Letter: Don't change law, persuade people
A Suffolk lawmaker has filed a bill to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in the county from 19 to 21, but concedes he expects "a battle for each and every vote." Credit: Charles Eckert
With every new law and regulation, lawmakers employ threats of fines and imprisonment to shape society according to their ideals ["Push to raise smoking age," News, Jan. 8].
Why don't they simply promote information to support their opinions instead, thereby helping people make better decisions for themselves?
More laws don't improve people's lives; they diminish liberty and increase oppression. The real motives of those who use a system of threats, fines and imprisonment to achieve their goals must be questioned. They set a bad example for a society that desires peace and liberty.
Eric Merz, Shirley
