"When a government becomes powerful, it is destructive, extravagant and violent; it is an usurper which takes bread from innocent mouths and deprives honorable men of their substance for votes with which to perpetuate itself." - Cicero
"Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is force." - George Washington
"In all that people can do for themselves, the government ought not to interfere." - Abraham Lincoln
"The most cogent reason for restricting the interference of government is the great evil of adding unnecessarily to its power." - John Stuart Mill
"The government's role is whatever the government defines it to be." - Helen Clark

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Fireworks

Can one baby suffering moderate burns really be the catalyst for banning fireworks across the entire country?

Sometimes I wonder if people realize that there are four million people in this country. A small to medium amount of enjoyment multiplied millions of times is a hell of a lot to give up to prevent injury and property damage to a small number. There was an article the other day suggesting that 1 in 5 New Zealanders health suffers significantly from alcohol use. These health scares are usually gross exaggerations but still, the cost/benefit analysis for banning fireworks is surely much worse than for banning alcohol.

Maybe the difference is that people who enjoy fireworks the most are not old enough to vote.