Thomas Hobbes (was Re: [PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] Mad SCO Disease)

gepr at tempusdictum.com gepr at tempusdictum.com
Fri Jul 2 19:14:16 UTC 2004


Russell Senior writes:
 > Jumping completely over to the litigation issue, I think what seems
 > like excess is the more-or-less natural consequence of the cut-throat
 > society, relatively speaking, we've got in this country.  Government
 > only meagerly protects people against the eventualities of injury
 > (through social security disability), and only meagerly protects
 > people from bad safety judgements through regulation, so it falls to
 > the individual to look out for themselves and seek compensation.  If
 > one is disabled, one starts to look around for how they are going to
 > keep themselves fed, clothed and sheltered.  If the government did an
 > adequate job of that, people might not feel the need to sue.

In principle, I agree completely with this.  And, in practice, I 
have _never_ seen an instance or situation where the government is
not deeply involved in everyone's daily life.

However, I can't help thinking that this type of government is not
the only solution.  Like Jeme and his laudable attempts to suggest
that there might be "another, more enlightened method" of existing,
I can't help but think that there must be a way that individuals
can get along and support each other without requiring the third
party and flawed concepts like emminent domain and forced wealth
redistribution.

Somehow, I continue to believe that all people are capable of good
behavior.  And even if they can't actually help their fellow man, they
can at least be compassionate when they do what they must do to
survive.  (I would probably apologize to the guy I needed to kill if I
had time... and I'd attempt to kill him in the most painless and
respectful way I could.)

But, the bottom line is that my _experience_ has shown me many many
more bad things about excess government than it has good things.  For
example, examine the WIC program.  It's _very_ nice, in principle, and
only a complete loser would suggest that women, infants, and children
shouldn't have their own organization looking out for their nutrition.
But, everyone I've seen who is on the program seems to be a lazy
breeder with no other skills.  What's wrong with learning to quilt or
something? [grin]

Now, _I_know_ that the majority of the participants in WIC are most
likely _not_ lazy breeder types.  But, what am I to think when that's
all the data I get?  Am I expected to have enough time and energy to
go volunteer in each and every charity I think is being exploited just
so that I can learn the truth about the depth of exploitation of those
charities?  Do I just trust the agencies like the United Way in believing
that their good people and will do the right thing most of the time?

Or do I invest heavily in oversight mechanisms that tax my wallet and
the earth's resources just as much as it would be taxed without the
organization?

These are the issues that make "government" subject to severe critique
and skepticism.

And, frankly, it is not fair to be labeled a wacko or anarchist when
you question these things just like it's not fair to call someone a
communist just because they believe in bartering and deep cooperation.

[grin] Of course, nobody claimed life was fair... So, may the loudest,
most obnoxious, most clever, smartest, most intelligent, richest, most
physically endowed, and most violent man win.... which brings us
_right_ back where we started.  And if those winners choose Hobbesian
government solutions, then that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

-- 
glen e. p. ropella              =><=                           Hail Eris!
H: 503.630.4505                              http://www.ropella.net/~gepr
M: 971.219.3846                               http://www.tempusdictum.com





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