ommon reason for a person not wearing a seat belt is because it is inconvenient. There is no gain in not wearing a seat belt. If a person were to smoke because it was inconvenient to not smoke, the same irrationality would be assigned to this person as is a person who does not wear a seat belt because it is inconvenient. In the seat belt case there is no value to not wearing a seat belt, that is where the irrationality lies. In this case, the choice is essentially made for the individual because in reality there is no real choice, just a misunderstanding. The individual does not understand that only bad can come from not wearing a seat belt. There is nothing to be gained, therefore, nothing is truly restricted from this person. In the smoking case, irrationality is waived because this individual is comparing two things that he values; smoking and his health. When it is understood that there are two meaningful values being considered, the government leaves the choice to the individual. Then, and only then, can he decide for himself on what he places a higher value.The final example that I will apply my conclusion to is that of gambling. The reason I believe that gambling should be legal is similar to the reason for which I believe smoking is rightfully legal. In each case, the government should not interfere because the individual has a right to make an independent decision when he has something to gain without incurring injury to others. Many people do win money by gambling. Although the chances are very slim, a person has the right to decide whether or not he will try to gain from gambling. Despite the fact that a person will most likely lose a large amount of money through gambling, there is something that can be gained as in the case of smoking. Both of these cases, however, clearly differ from the seat belt case in that there is nothing that can be gained in not wearing your seat belt. As you can see from the examples above, there a...
