'A Nation of Dodos' | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

'A Nation of Dodos' | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "But the liberal contempt for voters that is bubbling to the surface this year is actually reflective of something much more significant. The reality is that much of contemporary liberal policy is based on the idea that Americans are just too dumb or too venal to be allowed to make decisions about their own lives. They must instead rely on a benevolent, all-knowing government to make those decisions for them.

The new health-care law provides a prime example. Should people be able to decide whether or what kind of health insurance they buy? Of course not. They need to be coerced into buying the health-insurance plan that the government thinks is best. If you leave decisions about treatment up to patients and doctors, they will either go untreated or waste valuable resources. That is why the government needs to inject itself, substituting its judgment for that of doctors and patients."