Mandating behavior

We have all at some point in our lives said "If I were the king of the world I would do ...". Some people I have heard lately would like to mandate some kind of behavior by the force of law. They range from creating a shorter work week, to mandatory single payer health care.

I of course don't agree with most mandated behavior schemes but let take a stab at some that I would do just as hypothetical and just for fun. (Hypothetical because this slaps at the face of liberty which I believe to be the most cherished thing we have and is eroding enough already.)

1. Mandatory economics lessons for poor people. If more people doing understood how supply and demand worked they could better lift themselves out of their situation. I hear from liberals all the time "I understand supply and demand, but you don't understand that people are suffering". If they truly understood it, they would understand why people are suffering. This of course does not include people unable to work for medical or mental problems. I am speaking about able bodied people. This would also introduce the concept of trade offs to people who believe it is their right to always be happy with little of no effort.

2. Poor people, white and black would be forced to talk to people who have come from their situation and made it. Blacks could talk to Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Larry Elder, Condeleeza Rice or Clarence Thomas. Poor whites could talk to Bill Bennett, Michael Medved, or
many others who rose from poor beginnings to become successful in their fields. This would encourage people to not get bogged down in problems but look for solutions.

3. Any time someone attempts to speak for a group, would be made to sit down and shut up until they can prove they have polled the entire group and they want this person to speak for them. Since that will be impossible for religious and racial groups they would be forced to admit they speak for their own self interests and if it happens to help the group they are happy. This is admirable and honest.

4. When politicians argue that higher minimum wages will help poor workers, they will have to pay those peoples salaries when their jobs are eliminated. Economic studies have continually learned that mandating higher wages than the market would allow causes those jobs to be eliminated eventually.

OK none of these will happen, nor should they. I am just hoping to inject some common sense to some endless debates that interest me.