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Economics‎ > ‎Choice‎ > ‎

Bans

What is a ban?

An official or legal prohibition:

Types of bans

You can ban...
  • Activities people do
  • Things people ingest
  • How people express themselves
  • Things people possess

Why are things banned?


“Look at the moral atmosphere today. Every-thing enjoyable, from cigarettes to sex to ambition to the profit motive, is considered depraved or sinful.. Just to prove that a thing makes men happy- and you have dammed it.”

   --  Ayn Rand

The reason why things are banned. People in power can't tell who will use them responsibly.
"I'm not Santa Claus. I can't figure out who's naughty and who's nice," he said. "So we went ahead and banned all of them."
Responsible users
  • If no-one uses a banned item, there is no need to ban
  • If everyone is responsible with the banned item, there is no need to ban
  • If everyone uses the banned item the ban will be repealed ban, or not enforced
Of those users that use the banned item, and are irreponsible
Harm and effects

  • If the banned item is harmless, why is it banned??????
  • If the banned item is voluntarily taken and only harms the user that should be the users choice
  • If the banned item harms others then there will be laws that do/should reflect that.
Banning is an archaiac Victorian attitude, that has very little relevance in the 21st century

Understanding?

"One of the least-understood functions of private property rights is that of determining who may harm whom in what ways."

Has banning ever worked?

Prohibition doesn't work

Banning things is a growth industry


Banning rectangle flapjacks - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-21923218
Subpages (4): Activities Animals Censorship Ingestion
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