Comment by leereeves
21 days ago
But municipalities that chose to do so would be taking the choice away from each individual.
I don't know enough to form an opinion about whether Utah's new policy is good or bad, but it is clearly on the side of individual freedom. (of course that's not the only concern)
I would say that it's not on the side of individual freedom but the will of the state. It's easier to build a local coalition than a state wide one. Democracy has costs but they're usually lessened when you're going down to the local levels. Sure an individual may not get to choose everything (such as zoning laws) but zoning laws are best managed by the municipality and not at the state nor federal level.
Imagine if 70% of Salt Lake City wants this but can't because of people living hundreds of miles away. Not sure if that's a huge win.
> Imagine if 70% of Salt Lake City wants this but can't because of people living hundreds of miles away. Not sure if that's a huge win.
That 70% can use floride toothpaste or mouthwash. What happens to the 30% who don't want it in your scenario?
Democracies have costs. Unless you expect 100% of people to agree on everything, then you have to accept that the minority should accept certain outcomes. The smaller the group that chooses, the better the majority. The more likely that you personally will be able to make a change.
Local is better than State. State is better than Federal. If this was going from the federal level to the state, I would agree that it's a win for personal liberty. Unfortunately it's local going to the state level. If a water district of 100,000 people all want this, they simply can't do it. It doesn't seem fair that people who won't be impacted get to decide.
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