In most political "tests," I generally fall in the libertarian squares. But
there are a couple of very good reasons I have never joined the Libertarian
part.
1) I believe that he who benefits the most from society owes the greatest
obligation to society. This was the original premise behind the federal
income tax, which originally only taxed the 6 percent richest people in the
U.S.
2) I fully support all efforts by charitable organizations to provide
assistance to those who need it, but I do not believe charitable
organizations are a suitable substitute for government programs. The
government, in its ideal form, is an extension of society, of the people. As
a civilized society, we all share an obligation to each other's well being.
The government, as an expression of our societal bonds, has an obligation to
provide assistance to those who are unable to assistant themselves (I'm not
addressing, for the moment, abuses of any such system).
3) Given the above, some sort of taxation is necessary. And it is my moral
responsibility to pay my taxes.
4) Given my religious belief and my conservative notion that all people are
basically selfish, self-centered and flawed from the time of birth, then I
do not trust corporations (which are run by PEOPLE) or other individuals to
do the right thing all of the time. This is why we have laws, including laws
that regulate businesses and keep them, ideally, from polluting the
environment, exploiting workers and generally doing bad things to society as
a whole.
While I agree with many libertarian principles, especially as pertains to
individual rights, I cannot agree with many positions taken by the
Libertarian Party, especially as pertains to the points above.
And also, all but one of the Libertarians I have ever personally met (I used
to be very involved in politics as a profession), is a certified kook. That
tends to sour my view of the Libertarian Party as well.
H.
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Phillip Churvis [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2001 3:29 PM
To: CF-Community
Subject: Re: One Libertarian point of view?(Was Re:Legalist It)
> > If a human being is worth investing in, private enterprise will make
that
> investment
>
> In my opinion, events like Love Canal prove that business cannot be
trusted
> to make ethical decisions that support the common good.
I understand your point, Eric, and I'm not suggesting that corporations are
better than people, nor that they should be given a pass on such things.
Love Canal is a matter for the courts, just like any violation, and the
culpable party will be forced by the government to make restitution, as well
as the government can.
My premise is that private enterprise, not government, should provide
education, job training, and general support for someone in whom they see
potential.
And you are correct: businesses cannot be trusted to make ethical decisions
that support the common good. Nor should they-- it is not their job. Their
support of the common good comes solely in the form of jobs: everything
flows from employment. The only other burden they should have is to not
screw up the environment like what happened at Love Canal.
As far as ethical decisions, those can be safely left up to you and I making
them for ourselves. I know you personally, Eric, and frankly I am
impressed. I wish I had neighbors just like you. If the world were made of
people like you making ethical decisions for themselves, then the world
would be a truly ethical and responsible place -- the kind I dream about.
Respectfully,
Adam Phillip Churvis
Advanced Certified ColdFusion Developer
Productivity Enhancement, Inc.
The world's most advanced ColdFusion training:
-- Advanced Bootcamp for Database, Javascript, and ColdFusion 5
-- Advanced Development with SQL Server, Oracle, and ColdFusion 5
-- Advanced Scalability for ColdFusion 5 Applications
-- Advanced Graphic Design for Web Developers
Get more info at http://www.ColdFusionTraining.com!
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: 770-446-8866
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at
http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm
Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
