What's Wrong with This Picture?

Here's the first post in (what may become) a regular series on this blog. I will post an item from the news and you tell me what's wrong with it -- preferably from a paleoconservatarian point of view. It may take some analysis, but you shouldn't have to over-think anything. One or two things should jump right out at you.

Here's an example:

Students turn a profit from candy sales

With candy sales banned on school campuses, sugar pushers are the latest trend at local schools. Backpacks are filled with Snickers and Twinkees for all sweet tooths willing to pay the price.

"It's created a little underground economy, with businessmen selling everything from a pack of skittles to an energy drink," said Jim Nason, principal at Hook Junior High School in Victorville.

This has become a lucrative business, Nason said, and those kids are walking around campus with upwards of $40 in their pockets and disrupting class to make a sale.

One thing that's wrong with this picture is that it is frighteningly similar to the failed war on drugs. It's an exercise in futility. By trying to crack down (no pun intended) on an "illicit substance," school officials have created a demand that probably wasn't all that significant in the first place. Even if it was, they now have a thriving black market that seeks to meet that demand, and "pushers" are getting rich as a result. In short, the authorities can't seem to learn from their mistakes, and "users" who aren't otherwise harming anyone else end up being treated like criminals.

Another answer might be that this is yet another example of a school sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. After all, teaching kids what to eat and what to avoid is the parents' responsibility.

See? Nothing spectacular. The main goal here is to get people to think about the bigger picture. Determining the broader implications certain stories can have helps us to better understand what we liberty-minded citizens are up against, what we need to change, and how we should get involved.

Now that you have the hang of it, we'll start things off with an easy one. So, dear readers, what's wrong with this picture?:

US clears merger of satellite radio firms Sirius, XM

The deal announced over a year ago between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio would create a company serving around 14 million subscribers.

The US Justice Department said a merger would not harm competition, saying a combined firm would not harm and may help consumers and competition.