Obama’s Regulatory Chief Believes in Paternalistic Government
Your argument against Sunstein’s arguments assumes that the majority of American’s are intelligent and rational. I’m not quite convinced that this is true.
Perhaps the majority of people really do need government to be a parent, who will show them the proper direction, while leaving them free to choose another direction.
Dr. Hsieh’s main point is not contingent upon how many “Homer Simpsons” there are. Even if the majority of people needed a “nudge” because they are too stupid to live, it is still morally wrong and politically dangerous for the government to arrogate that role to itself.
The emphasis on stupid people is a pretty big clue to the contempt that paternalists of all stripes feel for people at large.
The point of liberty is not to accomodate the Homer Simpsons of the world, in any case. The point of liberty is that everyone gets what is coming to them. Those of us who do things right, should be free to keep the results; those of us who are irrational — the same.
Or to put it in terms that are familiar in the current situation: privatize profits, privatize losses.
