by Tho Bishop
Mises.org
That didn’t take a long.
Just a week after the launch of Poke’mon Go, politicians are considering legislation aimed at restricting its use. Villainous Team Rocket may not have been able to stop Pikachu, but they are mere amateurs compared to the State.
Politico reports that New York Assemblyman Félix Ortiz is concerned about the risk to public safety posed by players walking around streets looking for Poke’mon, or playing while driving. While it’s unfortunately true that some players of the wildly successful smartphone game have engaged in risky behavior, the greater danger is in allowing government to further regulate our behavior under the assumption they know what is best for us.
Such a proposal is particularly absurd given the national debate over the past week on the current state of American policing.