BCT Editorial – 9/30/08

This page was last updated on September 30, 2008.

Risky business; Editorial; Beaver County Times; September 30, 2008.

The editorial subtitle is “To what extent should people be protected from their decisions?”

Let’s look at the following excerpts.

“If you knew that someone would bail you out of trouble and that there would be no consequences for your irresponsibility, you’d probably become quite daring.

“That pretty much sums up what we’ve seen of late — risk-takers being insulated from the consequences of their decisions.

“What makes the present situation so dire is that the U.S. economy is getting clobbered. Encouraging people to take risks while not overdoing the moral hazard thing will not be easy. However, if we’re to have a healthy economy, that balance must be found.”

I would say this editorial is amazing given the Times editorial body of work, but that same body of work makes this editorial nothing new. Keep in mind the Times supports just about every government program that comes down the pike, and most of them “insulate [people] from the consequences of their decisions.” Just a few of those programs are Medicaid, Medicare, Socialist Security, SCHIP, welfare, et cetera.