Cause and Effect
Cause and effect explains everything. We think we know what causes a lot of things. So we simply outlaw the cause and the effect will be avoided. This is a common approach to legislation in this country. The indirection has the effect of manufacturing criminals. Just because we think we know the cause does not justify ignoring the effect or lack thereof. As a matter of fact, it would be better if we ignore the cause. It is the effect with which we must deal. Sure crime prevention makes good sense but not at the cost of any freedom. This is especially true when causality has not been established.
The regularity with which cause and effect are reversed is depressing. People with an agenda or a reality problem tend to do this a lot. A correlation does not define causality. The most frequent example of this is in drug law. People misbehaving are found to have taken a drug. They see the correlation and presume that the drug caused the behavior. Since drugs of any type cannot effect ingestion, the causal relationship is clearly flawed. That plus the basic premise is ridiculous. There are no drugs that replace a lifetime of character and personality development. People who are bad do bad things. Good people behave themselves. Taking an illegal drug does not make a good person or a bad person bad, assumptions to the contrary notwithstanding.
What is the problem with our legislature? Why are they making so many laws to deal with behavior presumed to cause an unacceptable effect? If they don’t make law, they don’t get airtime. They could lose an election if they don’t stay in the public eye. The most successful of our legislators pick controversial law, which is safe with their constituency; at least the ones that vote. With their eye on the peak of the bell shaped curve they plan their new law for maximum exposure and minimum political risk. At every tragedy they wale their sorrow while writing new draconian laws that fail to consider enforcement and that only get witnesses killed to avoid outrageous minimum sentencing. They trot from one political opportunity to another, depositing their contribution to society with each new law. They think they are rinsing societies ills away. Actually they are manufacturing crime. Our Legislature has caused more human suffering than all wars. The effect on this nation is devastating.
With neither cause nor effect having been established, the Supreme Court and the Executive stand still as though the Legislature has the right to do anything if it passes a vote first. Fundamental principles created this country and are not up to a vote unless we allow it, and we have. This is because fear of freedom has infected the government and voters. We trust those who tell us that forbidden things such as drugs, sex, gambling are dangerous and can do us harm. Sure, anything can be harmful if overdone. We are simply talking about appetites. Declaring them illegal, besides being stupid, is itself illegal. Pointing out the problems these laws cause distracts us from the real point.
Prohibitions invade the home, mind, and body. When did our bodies become a shared resource subject to government regulation? These laws violate any reasoned concept of liberty. Losing this war would be so much better than winning. If we loose this war we win our freedom and put our government to the real work.
Before surrendering to freedom we would have to tell everyone that they really can control their appetites and will be expected to control their behavior also. The big lie must be undone before people will realize they have the power to control anything they say or do. Empowerment instead of enslavement will save us all. We made the biggest mistake you can make in a democracy. We voted on freedom. We must limit our government to the administration of shared resources. Freedom requires that we control our private lives as well as our government.
Rick Wolfe