From: hal@finney.org
Date: Thu Jun 14 2001 - 10:43:19 MDT
The progress in dealing with the environment is encouraging and welcome
news. But those of us who favor individual rights must face the fact that
this progress was generally achieved only through coercion. People did
not clean the water and air, and begin protecting endangered species,
through voluntary actions. The gains were made only by passing laws
forbidding pollution and harming endangered animals.
Success in achieving protection goals doesn't mean that we can eliminate
the laws that have brought those goals about. When we support and
celebrate this positive progress, we are supporting the laws which
brought us here, laws which infringe on individual freedom.
It's appropriate to emphasize the need for factual understanding of the
current ecological situation, in order to counter the exaggerations of
the eco-fanatics. But to be honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge
the facts about how we achieved these gains.
Hal
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