It was just the lesser of the two evils, IMO.
I think that is a false paradigm. I don't see two evils here. I don't see the authority, even if there was an evil, for 3rd parties to tell anyone how to live their own life.
What is the solution then? You can't tell me that he and his organization weren't at least broaching some questionable issues. I don't have a problem with people turning a profit over stuff like this I just think everything needs to be clearly disclosed and there should be strict guidelines to adhere to...maybe modeled after the business of Funerals homes?
If you believe there is a market for disclosure (and I do), people could open up ratings agencies that earn commission on referrals or finders fees from people who want to be offed. People could social network, and expose firms that do not operate in an above board manner. So much of what we do every day is handled publicly, voluntarily. Jumping straight to the government using guns, directed by the most corrupt and loathsome human beings ever (politicians and bureaucrats) to do good, just seems so, counter-productive.
I really think that there are MASSIVE entrepreneurial opportunities to create ratings groups and networks online for hundreds of product and service offerings. People trust government less and less, and get more of their information from their peers and social groups. The capacity to virally communicate important information online rivals the ability of the state to announce emergency info, and in some cases, even exceeds the expensive bureaucratic mechanisms that have been in place for decades. If a War of the Worlds type thing happened today, it wouldn't be on radio, but on Twitter or Facebook. Because the audience can participate, unlike radio, a modern day War of the Worlds hoax would be debunked before anyone could commit suicide over it.
With regard to regulation and state power,
The issue is always self-ownership. When we start to regulate *anything* voluntary, we are diminishing freedom.
We live in an unsafe world, nothing is guaranteed, and every moment has risks. That's a fact of objective reality.
We can't legislate away risk for security without undermining and trampling our fundamental liberties to take risks in our own interest, for our own happiness and prosperity. There is no "one rule fits all" or "perfect planner" for everyone. Advancement as a society is contingent upon people trying different things, some failing, some succeeding.
Licensing, regulation, taxes, positive law, all hinder and diminish the process of social evolution.
