SEEKING FREEDOM

To the Editor: Imagine you could raise your child in an environment where he
could never choose wrong. If you shielded him from every temptation to hurt,
to steal or to harm himself, would that be good for him? What kind of person
would he grow up to be? What would become of him when at last despite all
your efforts, he meets the unexpected temptation? This person would grow up
to be a moral weakling.

I see the nanny government trying to make the difficult choices for people,
trying to shield them from the consequences of making bad decisions. If a
person chooses to be a drunk, unable to work, the nanny state cares for him,
protecting him from the serious consequences of his choices.

The government is trying to remove the option to make bad choices in the
first place. An example is the "dry counties" in Texas. A moral choice
cannot be made when there is no choice at all. People may have a good reason
for drinking. A glass of wine has been shown to improve heart health. The
person to determine what is best for his life is the individual himself.

Another example is marijuana. My father lives in constant pain and is
wasting from lack of appetite. Marijuana would help with these conditions
and others such as glaucoma. I know my father to be the type of person who
wouldn't abuse drugs, yet he is forbidden to use this drug. He is the person
who should make this choice, not politicians who've never met him and know
nothing about his life.

I'm not writing this just to complain, I'll do my utmost to change these
types of laws, to encourage people to wean themselves from the nanny state.
. I want freedom in this lifetime.

Kat Dillon