After my recent talk to Houston Oasis, an audience member expressed his disgust with developers who cut down trees to develop the land. There should be a law, he said, to stop them from doing so. In other words, he didn’t like the actions that others are taking, and he advocated using brute force to change their behavior. Unfortunately, this attitude is widespread.
As one example, Progressives Regressives don’t like people using fossil fuels, so they issue clean energy mandates, subsidize solar panels and electric vehicles, prohibit the construction of pipelines, seek to ban gas stoves, along with a litany of other coercive measures. Regressives don’t like the actions that others are taking, and so, they advocate using brute force to change the offender’s behavior.
As another example, conservatives don’t like how some people are using the Internet, and so, they propose using anti-trust laws against Big Tech and outlawing pornography. They don’t like how others are using their websites, and so, they advocate using brute force to change the offender’s behavior.
Both Regressives and conservatives believe that if someone is doing something that they don’t like, the solution is to use the coercive power of government to change the offender’s actions. There should be a law, they both proclaim, to proscribe or prescribe an individual’s actions.
The result is a steady progression of rights-violating laws. Whether those laws are promulgated to advance Regressive values or conservative values, the individual is subordinated to the State. The individual is forced to conform to the values of others.
Examine nearly any political issue and you will find one side, and often both, advocating the use of force in one form or another. If the rent is too high, force landlords to charge less. If businesses won’t pay a “living wage,” force them to pay more. If a developer wants permission to build an apartment building, force him to offer some units below market rates. If social media exhibits a bias against conservatives, force them to adopt new policies.
When we don’t like how others are acting, we have two choices. We can attempt to change their actions through reason and persuasion, or we can punch them in the nose. We can recognize their right to act as they judge best, or we can compel them to act as we judge best. Sadly, the former is becoming increasingly rare, and the latter is becoming the standard operating procedure.