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DesideriScuri -> RE: Fourth of July 2017 (7/4/2017 12:11:49 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tamaka
I don't know. I mean how many of us are there here as citizens of the US and we are willing to live like this everyday? What is right... what is wrong. How do we take care of everybody but not fuck up a system that allows people to progress if they really want to and are able/capable of it.
The issue isn't what you, any other US citizen, or I can do to fix the system (unless one of the aforementioned is an elected Federal Legislator, SCOTUS Justice, or US President). It's about electing legislators and Presidents who we think either can fix the system, or know the right people to fix the system.
But, before we can fix a system, we have to have a basis from which to build, don't we? I know it was linked before, but I'm going to link to an excerpt of Penn Jillette speaking to the Cato Institute.
I've transcribed the parts I find most relevant. The entire video is <9 minutes long, so feel free to take a listen for yourself and not just take my word for what was said. If you think I may have taken something out of context, or quoted it out of context, again, the video is there. Feel free to listen to it and make your argument as to why I was wrong.
quote:
“Do you think it's okay to punish people who have done nothing wrong?” And I said, no, even though I kinda felt somewhere in my heart it was a trick question.
And then [Tim Jenison] said, “Then why is it okay to reward people who have done nothing right?”
And he said, “'Cuz ... can't you see that you can't reward without punishing. They are the same thing.” And that shut me up for a little while. And then Tim started saying, “you know, you're so against force, you've never hit anybody in your life. You have been beat up. You've been in carnival situations that have gone badly. And people have hit you when you've not hit them back – didn't think it was life threatening. You are insanely peacenik, in terms of the way you see war and what the country should do. Why do you think it's so okay for the government to use force to get things done that you think are good ideas? “
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One really good definition of government, is, government is supposed to have a monopoly on force. They're the only ones who are allowed to use force legally. And then, we are supposed to be the government.
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So, in my morality, I shouldn't be able to tell anyone to do something with a gun that I wouldn't do myself.
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Would I use a gun to stop a murder? Yeah.
Would I use a gun to stop a rape? Yeah.
Would I use a threat of a gun, a gun to stop a robbery? Yeah. I think you kinda got to.
Would I use a gun to protect our country and our way of life? Yeah.
Would I use a gun to build a library? No. Do I think libraries are important? Wicked important! Really important! … Will I give my money to help someone build a public library? Yeah. Will I ask others to give money to help build a library? Yeah. Will I beg other people to give money to build a library? Yeah. Will I lie to people to get them to give money to build a library? A little bit. Will I use a gun to get someone to build a library? No.
If I had all the power, would I use a gun to accomplish all they want me to accomplish?
Imo, we need more legislators and Presidents who take this view of government (and are as peacenik as Penn Jillette).
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