Thoughts on forced evacuation.

[digitaldiscipline]

Elsewhere, it was suggested that forcing the remaining residents of the disaster that is New Orleans is the right thing to do. I disagree with this concept.

If people want to make unsafe decisions that could adversely affect their own welfare, they bloody well ought to be able to. If we take the stance that the remaining residents need to be removed, against their will for their own safety, to its logical conclusion, any potentially hazardous activity becomes illegal, from buying a beer to rock climbing. "We are the government, and we are here to protect you from yourself." No f'ing thanks.

The situation we have today, of mandatory safety legislation, frivolous lawsuits brought by people who, through their own stupidity, brought harm to themselves, is the beginning of this.

Darwin has failed us enough - let the stupid limit their own opportunities to breed. Legalize drugs, abolish helmet laws - but if you harm yourself, you waive your right to blame anyone else.

Freedom equals responsibility. I would much rather have both than neither.

Comments

[stompymink.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree with this more. If it hurts ME that you're that stupid, it should hurt YOU even more. Let those who put themselves into an emergency situation pay some surcharge; those who deliberately do so after being warned of the hazard should be required to pay the (standard) surcharge as well as the actual "Hazardous Duty" pay for each of the personnel who saved their sorry ass.

The saddest thing of all is that we no longer have any "frontier" to which to send the stupid. "You are no longer fit for society, please attempt to develop this arid/swampy/deadly-animal-infested/otherwise uninhabitable land. Hell, colonize the ocean."