Who the heck gave Liberals the moral auth to "nudge" people in the "right direction"?

This article by Ruth Marcus over at WaPo shows the highly disturbing mindset of the Modern American Liberal.

"Nudge" Government does NOT make sense. It is morally wrong to use taxation, price controls or other forms of economic manipulation to force people against thier will to make choices they normally wouldn't make! This is so common sensical I don't even understand why liberals don't get it.

Even worse, the mindset gets even WORSE:

Are American Conservatives the only ones in the nation who understand that we're not naturally lazy and setting up conditions that force people "move in directions that will make their lives better." IS (*)(*)(*)(*)ING TYRANNY no matter how petty?

Please liberals. Who gave you the moral authority to make such decisions and to manipulate society in such a disgusting manner?

The fact that this liberal scumbag (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) has the nerve to defend such policies goes a long way to showing why we conservatives hate you so much. You believe that it is okay for "smart" people to tell "dumb" people what to do. To use government as a means to "nudge" society in directions you choose either not realizing, or not caring, that eventually, you take away every petty freedom in life, you are soon left with nothing!!

Then we get more liberal idiocy:

Liberals. Please try to understand:

It doesn't matter if the objection to a freedom stealing policy is "rational" or not. All that matters is that it exists in the first place and must be respected as a legitimate opinion!

Just because modern day liberal ideology does not hold a certain petty freedom(such as the freedom to buy a larger drink) as important, does not give you a right or a mandate to strip the people of that freedom! Why is this such a difficult thing to understand? Please explain it to me.

We Conservatives are tired of liberal Government stealing our petty and not so petty freedoms away from us. Stop attacking freedom, we're tired of this petty tyranny!!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/06/06/nudge_government_run_amok_114385.html

 

Sin taxes, when taken to the extreme, can definitely backfire. Sure, I'd imagine the high cost of tobacco has done some good in getting some to quit. As a result though, a respectable black market has arisen... and it's tax free of course.

 

You're right, people do not have the moral authority to make choices for others.

By your reasoning we should legalise crack, heroin and all drugs and not tax them. No matter what the social costs of these we absolutely MUST not tax them. Even if the revenue from those taxes could be used to combat the problems caused by the said taxed item.

Good show. *slow clap*

 

The same place where right-wingers get the moral authority to arrest and incarcerate drug users and prostitutes.

 

Oh please. Drug use and Prostitution have definite external harms to society in the form of added costs for child welfare, lower worker productivity, etc in drug abusers and sexual exploitation of children and women in the case of prostitution.

There is a big difference between regulating what is widely seen as a massive social harm versus the constant stripping of petty freedoms.

Just becuase you don't agree that drug abuse and prostitution are harmful to society as a whole does not make you right. We're not trying to protect people from themselves, but society at large from predatory externalities related to the acts of drug abuse and prostitution in and of themselves.

There is a huge difference between a small elite deciding a freedom is unnecessary and banning it by fiat versus massive social condemnation of an activity.

 

I wish you could see how capitalism is exactly what you're protesting here, Silicon.

 

No, I'm protesting the manipulation of capitalism by a small group of liberal elites to strip petty freedoms.

 

Supposing you are right about these alleged externalities (you're not), there is still little to no evidence which would suggest criminalization reduces or even mitigates them. In fact, it's much more likely that the manifold externalities that arise from drugs and prostitution are the result of criminalization efforts. It just creates an unregulated black market where violence and exploitation are the norms. There is a reason why we abandoned alcohol prohibition - it doesn't work!

When an individual buys marijuana from another individual and smokes it in his or her home, no "predatory externalities" have been created, unless, of course, a police officer arrests one of them and throws them in jail.

It's not any different for individuals on the receiving end of the majority's petty morality.

 

Social engineering is always bad. But, coming from you SiliconMagician I'm quite surprised - aren't you in favor of social engineering, you know, against civil liberties like gay marriage, drug use, free speech etc?

Also when you say "The Modern Americna Liberal" you are indulging in a label that is neither justified nor accurate - not all liberals are the same and I'm sure a lot do not advocate particular political policy as a form of social engineering.

 

If you think its only and all liberal's fault, you are entirely deluded.

 

Who the heck gave Liberals the moral auth to "nudge" people in the "right direction"?

Satanic Kabbalist Zionist jew thugs did.

They run the world.

They openly admit their strategy for world-widenation rape........

Divide and conquer.

 

There is no govt, but liberal govt.

Govt is inherently centered on the FEW ruling the MANY,

benevolently or not.

 

How's that?

Never heard of direct democracy eh?

 

Human kind has yet to produce any legit functioning and authentic "democracy"

 

What would be a ' legit functioning and authentic "democracy" ' in your opinion?

 

It would only be possible with complete agreement and accountability by every individual within the society.

Absolute Anarchy would not need require these unattainable compliances.

Though they are similar, they differ. And both would be great, but neither will ever come to exist.

 

If it cant exist, then your proposition is impractical and thus worthless.

 

I have a dream.

 

Whether it "works" or not. I and plenty of other people feel that the costs of prohibition are indeed cheaper than the costs of legalization.

Must suck to be you then. *shrug*

Why do legalization enthusiasts always try to fram the argument around some bull (*)(*)(*)(*) temperance movement or petty puritan morality. It has nothing to do with that. People don't feel safe around drug users and want them punished. Some of us actually grew up watching people they love destroyed by hard drugs and seen the damage they do first hand. If even one child is spared that, then prohibition worked for that child and was worth all the costs.

 

Yes, a dream that is pointless as you yourself have just said.

 

Remain in complete compliance with the will of your Elite slavemasters, and have a great life doing it, then.

 

Yeah... ok.

 

Who gave you Homeland Security and PATRIOT? Must have been that well-known liberal George Bush who fought so hard for your personal 'freedoms'. Dear god man, how much nore hypocritical can your post get? 'Petty tyranny'? Look to those you elected and who stole it from you, piecemeal, before going off on one of your liberal-hating rants.
Don't worry, mate, you've still got the other foot to shoot yourself in.

 

Well, somebody has to take the high road in society.
If we left things up to the right-wingers and their "family values", we'd still be selling slaves or dead from a nuclear holocaust they started to make the world safe for white people.

 

It's true that all progress in life comes from the liberal mind, and that reactionaries have nothing to offer other than going backward into some delusional nostalgia, but your grasp of what government really is is completely immature, irresponsible and dead wrong.
If the citizen does their part, then government is nothing more than the will of the people.
If the citizen is an irresponsible whiner, blaming government for their own shortcomings and laziness, then government becomes the scapegoat for their failures.
Why not grow a set and take responsibility for your own shortcomings?