There are three stages of making us cease doing "bad" things:
It's a familiar script. Our leftist betters identify something that people stupidly do. Then they attempt to educate us about that bad thing. When that doesn't reduce that bad thing enough, they agitate for laws that raise the cost of doing that bad thing. And then when that doesn't do the trick, they seek to ban that bad thing.
Funny enough, none of the things they like to do ever count as bad things.
At some point, like with buying health insurance, the left compels us to get that good thing. And if the people aren't willing to grant the power to compel?
That's easy. Step 4 is just to lie to us so we'll allow the laws to compel us to pass, and do it proudly (tip to Instapundit):
Appearing on Piers Morgan’s CNN program on Tuesday night, HBO’s Bill Maher explained that while President Obama did indeed lie to the American people about keeping their insurance, he had to do so in order to help the dumb Americans. “I think the country in general is on a decline,” Maher explained. That’s because, Maher said, Americans are getting “stupider.”
Let's hope they don't go to step 5 of reasonably enlightened autocrats just doing what they know to be best. Don't think that can't happen.
And ponder the chances of the government knowing what is good for us given Maher's excuse for the lies. After decades of federal intervention and spending in education, Americans are getting dumber? I'm not sure how much more federal "help" we can take.
UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg on the need to make us do what they believe is right.
Free people should be free to make mistakes.
