Libertarian paternalism???
Posted by Richard on April 20, 2005
If "libertarian paternalism" strikes you as one of the most moronic (both the regular and oxy kind) phrases you’ve ever seen, you won’t be surprised to learn that it’s being promoted by some leftist busybodies who think that we’re suffering from too many choices and that the government ought to do us a favor and limit our choices more.
If you can stand to learn more about these horse’s asses, check out the sound thumping that Pejman Yousefzadeh applies in his new TCS column, Choice and Its Enemies.
I think Yousefzadeh is correct in suspecting that there are political reasons why certain psychologists, economists, and other academics are suddenly discovering that (a) most people are incapable of making good choices, and (b) having too many choices makes us unhappy. Yousefzadeh mentions Social Security reform, health care reform, and the school choice movement as policy areas in which the left desperately needs a counter-argument to the idea of more individual choice.
I wouldn’t be surprised if George Soros or the Tides Foundation funded the "studies" proving that we need fewer choices.
(HT: Instapundit)
James said
Please post fewer stories as I am distracted and upset by all the links and choices here.