To me the key passage was this: I looked into his eyes, and realized, with overwhelming empathy, that this guy, who'd worked hard all his life, and who was a re

To me the key passage was this: I looked into his eyes, and realized, with overwhelming empathy, that this guy, who'd worked hard all his life, and who was a really good, conscientious fellow, was hanging by a frigging thread, and had lived his entire life with one foot in the abyss. No resourcefulness, no connections, no education. Crappy genes, crappy family. And none of it was his fault. He was truly doing his very best with what he had. The basic goal of trying to maximize individual liberty is certainly sound. But we have to remember that as a species we evolved as groups, not just as individuals. The evolutionary fitness of a group is in part a function of how well its members act as though they're all in the same boat, as opposed to every man for himself. (As just one example, a basketball team that works together will usually beat a squad of prima donna ball-hogs. See Robert Wright's book Non-Zero for more details in a popularized format.) In addition, we humans are inherently flawed -- to one degree or another: + We cling to easy answers, even when they're wrong. + We seek immediate gratification, ignoring the long-term downside. + We want to be free to do whatever we want and for "someone else" to clean up any resulting mess. (Think of the teen-aged boy who just drops his clothes on the floor, knowing that later his mother will pick them up. Or the banker that writes "liar loans" knowing the government will bail them out. Or the business that pours its waste into the local sewer system by night.) So we humans still need some regulation, with an eye toward the longer term.