- In 2006, it became illegal to ride in a car without a seat belt. Officers now have the power to stop a car just because they see someone not wearing a seat belt, and issue a fine to the "offender."
- Since 2006, all Massachusetts residents are required to have health insurance. This is a blatant violation of people's rights to choose how they want to spend their own money. I guess it didn't occur to the Legislature that in a capitalist country, the economy should be based on people choosing to buy the products and services that they want, not being forced to buy what the government thinks they should.
- In June of 2007, the Legislature killed a measure to allow the people to vote on whether or not to ban gay marriage. There goes the people's right to democracy.
- On September 1, 2007, getting a license became a lot harder for teenage drivers. Thankfully, the legislature didn't raise the driving age to 17 1/2, as some people wanted, but they increased training requirements from 6 to 12 hours behind the wheel at drivers' education and from 12 to 40 hours driving with a parent or other adult.
- A law went into effect on July 10, 2008, that requires all children under age 8 to sit in booster seats or car seats while in the car. Personally, I started sitting in the front seat of the car without a child seat of any kind when I was 4 or 5, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Forcing a 7-year-old to sit in a booster seat is ridiculous. The government has no right to tell people how they have to sit in their own cars.
- On July 31, 2008, Governor Deval Patrick signed the repeal of the 1913 law that prevents out-of-state gay couples from marrying in Massachusetts. This spreads gay marriage to the entire country and violates the rights of citizens from other states to set their own marriage laws.
- According to Exhibit A, the Senate and House passed a law that allows mothers to breastfeed their babies wherever and whenever they want. This means that it is now illegal for stores, restaurants, and other businesses to ask breastfeeding women to leave or ask them to stop. So much for the rights of business owners to set their own policies. So much for the rights of people who are uncomfortable around breastfeeding.
- In June, the state Senate passed a law that would ban kids under 14 from riding all-terrain vehicles, and require everyone who rides an ATV to wear a helmet. The House is in the process of discussing the bill.
Perhaps these laws have made the state safer, but collectively they have made Massachusetts a lot less free. The State Legislature seems to be slowly but surely shrinking the amount of things people are allowed to do, and that is not good. Governments simply do not have the right to ban things that aren't immoral and don't hurt other people.
Ronald Reagan once said, "I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves." I couldn't agree with him more.
