Antibiotics

[Tim May]

On Friday, April 18, 2003, at 01:38  PM, Steve Furlong wrote:

> On Friday 18 April 2003 16:04, Tim May wrote:
>
>> I will make what some here will probably think is a totalitarian
>> sentiment: under extreme conditions, I support quarantine measures.
> ...
>> Though it is a serious step to limit a person's freedom to move about
>> on public property, this is one of the few cases, along with
>> imprisonment for criminal convictions, where it is justified.
>
> Another of the few powers I'd grant to the US Federal government which
> aren't spelled out in the Constitution is the ability to regulate the
> use of antibiotics. Careless use of them can lead to the development of
> drug-resistent bacteria, which adversely affects the whole population.
>
> I'd gladly trade increased governmental oversight of antibiotic usage
> for elimination of governmental meddling with drugs which don't affect
> anyone but the taker.

I don't have a strong view on antibiotics, but to expand on my 
quarantine point, I think the Founders would consider it ludicrous that 
"civil rights" arguments might be used to allow someone with typhoid or 
smallpox or (perhaps) SARS to walk around in public spreading the 
diseases.

This is why I support very limited government, so that true threats and 
true criminals can be stopped.

Let anyone drink themselves to death, smoke themselves to death (or 
even let their own property be used for smoking), shoot up drugs, have 
damaging anal sex the way the fags do, and so on.

But communicable diseases is/are one of the very few areas where 
"provide for the common defense" is eminently  applicable.

Again, provided there is no punishment aspect, no vengeance by the 
authorities aspect.

I support this, even though I am presumably far from being in danger of 
being infected, for the "Rawlesian" reason that I would want these 
kinds of measures without knowing in advance my risk of getting the 
diseases.


--Tim May
(.sig for Everything list background)
Corralitos, CA. Born in 1951. Retired from Intel in 1986.
Current main interest: category and topos theory, math, quantum 
reality, cosmology.
Background: physics, Intel, crypto, Cypherpunks