Steve Russell: Liberty against policy in our state of democracy

Thursday, December 20, 2012  

"Everything is not a matter of opinion and all opinions are not equal. In the U.S., we frame all policy arguments in terms of liberty, and since we don’t teach critical thought, who wins the framing dispute wins the argument.

This week, my 85-year-old mother in law had her life saved by the excesses of the nanny state that made an elderly woman pay more for a car with a bunch of air bags. You can’t think of air bags at my age without thinking of how seat belts destroyed liberty.

First, they were optional, at the princely cost of five bucks.

Then they were mandatory and the cost of a new car went up accordingly.

Then, all of a sudden, there were jackbooted thugs on every street corner giving out tickets to people who failed to buckle them."

Get the Story:
Steve Russell: Against Liberty (Indian Country Today 12/20)

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