Subject:
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Re: Misperceptions of America (Was: Conversation w/ a LEGO Rep)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sat, 28 Aug 1999 16:13:03 GMT
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Reply-To:
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cjc@newsguy.com/spamcake/
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Viewed:
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1996 times
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Simon Robinson <simon@simonrobinson.com> wrote:
> many people making that point. I do remember a lot of people from the USA
> arguing that basically they didn't want to pay taxes for this because they
> didn't want to help the poor anyway. The main justification appeared to be
> the rather dubious assumption that if you're poor that must mean you're
> a scrounger and don't deserve to be helped -
> something for which no evidence was presented. When I cited possible reasons
> why someone might become poor through no fault of their own, everyone
> went strangely silent! So I
I remember some people coming up with bogus scenarios where people
might become poor "through no fault of their own" but there aren't
really that many situations in which one becomes totally broke through
no fault of his own.
What you probably ignored is the basic core of what a lot of us
believe - what's mine is MINE and what's yours is YOURS. I have no
right to your stuff, you have no right to my stuff.
Taking my stuff, either by force yourself or with the aid of some
governmental unit, is theft, pure and simple. I can probably deal
with a little theft to make sure the roads are ok, the police force is
well-staffed, ditto the fire department. Theft from me in order to
inefficiently "help" those who "through no fault of their own" are
poor is still theft. It's wealth transfer, and you seem to approve of
it, while a lot of Americans who actually *think* about things don't.
So please, don't start rewriting any past debates to make them sound
like we all just silently accepted any case you might have presented
in which people just suddenly become poor through no fault of their
own. That may happen, but I don't think you'll ever convince some of
us that simply because it does happen that justifies taking from one
person to give to another is morally right.
--
The pieces you want and nothing else - easy online bidding!
http://jaba.dtrh.com/ - Just Another Brick Auction
Sure, you could pay someone to run your LEGO auction.
Or, you could run it yourself for free:
http://www.guarded-inn.com/bricks/ (Still in beta)
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