Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Limited Role of Limited Government

There are three classes of people who merit state supervision to a certain extent:

Miscreants: Those who fail or refuse to follow the laws set down by the community lose their freedom. They are incarcerated at the order of the State, which relies on the rule of law to ensure that the rights of all are protected, and that lawbreakers are duly punished.

Madmen: Mentally ill patients who require intense medical care, who have no wealth or family to care for them, must needs rely on the State to keep them safe and to protect members of the community as a whole.

Minors: Young people have not yet learned to care for themselves. No one would dream of permitting pre-schoolers to run themselves, or for adolescents to make life-changing decisions on their own, without first receiving a necessary moral and social education.

Absolute libertarianism is unacceptable. Miscreants, madmen, and minors must be supervised in order to safeguard their rights and the rights and privileges of everyone else in a free society.

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