[MrB]

What the "legislate morality" crowd doesn't get is not only that morality cannot be legislated, but it doesn't NEED to be legislated.

The simple libertarian philosophy of individual freedom and responsibility. Morality is based on thousands of years of trial and error by the human race. Living a moral life has fewer negative and more positive consequences than living an immoral life.

The problem is that our society has increasingly tried to insulate and absorb (make others shoulder) the negative consequences of immorality and poor choices.
Remove the societal absorption (safety net) of negative consequences, and you'll see people (within a generation) living a more moral and responsible life.

[serinde]

Living a moral life has fewer negative and more positive consequences than living an immoral life. ... Remove the societal absorption (safety net) of negative consequences, and you'll see people (within a generation) living a more moral and responsible life.

I agree with this. But can't you just hear the screams, "I didn't know it would be like this! Someone help me, save me!!!"

Whatever happened to plain, simple, common sense? For example, there were lots of ads last week about the police enforcing seat belt use. IMO, if someone isn't smart enough to use the seat belt, they deserve the harm they get in a wreck. If they can't take care of themselves, the police shouldn't have to do it. There are lots of other, more serious crimes they should be dealing with, not taking care of some idiot with no common sense.

[Exnihilo]

Remove the societal absorption (safety net) of negative consequences, and you'll see people (within a generation) living a more moral and responsible life.

You hope.

[dheretic]

Exactly. If you do drugs, you run the risk of doing irreparable damage to your body. If conservatives in this country would join with us in opposition to socialized medicalcare drug use would be much more dangerous than it is now. The safety nets encourage bad behavior. Drug use would drop sharply if heroin/cocaine/crack addicts were left to die on the street next to a hospital because the hospital refused to give a drug user free health care.