
“Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.”

3 comments:

Jean said...

Ooh, that's a good one. It seems to me to encapsulate the attitude of EU politicians very well. They do it for your own good, you know.

David Foster said...

Lots of related thoughts from Rose Wilder Lane, a "founding mother" of libertarianism, at my post here.

Darren said...

Interesting lady, David. I appreciate her intellectual honesty.