My belief is that self-restraint is never developed if there are never consequences for one's actions. Good parents learn this early on ::smile::.
What we've done in this society in many instances is to continually bail people out of the results of their bad decisions. This means they will never have any incentive to develop a sense of personal responsibility or self-restraint because their actions don't have negative consequences.
I'll use helmet/seatbelt laws as an example since it's easiest to describe: Fr'instance, I think helmet laws are bogus - if someone wants to risk cracking their head open and becoming an organ donor that's their business. But if we continue to use public and/or insurance funds to patch up idiots who crashed into a tree without a motorcycle helmet, then lack of helmet laws negatively impacts the rest of society because we all have to pay to glue their heads back together.
Most people use this as an argument to implement helmet laws. The alternative is to not make helmet laws, but instead not publicly pay to treat no-helmet head-trauma cases, and let the insurance companies deny coverage to those who ride without one.
Then if the head meets the tree without a helmet, it's the riders choice, their head, and they pay for the results on their dime. Or they don't get treatment and they die. This would be a deterrent to most, and those that wouldn't be deterred may Darwinize themselves out of the gene pool, by their own volition.
This isn't a perfect example, but I hope it makes my point.
The problem is society has to stop it's handwringing and treating everyone as "victims" even if their own stupidity got them into that situation. There are a lot of bleeding hearts who would fight this tooth and nail, but the idea of saying "Tough Noogies" shouldn't be discarded.
And this type of "actions have consequences" shouldve been introduced during childhood, as well, but a lot of kids don't get that when they should.
LQ, who always wears her seatbelt and helmet, law or no law ::grin:::
Precisely. Rather than rail against the improper use of power that limits one's liberty and forces one to subsidize irresponsibility, too many propose solutions that further restrict liberty. It is craziness.
The problem is society has to stop it's handwringing and treating everyone as "victims" even if their own stupidity got them into that situation. There are a lot of bleeding hearts who would fight this tooth and nail, but the idea of saying "Tough Noogies" shouldn't be discarded.
I, for one, am grateful to those who volunteer to be bad examples.
This isn't a perfect example, but I hope it makes my point.
Sounds pretty close to perfect to me.
So9