Paternalisic Laws
A paternalistic law is an interference with a person's liberty for that person's own good. An example of a paternalistic law is the law that says: all people must were seatbelts when riding in the front seat of a car. According to John Stuart Mill in his essay "On Liberty" a problem occurs when the government enforces paternalism. This form of paternalism is called legal paternalism. If legal paternalism is present in a society then that society might end up with a controlling majority so that the majority will impose their will on everyone. Mill would not agree with the seatbelt law because when the law is broken no one is harmed, and even if the seatbelt is necessary it can only help the person who can potentially break the law by not wearing it. I do not agree with the law I do not want my freedom taken away from me by anyone, and especially not the government. The law, which says that all people who sit in the front a car must wear a seat belt, is an example of a paternalistic law. This law is paternalistic because it is making people do something, and interfering with people's liberty. The government is looking out for people when it makes them wear a seatbelt, and the government is protecting i
I do not agree with the law that forces people to wear seat belts while riding in the front seat of a car. The government makes laws to protect people from other people, and anything more than that takes away from our freedom. This law only protects the person who wears the seatbelt, and if they do not obey the law then no one is hurt except himself or herself. Wearing a seatbelt is a good thing to do, but there should not be a law for it. People can make their own decisions, and some people in making these decisions put themselves in danger. It is not the governments place to protect everyone who puts him or herself in danger, but it is their place to stop people from putting others in danger. Instead of using money to take away from our freedom by enforcing the seatbelt law the government should use the money to educate people about the subject. The government should use money to warn people that not wearing a seatbelt is dangerous and sometimes lethal. I am sure that if more people acted on my opinion concerning the government's use of its money in a better way rather than enforcing the seatbelt law then our society would be much happier. Instead of using money to take away from our freedom by enforcing the seatbelt law the government should use the money to educate us about the subject and why we should wear one. Many people do not even know why they cannot do some things and this causes them to do them. In most cases if a person knew why and the effects of their actions then they would not do them. If more education were available about laws and why they are enforced then more people would start to understand the government and why it does what it does. After an understanding is made between the people and government less crime will be present in every aspect of our society. Once educated about the effects of wearing a seatbelt many people will form their own opinion on whether they want to wear one or not. A paternalistic law is an interference with a person's liberty for that person's own good. An example of a paternalistic law is the law that says: all people must
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1418
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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