tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post951486586731829715..comments2023-11-02T15:32:15.417+00:00Comments on Bluematter.: Ban less, tax moreUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-67343151553245677062007-09-06T20:51:00.000+00:002007-09-06T20:51:00.000+00:00Simon Clark - thanks for the suggestion, it sounds...Simon Clark - thanks for the suggestion, it sounds interesting and I will have a look!<BR/><BR/>Anonymous 1 - no-one is going to compensate you for getting lung cancer from passive smoking: the compensation refers to the (extremely small, really) risk of getting lung cancer, as anonymous 2 points out.<BR/><BR/>ns - thanks for a thoughtful comment. For the record, I smoke, Indifference Merv doesn't :) I don't agree with you on 'policy parenting' for adults, but that's a huge issue I won't go into now. On the distinction you make about 'life-threatening' and 'non-life-threatening' externalities, how about taxing people that smoke and polluting factories and investing the money in cancer research? Or safety on public transport? More police? Free vaccinations and health-care more generally? You get the drift...datacharmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07879072575647501066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-28973549582854549922007-09-05T11:07:00.000+00:002007-09-05T11:07:00.000+00:00"Life threatening" negative externalities perhaps ..."Life threatening" negative externalities perhaps need to be dealt with by a more benevolent "macro" approach than that suggested by Datacharmer and Indifference Merv (both of whom i suspect are heavy smokers themselves). For example, left to purely economics (i refer to relying on people imputing a price to their "perceived" discomfort) i suspect that it would be possible for greenhouse gases spewing factories in vast parts of the world to monetarily compensate the general population with the level of gases still above "optimum". Of course the analogy is an exageration but i hope it would still bring home the point that sometimes in view of the fact that not everyone can be trusted to be healthy, wholesome, happy individuals, some amount of "policy parenting" becomes essential. You may argue that this is tantamount to saying that individuals dont know their own good or bad. But i'd still say that the Freedom to Choose a healthy lifestyle and to LIVE by the less cynical and more hypochondriacal of us is a stronger case For the ban. After all there is nothing if there is no life - neither a smoke in the pub nor a smoke in your room.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-33472244383416697782007-09-05T10:26:00.000+00:002007-09-05T10:26:00.000+00:00Which just goes to show that all these bans are po...Which just goes to show that all these bans are political manouevres rather than economic ones. And since they seem to work (e.g. fox-hunting ban attracted spiteful left-wing support for labour) they're not about to stop.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, would you allow yourself to be compensated for the very low risk of contracting lung cancer?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-35658442605534350922007-09-04T16:39:00.000+00:002007-09-04T16:39:00.000+00:00I don't think any amount of money can compensate m...I don't think any amount of money can compensate me for getting lung cancer from passive smoking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-27364866966510152542007-09-03T20:45:00.000+00:002007-09-03T20:45:00.000+00:00Have you ever read Freehold by Michael Z Williamso...Have you ever read Freehold by Michael Z Williamson? It's a science fiction novel set in the distant future on an ex-colony of earth (the only one to declare independence) called Freehold. There is almost no government, and there are no prison sentences. Instead, criminals must compensate those they harm and if they cannot pay then they become endentured until they have paid off the debt. An interesting concept.Scott Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03189076390204673741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6048425.post-12166811614659915252007-09-03T13:40:00.000+00:002007-09-03T13:40:00.000+00:00Datacharmer good to have you back (though indiffer...Datacharmer good to have you back (though indifference merv was great too)!<BR/><BR/>My place of work won't let me look at the beautiful place you have been too- I'm wishing they would tax my time looking at non-work related sites rather than ban it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com