Poor Oregon. Not content to be one of only two states that still ban self-service gas stations, it may soon decide to limit to two the number of automated checkout lanes in a store. That would be the practical effect of the wordily named Grocery Store Service and Community Protection Act, a proposition that unions are pushing for the November ballot.

I love Oregon, one of the most beautiful states in the country. And I understand that cashiers are worried about their jobs. But the restriction is a bad idea, the latest in a long string of special-interest limits on shopping that have wound up in history's dust bin.

When we debate the wisdom of a limit on autonomy, the burden should always be on the side arguing for less freedom. So what's the case in favor of the restriction? According to Portland's ABC television affiliate, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said the unions took up the issue because they feel the self-checkout machines are part of a "deliberate corporate strategy" to reduce labor costs and eliminate jobs.