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Aug 12, 2009 
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Once of the frustrations of being libertarian-minded is that people are so inconsistent about notions of freedom. Almost everyone is in favor of personal liberty and autonomy and limited government interference in our lives in the abstract. But when you get to the specific, people can rationalize all sorts of hideous state intrusion into our lives, so long as it matches their cultural predilections. And I’m not just talking about liberals railing about the war on drugs but welcoming nanny-state regulation, or conservatives railing about regulation while welcoming PATRIOT ACT nonsense.
Example of the day — 50% of Americans surveyed think that women should be legally required to take their husband’s last name when they get married. That’s some scary escape-from-freedom shit there. I have no problem with 70% thinking that women ought to take their husband’s name. They’re nosy assholes, but that’s their right. But the fact that 50% of Americans think that their government ought to regulate family nomenclature makes me shake my head and wonder just how self-evident it is that we are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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