Effor

Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton was sentenced to 18 months in jail today.  I’m just wondering if the government might have anything better to do with our money than to spend time worrying about what an old moonshiner is doing.

Oh yeah, they could print more and bail out banks and autoworkers!

gk

Added later -

You know, this got me to thinking about why we even have laws against moonshine.  And why some states like Tennessee don’t allow liquor sales execpt in certain establishments.  And why states seem to think it’s ok to gamble – as long as you do it via the government lottery.  God forbid you should bet $5 on the Super Bowl or have a NCAA bracket at the office.

Government should have no say in this type of thing.  Why do they pass laws that are only designed to protect me from myself?  I’m an adult – let me choose how to spend my money.

I guess that’s why I’m a libertarian.  Note that I didn’t capitalize the “L”.  That’s because I’m not a member of the Libertarian Party, I simply think that we need to return to the principles which made this country great – individuals doing as they see fit to do – without big brother protecting me from myself by saying I can only gamble here, that I can only drink there, that I can only open a business if I have this license, etc, etc, etc.

Leave me alone!  If I force someone else to do something, then – and only then – have I broken a law.  But if someone buys a gallon of moonshine (or an ounce of pot, a lottery ticket,  a kilo of cocaine, etc) from me of their own free will, I’ve committed no crime.  (I know I have according to the laws we have today, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s right!)

When you buy something, you’re making a free will decision.  You can buy it, you can buy it somewhere else, or you can decide not to buy it.  No one is forcing you to do anything.  But when the government says “this you must do” or “this you must not do” or “this you must buy here” there is normally only one reason – money.

The government wants their cut via taxes.  That’s the only reason 50% of the laws in this country are on the books.  How about just having a flat sales tax and legalizing all the other stuff?  As long as you pay the sales tax, you could buy shine, pot, coke, or even a prostitute.  Assuming both parties are over 18 (or twenty-one, pick an age when you’re considered to be an adult and stick with it) there’s no problem.  You made a decision, you deal with the consequences.

But if one of those consequences is that you can’t feed your family, I’m not going to do it for you via the government.  You can ask for help from your friends, neighbors and relatives – but if they have a brain they won’t feed your family either.  It’s Darwinian natural selection at work.  You won’t pass on your “stupid” gene to another generation and so we’re all better off in the long run.

Bet this pisses someone off!

gk

Filed under: Economy, Political, Uncategorized Tagged: | libertarian, moonshine, mountain dew, Popcorn, shine, stupid laws