What is the government's role in protecting you from yourself? Restrictions such as mandatory seat belt laws, mandatory helmet laws, and certain drug laws violate personal freedoms and liberties. Our government’s role in creating laws follows the following: “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity” (U.S. Const. Preamble). The governing entities around the world should not be using either force or the threat of force to keep people from harming themselves. Each governing action is backed up by a man with a gun. Personal liberties and inalienable rights are granted not by the government, but instead by
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As with wearing a seat belt, should someone choose not to wear a helmet, they are only putting themselves in danger. Helmets may enable some riders to take more risks while riding. Taking more unnecessary risks is a common concept known as a moral hazard or risk compensation. With all safety devices, across a wide variety of applications this problem exists. Many people believe they are safe with their existing safety precautions and continue to take greater and greater risks. An article written by the British Medical Journal, shortly after a universal seat belt law was passed in 1983, explores this concept. “In its general form the risk compensation hypothesis suggests that the introduction of any safety measure results in changes of the behaviour of road users which may negate the supposed benefits of the measure” …show more content…
Personal freedoms facilitate greater economic growth. It is no coincidence that many of the countries with the most freedoms are also the countries with the greatest general welfare of their respective people. When people control their own labor and are free to work where they want they tend to be more productive. When two parties voluntarily exchange goods, it leaves both parties in either the same or better position that they were in before. The more rules and regulations there are prohibiting the voluntary sale of private property, the more personal economic freedoms are threatened. Personal liberty, unabridged by government, is vital to prosperity. Restrictions of personal liberty are harmful to each individual in society. Each person is a free and independent human being, we should be able to do with our bodies as we see fit as long as it does not infringe on the rights of another. Governing bodies should not use force against an individual when that individual is only posing a threat to
As with wearing a seat belt, should someone choose not to wear a helmet, they are only putting themselves in danger. Helmets may enable some riders to take more risks while riding. Taking more unnecessary risks is a common concept known as a moral hazard or risk compensation. With all safety devices, across a wide variety of applications this problem exists. Many people believe they are safe with their existing safety precautions and continue to take greater and greater risks. An article written by the British Medical Journal, shortly after a universal seat belt law was passed in 1983, explores this concept. “In its general form the risk compensation hypothesis suggests that the introduction of any safety measure results in changes of the behaviour of road users which may negate the supposed benefits of the measure” …show more content…
Personal freedoms facilitate greater economic growth. It is no coincidence that many of the countries with the most freedoms are also the countries with the greatest general welfare of their respective people. When people control their own labor and are free to work where they want they tend to be more productive. When two parties voluntarily exchange goods, it leaves both parties in either the same or better position that they were in before. The more rules and regulations there are prohibiting the voluntary sale of private property, the more personal economic freedoms are threatened. Personal liberty, unabridged by government, is vital to prosperity. Restrictions of personal liberty are harmful to each individual in society. Each person is a free and independent human being, we should be able to do with our bodies as we see fit as long as it does not infringe on the rights of another. Governing bodies should not use force against an individual when that individual is only posing a threat to