Let Nanny get that

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Aaron Everitt posted this article on Mises.org, outlining the false sense of security we get because the government pretends to be an overarching protector of our safety.

• Coal miners go to work with an artificially bolstered confidence simply because there is a Mine Safety Administration monitoring their situation. Deep-sea oil workers have misguided confidence in their equipment because the derrick they are on recently won an award for safety from the federal government.

and

• Instead of spending time on adapting their product to the desires of consumers, homebuilders are busy adapting their homes to the code. Innovation is the victim. Most homebuilders don't have the staff to introduce innovative plans while also ensuring that they keep up with code.

I certainly agree with this. We now simply buy baby cribs with confidence because the government is "on the job" making sure they are safe. Well, meeting government standards and building safe products are two different things, and we should never confuse them.

I've read where air bags and seat belts an baby seats and anti-shatter glass, and a number of other things that came ostensibly out of government mandates have increased the likelihood of risky driving. Why not? The message is the government is keeping us safe. We no longer have to do it for ourselves.

Tune in next year when people stop worrying about their health because Harry Reid is going to give them a free kidney anyway Or buy all the sub-prime debt you want because government is here to bail you out.

I don't know what ever happened to personal responsibility, but it no longer seems to be the least bit necessary in order to function in this society. All we have to do is vote for a president who will fill our drug coverage donut holes, not leave a child behind, heal our planet, and spread the wealth.

If you ask me, it's far more risky to farm out any of your personal safety choices to government, than to watch for yourself, because at the end of the day, there's very little difference between Nanny and Big Brother.