Patri's Journal: Current
This is Patri's current journal. It is kept on LiveJournal as patrissimo, but you are reading the archived copy on patrifriedman.com.
In defense of alcohol (comment on this entry at LiveJournal)
Entry Date: 2004-07-01 08:38:00
Logged: 2004-07-01 08:40:55
Current Mood: recovering
Current Music: Pet Shop Boys-Very-The Theatre
A comic from Modern Drunkard Magazine about alcohol, which as we all know from Homer Simpson is "The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems". While alcohol certainly does cause some problems for society, like most subjects of moral outrage it gets over-vilified. And I find it quite believable that the cardiovascular benefits are a net gain. Alcoholism and cirrhosis are rare, while heart disease is very, very common.
Their rant about MADD is a typical story of how organizations grow and ossify, turning into entrenched power structures dedicated to their own interests. Responsibility In DUI Laws and Drinkers Against Mad Mothers are two sites trying to fight the power. For a lighter take, here's a flash game about walking-while-drunk.
One interesting note from the MADD stuff is that from the sound of it, the states are inclined towards much more sensible policies than the feds. Its easy for overzealous libertarians to just view all governments as evil and not differentiate as to degree, but the difference in responsiveness from the state to the federal level is very significant. This is one reason why I'm not sure how much impact the FSP will have - they are trying to fix the part of government that's least broken. I think their success at increasing freedom will be closely tied to how much they can prevent the enforcement of federal policies in NH.
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