In these situations, liberal paternalists feel no qualms about taking control and forcing choices upon us (“Wear seat belts and enroll in the pension plan, and in the end you’ll thank me”). The criticisms of this attitude boil down to a simple question: “Who is better equipped than I am to make choices about my welfare?”
老式的家长主义者对这一点一直都很清楚。在这些情形中，自由家长主义者对控制并向我们强加选择并没有感到不安（“系好安全带参加养老金计划，最终你会感谢我”）。对这种态度的批评可以归结为一个简单的问题：“对我的社会福利，谁有比我更好的条件作出选择呢？”