[lafroste]

Paternalistic laws aren’t very popular in this country.

What country is he refering too? In the USA I live in "paternalistic" laws are legion, backed up by people in uniform wielding guns. I suppose his focus is simply on laws regarding anal sex between consenting adults, not smoking, seatbelts, helmets, pot, gun ownership, hunting, canoeing, hair cutting, manicures, vacinations, etc. etc.

It seems pretty strange to see the NYT decrying the nanny state they so fervently support.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

It seems pretty strange to see the NYT decrying the nanny state they so fervently support.

You didn't read the article. He sucks you in as a conservative mark by questioning the system and then ends by embracing it: "For a given uphill goal and a given strength of will, does there exist a path, however circuitous, that will get you to the top of the hill? By adding a new path here and there, state soft paternalism makes it more likely that the answer will be yes."