Protecting the Foolish

Many government policies are intended to protect the foolish, though few politicians or bureaucrats would admit as such. Instead, they tell us that their policies are promoting or protecting the “public interest.”

In truth, there is no such as the “public interest.” There are only the interests of individuals, and individuals do not have monolithic interests. Some like Mozart and some prefer Jay Z. Some like ballet and others like baseball. Some go to parks and some go to malls.

Government policies ignore our diverse interests. In the place of our individual interests, government imposes a single interest to which we must all conform. Our individual judgment is usurped by government officials, and we must be subservient. If we cannot choose for ourselves, then we cannot make foolish decisions.

For example, occupational licensing is supposed to protect “the public” from incompetent service providers. Because some individuals may make foolish decisions when hiring a plumber, the rest of us can only legally hire an individual approved by the government to replace our faucet. Because some individuals might hire an auto mechanic to remove their gall bladder, the rest of us the rest of us must depend on the government to tell us who can provide routine medical care.

Or, because some individuals may market snake oil and the gullible will consume it, the rest of us can only take pharmaceuticals that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Even if we have a terminal disease, we must obtain the government’s permission to take an experimental drug. And it’s for our own good, because if we act on our own judgment we might foolishly take a drug that doesn’t work, and we will die. It’s much better to die while waiting for government bureaucrats to allow us the freedom to choose for ourselves.

No policy can prevent fools from doing foolish things. Ironically, the foolish are very clever at devising ways to be foolish, and all of the king’s horse and all of the king’s men can’t prevent that. Nor can politicians and bureaucrats. But they can prevent the rational from making wise choices and acting on their own judgment.

Occupational licensing laws prevent a home owner from legally hiring an individual she judges competent to replace her faucet. Food and Drug Administration regulations prevent an individual from considering all of the evidence in consultation with his doctor from taking a drug that might save his life. Government is an agency of force, and that force is frequently used to prevent us from acting on our own judgment because we might make a foolish choice.

When government attempts to protect us from making foolish choices, it is also prohibiting us from making rational choices.