Protecting us from ourselves
The leftish blogs have been alight recently with the question of what has been coined "liberaltarianism" - the melding of progressive politics with libertarian sensibilities. One of the things that comes up as to why this connection hasn't been made before is the tendency of the traditional progressive left to try and "protect us from ourselves", or childproofing the world. If it can be used for something bad, make it illegal.
Alright, people, let's begin with one clear thing. Highly motivated prople (i.e. criminals, terrorists, sociopaths), will ALWAYS find a way around any roadblock you erect. The only thing that is stopped by trying to make the tools of crime illegal to have is that the legitimate uses of those tools will suffer. (the corollary to this law, that fools and idiots are always the most highly motivated, can be saved for a later date).
As a question, who has actually attempted to buy allergy medicine this year. Specifically decongestants with psueodephedrine. And the rigamarole you have to go through. All because 1% of the sales of pseudephedrine-based medicines may be involved in the manufacture of methamphetamines for recreational use.
In the world of amateur chemistry, it's been a lot worse. The possession of sulfur, aluminum shavings, potassium perchlorate, even some basic laboratory glassware and basic compounds, is a crime in some states because of fears over illegal drug manufacture, illegal fireworks production, or that fear of the modern american slopehead, terrorist attacks. ( source article ).
In other news, while tobacco smoking is perfectly legal, it is apparently illegal to make your own cigarettes, though selling loose-leaf tobacco is legal. Yes, I'm referring to rolling papers, that scourge without which millions of marijuana users will suddenly realize that it's too much work to smoke out. Or maybe little glass flower vases, no longer a sign of someone wanting to give their sweety a romantic gift on the spur of the moment. No, those little bits of sweetness are CRACK PIPES IN DISGUISE! And those little ziplock bags that some people put jewelry in to keep it from being scratched, or beads for craftwork? Sorry, no dice, because those are "used to parcel up illegal drugs for sale". (source link )
Then there's the matter of weapons laws, which thousands of people have done far more thorough exposes and analysis on than I have the time nor inclination to do here. Or how you have to show ID in some places to buy spray paint because kids were spraying it into garbage bags and huffing the fumes, or were using it for tagging (just a note to people who thinks this helps anything: there's a reason why sharpies and other indellible markers are so popular with the kids these days. And they're easier to hide!)
Yes, people who use inhalants, who abuse intoxicants of any kind, who rob and set out to kill people, who play with explosives without proper training, are dangers to themselves and others. This is what we have law enforcement for. This is what families are for. The world is, contrary to popular belief, no more dangerous today than it was 100 years ago, except that instead of bear maulings and typhoid, we have cellphone-using (functioanlly drunk) drivers and the looming specter of (creepy organ music) BIRD FLU (/creepy organ music).
EDIT (for a reasonable wrapup thought):
By this logic, the best way to handle drunk driving is to make cars illegal.
END EDIT
You treat a man like a king, he will likely begin to act like one. You treat a man like a criminal, he too will likely begin to act like one. You treat a man like an idiot...
*looks at the TV* Kinda writes itself, doesn't it?