Re: The Government's Response to Bullying Issue

                This past week, my colleague, Wolfgang Hanft wrote a commentary for his blog in which he argued that the actions taken by both state and local governments in response to the recent suicides of teen victims of bullying were a “step too far.”  He speaks to both the public and the government in hopes of convincing them that it is a “moral obligation” of “every adult” to be aware of and prevent this issue, but there is no need for governmental concern or laws that specifically address the situation.  In my opinion, the main argument of this commentary assumes first of all that every adult is willing to prevent or be aware of the issue of bullying, and secondly assumes that juveniles aren’t directly included in the persons recognized by the government to have an unalienable right to pursue happiness.  Hanft presents evidence that shows that the government has in fact reacted to the issue, but doesn’t present evidence that supports his main argument that government involvement is unnecessary or that it is mainly the responsibility of parents.  He concludes the commentary by agreeing that the situation is tragic, but “government involvement is not going to fix the problem” of bullying.  Although valid, the conclusion isn't logically sound because doesn’t address his primary argument.  His main argument wasn’t about whether or not the government’s involvement would fix the problem, but rather it said the government shouldn’t be concerned with the issue because it was the responsibility of the parents.  For that reason, as well as my disagreement with the assumptions made, this commentary made some valid points, but didn’t convince me or change my mind.  It remains my opinion that the right to pursue happiness belongs to all individuals, juvenile or otherwise.  Bullying impedes upon this right, and thus, the responsibility to address the issue belongs to the same government that recognized the right in the first place.  That having been said, any response or action taken by the government to improve the situation is by no means “a step too far”, but rather a necessity.