I was published in the March 2009 issue of Liberty Magazine with a reflection titled “Banning Bad Luck.”

In the piece, I discuss the death of a young gas-station attendant in British Columbia who was struck by a driver fleeing without paying for fuel. His parents subsequently campaigned for a regulation requiring customers to pay before filling their tanks.

While recognising the tragedy and the parents’ suffering, I question whether the government should respond to an extremely rare event by imposing another rule on everyone. The reflection considers the limits of regulation and the attempt to fine-tune ordinary life by legislating against exceptional misfortune.

The piece appeared in the Reflections section on page 9 of the March 2009 print issue.

Read “Banning Bad Luck” in the March 2009 issue of Liberty Magazine (PDF) →