First tell someone they can not smoke, next tell them what kinds of cars they can drive, then burn down car dealerships that sell Hummers. A movement is started against obesity and fast food. Following on those breaches of personal liberty, society begins to act like a religious zealot in the control of many other personal freedoms, irrationally as is the case of those that want to ban cigarettes.
The only point of disagreement I have with swarthyguy is that I view China has having more personal freedoms (not political freedoms) on a day to day basis than does the U.S.
>China has having more personal freedoms
Haven’t been there, but I would tend to agree with you based on other countries, mainly developing, where, unlike in the West, the degree of social, societal and behavioral control, all mandated and enforced diligently is far less quantitatively and qualitatively. The Chinese control political behavior, and we control individual behavior, albeit in the name of a greater good, and with probably as much zeal these days.
In China, Yahoo may snitch on you, but you can probably have a smoke in an internet cafe.
I think the precedent in the US has been set now, witness remote controlled thermostats being proposed in CA.
National Lights Out Policy, anyone.