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Comment by jplayer01 | Hacker News Reader

But...but freedom.

It's aggravating to see how many Americans think individual freedom should absolutely and automatically trump every other concern.

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I lived in Singapore for six years and then San Francisco for almost six years now, but seriously, I don’t feel US is any more “free” in any tangible ways. Maybe there are more “freedom” defined by laws in US but certainly not something that normal people will miss in daily lives. Also over focusing on “individual” freedom apparently won’t always align with the interest of the entire society and could eventually bring down the average happiness of individuals.

I agree. It's usually conservatives who use freedom as an excuse to argue against universal health care or to keep their guns. Instead, you're free to be bankrupted by medical bills, which I don't think is a better state of things.

It's aggravating to see how many people regardless of nationality would willingly trade away their freedom for some temporary gain and encourage others to do likewise. The next government can lay off all the litter picker-uppers but you won't get your freedom back in return.

Singapore has a net migration rate of 13.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population where the US only has 2.86 suggesting may more people find it an attractive destination than an area to escape from.

Some parts of the US restrict which color you can paint your house. That might seem like a huge negative for some, but plenty of people are fine with this tradeoff becase they care more for restricting the colors of others than they care about maintaining their personal freedom at any cost.

Expanding that to a wide range of similar issues may seem draconian, but it’s not without benifit. Which IMO is why Singapore does not have a mass exodus.

There’s more than one kind of freedom.

Sometimes I might seek the freedom to do whatever the hell I want.

Sometimes I might seek the freedom to not have to experience you doing whatever the hell you want.

Temporary gain? You mean improved quality of life? Hmmm. Let's see where the US ranks on any relevant metric compared to Singapore.

One can raise an eyebrow at a clean city that uses corporal punishment for visa overstays and the death penalty for drug offenses without being a radical libertarian.

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