Kevin Drum is a Despicable Fucking Asshole

[Updates below.]

Radley Balko nails it:

Drum says this is a case of "pragmatism defeating libertarianism."

Y'know, I've been told that there was a time when liberals gave a damn about individual rights. I guess that time has passed.

There are all kinds of problems with the NY Times article, but let's assume for a moment that it's accurate. It's too bad that people like Drum will defend to the death what you're permitted to do behind your bedroom door (and rightly so), but they can't bring themselves to apply the same principles to permit a business owner to do what he pleases within the walls of his own establishment. Worse, they can't see the connection between the two.

It wasn't too long ago that Drum was bitching and moaning about an eminent domain case in which the state was snatching private property from some poor people to give to retail outlets in order to generate more tax revenue.

Well, here's a clue, Kevin: Either the state respects rights of property owners, or it doesn't.

Though it wouldn't take much on my part to dig up posts of Mr. Balko's in the past that cast unfavorable light on this support of rights-absolutism, he is on the right track here, especially near the end:

It's infuriating, really. An entrepeneur invests the resources, sweat, risk, and hours to start a business, then people like Drum come along -- people who didn't risk a damn thing -- and demand laws that force that entrepeneur serve them on their terms.

My take on smoking bans:

It's a gross violation of private property, self-ownership, and the freedom to associate. It says that within the city limits, you don't actually own your property because the Austin City Council can simply vote to say what can and cannot happen on your grounds. It says people cannot be trusted to make decisions on their own and the government must step in to fix things. It says all this and it gives a big Fuck You to the principle of personal responsibility.

UPDATED 5/9/2005 9:03am
The Additional Tyranny - The New Austin Smoking Ban Passes

UPDATED 8/30/2005 1:48pm
Deadline for the Austin Smoking Ordinance

Posted by Drizzten at February 08, 2005 05:17 PM