"A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take away everything you have."

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

What part of "private property" don't you understand?

This is from my home state of Michigan. Some nitwit with too much time on his hands has proposed a bill which would require all gas stations in Michigan to provide full service for the elderly and disabled at no additional cost. (It might be Bert Johnson, although the article only mentions him as a supporter of the bill.)

This reminds me of the recently-passed anti-smoking law, which bans smoking in all Michigan workplaces, with a few types of businesses exempted. Both of these bills are "good ideas" for which "there ought to be a law". Also, both of these bills impose rules on the owners of private businesses. (I would bet that most gas station owners would be willing to pump gas for elderly or disabled drivers, even without a law mandating that they do so. What this bill amounts to, then, is an excuse for a politician to grandstand and appear "compassionate" without actually having to do anything compassionate himself.) If Bert Johnson cares so much about the elderly or disabled, then let him pump their gas.

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