We all see things that our federal, state, and local governments propose as policy or legislation and wonder just what the hell they are thinking.
The most recent thing that has had me shaking my head is the 32 oz. soda law being proposed in New York City. Consider for a moment that when George Washington took office, our seat of government was in NYC. Consider also, that we had just thrown out the British for laying in a set of tariffs (and other issues) that were so onerous that the colonists were willing to risk it all for a bit of freedom. I tell you, GW, and Ben Franklin and all the rest of them are rolling in their graves over some of these governmental policies.
Tam managed to boil this issue down to it’s basics and while it boils things down to a fairly fundamental point, I think it is important to point out.
Of course it will, because that’s what a law IS: When you pass a law, you are effectively saying “This thing is of such momentous import that, if you do it (or don’t do it, whichever,) we will compel you with force, and will back that force with the guns of the state. This is something that is so important that compliance is worth, push come to shove, shooting people.“
This is I think a worthy starting point for every holder of a public office. Every proposed policy and legislative act should be reviewed with this frame of reference. Now, if we could get a task force together to review the current Federal Code within this frame of reference and repeal those laws that do not make this criteria, I think there would be a tremendous level of benefit to this country.
There is a limit to what a nation-state should be legislating. I think the extreme example above, is a good starting point. But there is a differentiation between laws that promote order, and laws that restrict personal choices. Let me throw this question out there as a closer, have the customs and mores of the culture of this nation changed so significantly from from our foundation that dictating diets, portions, and personal spending should now be accepted?