A man on a crusade can make a difference. As an example, consider the banning of lawn darts. In 1988, the Los Angeles Times reported:
David Snow, the Riverside father who has spent the last 18 months running a one-man campaign against the lawn dart–the metal-tipped toy that killed his young daughter–won another victory Friday when Congress passed legislation to ban the sale of the toy.
Many would consider Snow’s crusade admirable. They would applaud his tenacity to prevent similar tragedies from occurring. But there is more to the story.
In the spring of 1987, Snow bought a combination set of several outdoor games. He did not know lawn darts were included and did not see the small hazardous-to-children warning on the package, which is required under federal law. His 7-year-old daughter, Michelle, was struck in the head by one of the darts thrown by another child and died several days later.
Let us consider what this means. Snow bought a product, but did not examine its contents. He did not pay attention to a warning on the lawn darts. And, apparently he did not supervise the young children who pulled the game out and began playing. Based on the above, several times he failed to act in a manner that could have protected his daughter. In response to his own actions, he then spent eighteen months getting lawn darts banned. In other words, the makers of lawn darts were held accountable for Snow’s actions (or lack thereof).
One man on a crusade can make a difference. In this case, one man succeeded in having a popular game banned–according to the Times article, 1.5 million sets were being sold each year. In order to “protect” children from careless and inattentive parents, one man succeeded in imposing controls and restrictions on millions of adults. Those who made such games had a portion of their livelihood declared illegal, and those who enjoyed the game could no longer purchase it.
Certainly, no decent person wants to see children injured or killed, much less by a lawn game. But “protecting” children by shackling adults is both impractical and immoral. And, those “protections” soon become shackles on those children as they grow older.
Snow’s story is not unique. We routinely hear of busy-bodies who suffer some tragedy and then launch a crusade to “save” others from suffering their fate. And virtually every time, that crusade means more laws, regulations, and controls. They believe that, if only there were a law, tragedies can be prevented. When dozens of others are doing the same, the result is a growing list of restrictions, mandates, and prohibitions.
One man on a crusade can make a difference. He can write the Declaration of Independence and defend the moral right of each individual to live his life for his own happiness. Or, he can write laws that prohibit individuals from acting as they judge best and impose his desires upon an entire nation.