The arbiter of My Choices
I understand that this post is not about an environmental issue however I feel that it gets to the heart of everything we have been talking about. Regarding the recent removal of vioxx from the market and the subsequent out cry from those who benefit from such a drug reagarding their ablity to be able to choose their own risk benefit analysis, former FDA commissioner, David Kessler outrageously said that "To argue that people ought to be able to choose their own risks is to impose an unrealistic burden on people." (http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10859)
I was completely dumb founded when I heard this, when did we as a people decide that we can no longer make decisions for ourselves? Is the freedom we long for and continually strive for a freedom from choosing our own path, letting someone else choose for us? When is the government the one who is supposed to arbitrarily decide what is good or bad for me, do they even know my needs (with the new HYPA act they absolutely do not know my medical needs)? When did we as a people give our right to choose to some one else? Have we really become so ignorant and apathetic as a people that we are no longer qualified to make our own decisions? I wonder, it amazes me that there has not been an out cry over all of this. It is basic bureaucratic behavior however. This statement fits the incentives they face to a tee.
I was watching the Simpsons (the greatest societal sophistry) and I think they got this message loud and clear. In the episode the Simpson family was arrested for violating the "Government Knows Best Act" as funny as this is, it is extremely sad. This is exactly how we as American's think these days. Ironically we think that there is too much corruption in government yet if our government comes out with some safety rating, man they always have our best interest in mind so we don't have to. We are unquestioning.
The same holds true for environmental issues. Anytime the government sets up a regulation, well I guess to be a good American I must agree that this is the only right answer to the problem, government knows best.
Like a previous blogger pointed out, economic freedom or the right to choose based on your own cost/benefit analysis is the only way to achieve the higher quality that we all want out of life. Better drugs, a better environment, a longer life all arise out of our choice.
So I guess the major question that I want to pose is do you want government making your choices for you? As for me well you can lick the hand that feeds you or get your own food, I and my house rather get our own.
posted by Anonymous @ 11:28 AM
2 Comments:
That statement to me is just a bureaucracy stating that they are still necessary, if people can actually think and choose for themselves than why we even need the FDA. (The sad thing is that there are enough dumb people out there that need this, but I believe it is against nature to nurture these people. Because natural selection is being denied) Enough dumb people in the world plus enough lawyers to represent every idiot equals father knows best types of thinking.
My response is more to Casey than to Jared, I think that people are only "dumb people" because they can afford to be. The moment you are expected to take care of yourself is the moment you begin to take control of the situation.
A sad situation I have seen develop over the past 10 years has been the underdevelopment of a young individual. I am much younger than they, but act much differently, he is 27 or 28 years old, has never had a drivers liscense, not held down a job for longer than 2 months and he hasn't had to. His parents have always given him whatever he wanted, driven him where he wanted to go, and even found fault with the jobs he got fired from (even excusing his verbal abuse to an elderly lady at a nursing home he worked at for a week). Kids who are not required to fend for themselves are not likely to take control. Now of course children are different from adults in cognitive capacity, but it has been clearly shown that we exhibit many of the same patterns as ezch other, only do so more complexly as an adult than as a child.
As society puts more responsibility on the head of the individual, the individual is more likely to take stock of the situation. Carfax is a private organization that charges consumers for information about used cars, and once you see someone be taken advantage of, you pay the money to find out the history of the car. You also take the time to take the car to a mechanic to check it out. People can be rational when they want to be.
With medications consumers are likely to go to a trusted pharmacist, private organizations are likely to spring up to handle the situation as they always do when dealing with an issue of value (such as buying and selling homes, buying and selling cars, or consumer goods.) The consumer goods organizations are often for things of far less worth than one's most valuable assets, you own health and work potential. People cannot remain stupid when they stand to devalue that asset.
What we see as we slowly let go of a child learning to ride a bike is that they began to peddle wobbly and fall a few times, but become more than what they ever could have been before we let go. If we allow the government to keep holding on we will never be able to meet our true potential either economically or personally. No more treating us as a child. Bye big brother.
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