Interviewer: How do you see the proper role of government in its dealings with the individual?
Milton Friedman: The proper role of government is exactly what John Stuart Mills said in the middle of the 19th century: […] „The proper role of government … is to prevent other people from harming another individual. Government“, he said „never has any right to interfere with an individual for that individuals own good.“
If its in principle okey for the government to say „You must not consume drugs because they do you harm!“ – Why isn’t it alright to say don’t eat to much because it … can do harms. Why isn’t it alright to say you must not try to going for skydiving because you’re likely to die? Why isn’t it alright to say „Oh, skiing, that’s no good, that’s a very dangerous sport. You’ll hurt yourself!“ Where do you draw the line?
Dies als Gegenpunkt zum heutigen Vorschlag des BAG für ein Verkausfverbot von Alkoholika zwischen 21 und 7 Uhr.
Auch wenn der gute, alte Milt das Herz aller Liberalen höher schlagen lässt: Solange die Allgemenheit die externalisierten Kosten von Missbräuchen jeglicher Art tragen muss, steht eine Liberalisierung wohl kaum zur Diskussion.
