A Guest Asks About Libertarianism
A dear friend writes:
I have never understood why there is a law requiring the wearing of seat belts when I am constantly getting my doors blown off by motorcyclists not wearing helmets. Of course being of the libertarian mindset, I think we should be free to kill ourselves in a manner of our choosing.
.. to which I respond:
As you know, I’m largely a libertarian too, in that I believe the government has no right to do a great number of things that it does every day. In particular, I support people’s rights to kill themselves in MOST ways of their own choosing. What I DON’T support is idiots taking actions whose consequences cost you and me money. Thus my support for things like motorcycle helmet laws, where public dollars are often required to fix the broken skulls of morons who don’t see the danger in not wearing helmets.
I guess the take-away here is that getting rid of the notion of a “victimless crime” is sometimes not as black and white as it at first appears.
