Interesting that you should bring up the Terri Schaivo case.
Terry was in a persistent vegetative state, according to her doctors. The family had the heart wrenching decision to make whether to keep her on a feeding tube and keep her body functioning artificially, or not. There was a dispute between family members, which was settled by a state court. That should have been the end of it, but no.
The all powerful, all knowing federal government had to step in and try to tell the poor peons what was right and wrong.
They should have kept their noses out of it. It was not their decision, whether or not you or I think that the feeding tube should have been removed, it was a decision best made by the doctors and the family, not the feds.
That's a perfect example of federal authoritarianism.
The federal government does not have the power to make those kinds of decisions. Some of them are local matters, especially where to draw the line between discipline and child abuse. Some of them are personal decisions. None of them are federal decisions.
Careful, there, you just might be a Libertarian and not know it.
Are you aware that Holland has a lower rate of drug abuse than we have in the US? Maybe going the way of Holland wouldn't be so bad after all.
The principle is that decisions affecting the individual should be left to the individual. Some things, like that tree, could affect your neighbors, I'm not sure. If it was big enough to hit someone else's house, then there was a need for some oversight.
As for seat belts and helmets, you have a point so long as the rest of us are not required to pay for your injuries, either through higher insurance premiums, or higher costs at the emergency room
Personally, I'd give out little bumper stickers with the signing of an organ donor card, saying "exempt from seat belt/helmet laws." That would thin out the stupid people, and increase the number of donor organs as well.
It's a perfect solution.
If by "we", you mean the government, then I agree as well.
Neither party is pro liberty. Only if the people are willing to pay the price of eternal vigilance will we continue to be free. Right now, I'm not making any bets as to how long we'll do so.
