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Of course they are not unavoidable, they are just a lot likely to happen when you go skiing than when you don't. The problem with socializing risk is that you
by mseebach 14y ago
Of course they are not unavoidable, they are just a lot likely to happen when you go skiing than when you don't.
The problem with socializing risk is that you get the tragedy of the commons when some people choose to take high risks (skiing is definitely in the moderate end of "extreme sports") and pass off the risk to the "commons".
In Denmark, where health care is socialized, the argument that "society is justified in regulating activity X because we will pay for your hospital stay if/when it goes wrong" is absolutely a part of political discourse. Unhealthy foods, not exercising enough, smoking, mandatory bicycle helmets etc., it's pretty universal.
- pyre 14y agoI don't see mandatory bicycle helmets as a good example of 'government overreach.'
- cmircea 14y agoWhat, it's bad they're actively campaigning against smoking and unhealthy foods and for having regular exercise? Are you kidding me?!
- pyre 14y agoI think that 'bad' part is that these things may be mandated by law, which limits freedom.
- mseebach 14y agoPartly that, partly that the motivation is that the government justifies the law by the expected savings in other places (healthcare). This boils down to the fact that, because the government has promised to "repair" you if you "break", it also has a right to "perform maintenance" on you as it sees fit. Even less palatable is the argument that healthy long living citizens spend more time on the labour market, generating more tax revenue.