+++ "WOULD YOU PUSH THE BUTTON?" +++
Copyright 2000 Michael Cloud
"We didn't get into the War on Drugs overnight," said the talk radio
show caller. "And we won't get out of it overnight. It may take years
to wind down the War on Drugs."
"You may be right," I responded. "But let's try an experiment. If
there were a button in front of you, and by pushing that button, you
could immediately end the War on Drugs...Would You Push the Button?"
Ten seconds of dead air. Silence. Every talk radio host's enemy.
"Yes, I would," my caller said. "I would push the button."
"Why? Why would you push the button?" I asked.
"Because the War on Drugs is a failure. You can get any kind of drug
you want. Drugs are everywhere. Who's kidding who?" he answered.
Sometimes libertarians get caught up in arguments over transition
programs, over how to wind down and sunset destructive government
programs. Or how fast to phase them out.
Sometimes these discussions are important. Often they are not.
The "push the button" test gets to the heart of the matter. It clears
the air.
"If there were a button in front of you, and by pushing that button,
you could totally privatize Social Security, get it entirely out of
the hands of government, would you push the button?"
"If there were a button in front of you, and by pushing that button
you could immediately repeal all 20,000+ federal anti-gun laws,
immediately restore the right to keep and bear arms, would you push
the button?"
"If there were a button in front of you, and by pushing that button,
you could make the government so small it didn't need an income tax,
would you push the button?"
It's simple. Personal. Concrete. Memorable.
Here's the recipe. Ask the person who's uncertain:
1. "If there were a button in front of you, and by pushing that
button, you could immediately repeal/end/remove [government program
or law], would you push the button?"
2. If he says `no', say "Fine" or "Okay" . Accept and respect the
fact that he is NOT ready for freedom in this area today. Have a low
key conversation on the issue, but don't push. Pressure often
increases resistance and opposition.
3. If he says `yes', ask, "Why?" As Pascal observed, "We are
generally the better persuaded by reasons we discover ourselves than
by those given to us by others."
4. "How would things be dramatically different or better if you
pushed the button? What would be the biggest and best benefits?"
5. "How else would we directly and immediately profit from ending
this thing?"
If there were a question you could ask, and by asking that question
you could help people get to the core of their true commitment to
liberty, would you ask that question?
Would you push that button?