See "Neighbors Helping Neighbors - Ballot Measure 39 Already Working"

The advocates of authoritarianism hit the small town, aiming to prove how progressive they are -- by condemning individual liberty. My comment at NWRepublican:

It sounds almost comical. Extreme harm for a small number of folks is OK so long as the greater good, in the eyes of some, is achieved.

I get a picture in my mind of many Chinese tunnel diggers getting blown up in the race to complete a Transatlantic Railroad. (Others may note other classes of folks that lost lots.)

Ahhh . . . the march of "progress." Or is that Economic Development?

It is just human nature to seize upon some opportunity to elevate oneself above the masses, via the tools of government.

If someone believes, like a religion, in the notion of the infinite resources . . . always held by evil others . . . then all is forgiven. (But the logic is flawed because the new owners would do nothing more than just make themselves the new evil others.)

A vision of the need to try to lock in rights of the individual, and it's inherent link to property (and wishy washy notions of liberty), could instead be viewed as an alternative measure of "progress." But some folks have no shame. The enemy lies within. The existence of evil others, in one's own mind, is all the excuse one needs to escape personal shame.

"I AM NOT EVIL" -- spoken like "I Get No Respect" -- but everybody else is, therefor I(we) must restrain everybody's evilness through the law.

It does sound a little like the very definition of insanity, as an excuse for lashing out at the liberty of other individuals. See this little quoted text attributed to Thoreau:

[QUOTE] Many, no doubt, are well disposed, but sluggish by constitution and by habit, and they cannot conceive of a man who is actuated by higher motives than they are. Accordingly they pronounce this man insane, for they know that they could never act as he does, as long as they are themselves. [UNQUOTE]

--pdxnag

I oppose monopoly (public or private) for the same reason I support small government. Perhaps I can call it insurance against the insane, or at least a method for limiting the harm that can be caused by the insane if they take power; which seems to be the norm.