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From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Evolution in Action
Message-ID: <1361@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Jul-84 07:33:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1361
Posted: Mon Jul  2 07:33:39 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Jul-84 04:33:29 EDT
References: <568@ihuxa.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 45

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle had an interesting phrase in one of
their books:  "Evolution in Action".

And here is a perfect example!  (NJ & Booze)

According to the EiA principal, we should drop the drinking age, remove
all highway speed limits, etc, because those who tended to get drunk
frequently, could not drive at high speeds, or whatever tended to kill
themselves.  Consequently, they had no more children, and any they already
had faced a harder situation.  (Remember EiA -> minimal welfare).

Bad for the individual, but very healthy for the society and species.

But this situation can be twisted, and may very well be in New Jersey.
(I don't know the state legislators, so I can't know for sure).

Imagine a group of individuals that can not survive unaided.  By EiA,
most of them will naturally die out (in fact, most would never make 
to America!).  But, suppose some of them discover that they can survive
off of the public legally: all they have to do is run for office!
Once in office, they try to enact laws to *force* others to help them,
against their (the others') interest, but legally required.  And some
of them (by EiA) succeed.  That resembles (externally) the situation 
in NJ today!!!!

People are held legally responsible for another & independent person
if they serve alcohol to them (hence the lawmakers are less likely 
to become drunk, and thus more likely to continue living); as one 
result the masses are being restricted from alcohol (witness the 
Garden State concerts) while the office holders retain their perks
(witness the Garden States Cocktail Party).

The more I think about this, the iller (?) I feel.


bruce giles
{decvax, duke}!ucf-cs!giles		university of central florida
giles.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay			orlando, florida 32816

P.S.  I support with EiA to a large extent, but not to the point where
I am willing to sacrifice the number of people killed by drunk drivers
in an attempt to kill them (the drivers) off.  I personally would still
prefer *no* minimum drinking age.  That alone will elimate most
teen-age alcohol abuse, but would need to be under 25 to see why.
(People over 25 generally look back on childhood with nostagia, not horror).