One of the great conservative gripes about government interventionism is that it sucks the marrow out of the capacity for self-reliance. If the government tells millions of Americans that licensing is required for hair care, Americans begin thinking that people without government licensure will surely singe them to the bone. Now, Oregon has proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
This week, Oregon’s legislature voted to allow people in small towns to pump their own gas. Yes, in Oregon, laws on the books have forced you to allow an attendant to pump your gas, a bizarre fact I learned when I worked in southern Oregon. But now, liberty has been achieved: retailers in small counties can have self-service gas pumps, and drivers in most of those counties can pump their own gas. A few counties will still be forced to use attendants during daylight hours.
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