More History, Not More Legalism

Lawyers will enjoy discussing whether states, communities, or the federal government should have primary jurisdiction over marijuana laws in particular or over social issues in general. But as a non-lawyer I look elsewhere. I look to the question: Is our society a society for the moral upbringing of our people, or is it a society for the freedom of the individual? In other words, are we followers of Locke or of Plato? Not what you expect, I suspect.

A society seeking to inculcate morality cannot be liberal. A liberal society cannot really have a moral purpose. A society seeking morality as a goal also cannot put individual freedom above everything else; it would put what is good above everything else. All our disputes over social issues have to take this into account, whether it be abortion, contraception, education, or socioeconomic policy. I doubt many are willing to do this. It can be painful; it certainly is not what people seeking their own freedom want to think about. But, please DO THINK ABOUT IT.