A new poll by Harris Interactive/HealthDay presents some pretty troubling findings.
The poll dealt with the public’s opinion of laws designed to either protect individuals from hurting one another or laws aimed at protecting individuals from hurting themselves.
In terms of laws that fall under the first category, 91 percent supported “banning texting while driving,” 86 percent supported “requiring the vaccination of young children against mumps, measles, whooping cough, TB, polio and other diseases,” and 80 percent supported “banning smoking in restaurants and other enclosed public spaces.”
For the proposals mentioned above, it can certainly be argued that banning or regulating these behaviors can protect public safety. Although, the proposed ban of smoking in restaurants might confuse respondents because it does not say who does the banning — the government or the restaurant itself.
Clearly, though, by these results, respondents believe the government should play a large part in protecting us from doing things that might hurt others.
When respondents were given the statement, “People should take personal responsibility for their own actions and be free to make their own decisions, even if they suffer as a result,” 81 percent either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement.
So, when given the option to ban or regulate actions that would prevent individuals from hurting themselves and not other people, one would expect that respondents would overwhelmingly disagree with those proposals.
Surprisingly, however, that did not occur.
Eighty-six percent of respondents supported laws “requiring drivers and passengers in the front seats to wear seatbelts;” 82 percent supported laws “requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets;” 73 percent supported “requiring bicyclists to wear helmets;” 68 percent supported “regulations to reduce salt in packaged foods;” and 62 percent supported “banning the use of trans fats in restaurants.”
Obviously, not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt only puts your life in danger, but the same respondents who said we should take personal responsibility for our own actions and suffer the consequences if they make bad decisions believe the government should stop us from making bad decisions.
Do these people have multiple personality disorder, or were the questions just extremely confusing? Or are most Americans simply unsure of what they really believe?
Sixty-one percent of respondents believed that laws like the ones mentioned above were “turning us into a ‘nanny state.’”
So even though they believe those laws are turning us into a nanny state, a clear majority of respondents to this survey support those laws.
The American people are clearly confused on seemingly simple issues. Imagine their contradictory thoughts on health care.
