Children and Adults

Babies and children really can't take care of themselves; adults can. There is a real, absolute, concrete difference. Parents have a legitimate responsibility to care for their children. That sometimes means keeping the children from doing things that will harm them... often against their will. It is right to do so. Does your protection violate their rights and liberty? Does it violate the ZAP? Probably in the same way as pushing a person out of the path of a speeding stagecoach does. When your children are old enough or mentally aware enough to understand the principle, ask them how they feel about it.

Meddling political types often use the same rationalization when "protecting" adults from harming themselves. They claim to know better than the targets of their meddling. It doesn't matter even if they really do. Adults are not children and should not be treated as such. Adults have had years to learn how the world works; both physical processes and human interaction. If they somehow managed to avoid learning, that is their problem and should not be used as an excuse to interfere in the lives of the rest of us. Even the targets of the protective meddling could demand restitution from the state's agents for having their rights violated and for having force initiated against them "for their own good".

If, however, they enjoy being taken care of like helpless children, then as long as the state survives, let them. Just don't make anyone else pay for it or be subjected to the same stupidity. If they are still not smart enough to survive after the state is gone, at least they will improve the gene pool by removing themselves from it.

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