Apr 11, Writer: Some countries in West Asia and North Africa are undergoing turbulence.
This has been and remains the most fundamental question in all political discussions and debates. Its answer determines the nature of the social order and how people are expected and allowed to interact with one another — on the basis of either force or freedom.
The alternatives are really rather Politic and socity. Or it may be used to try to modify, influence, or dictate the conduct of the citizenry. In the first case, the government is assigned the duty of impartial umpire, enforcing the societal rules against assault, murder, robbery, and fraud. All human relationships are to be based on mutual consent and voluntary association and exchange.
The government tries to assure certain outcomes or forms of behavior considered desirable by those who wield political authority.
More government means increased government force We need to remember what government ultimately is all about. The Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises concisely explained this: The essential feature Politic and socity government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning.
Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom. He is treated as independent and self-governing; as long as he does not violate the rights of others he is sovereign over his own affairs.
He may choose and act wisely or absurdly, but it is his life to live as he pleases. If any of us — family members, friends, or just concerned fellow human beings — believe someone has chosen a path to perdition, we may try to persuade him to mend his ways.
But we are expected to respect his freedom; we may not threaten or use force to make him change course. Nor are we allowed to use political power to manipulate his options so that he does what we want him to do. Using taxation and regulation to induce conduct more to our liking is no less a political imposition than the sterner and more explicit police power.
The totalitarian systems of the twentieth century used the direct means of command and prohibition to get people to do what a Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or Mao wanted done.
Government control through choice manipulation Suppose an individual stands at a crossroads and is told he may choose which way to go. But in front of one of the roads is a government tollbooth that charges him a fee if he chooses that route; while in front of the other is a machine that dispenses a cash subsidy from the state, if the individual decides to follow that road.
The choice is his, but the tradeoffs he faces have been manipulated to influence his decision. In the s the French coined a term for this type of political control: Through the use of fiscal and regulatory powers the government could get people to do what the politicians, bureaucrats, and various special-interest groups wanted, all the while maintaining the illusion that people were freely deciding where to invest or work or carry on their business.
On the other hand, there is the use of taxes to induce less consumption or use of a product. A leading example of this is taxes on cigarettes. No, instead, they merely wish to influence and modify the incentives in society to get people to live and act in that better way, when if they were as enlightened as the government-advising experts those people would realize was the way they should and would live and act without the manipulation of the trade-offs people face in the marketplace.
Second, they unreflectively presume that they, even though mere mortals as like the rest of us, do not suffer from similar behavior, psychological and social shortcomings, and therefore are intellectual demi-gods sitting atop a self-positioned political Mount Olympus far above the common man.
Read the accounts of the ancient Greeks written 2, years ago by those living among the people of that time, or the words of advice on good and ethical living given by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, to his disciples and the political leaders of his time, also around 2, years ago.
It soon becomes clear that human nature, when compared and judged against some notion of a machine-like rational calculating device, appears to be stumbling, bumbling, and unfit for successful existence on this planet.Sep 25, · As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the nationwidesecretarial.com can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous.
Seems the jews like to claim that this practice is to help the healing of the wound from circumcision. However, circumcision is a barbaric practice that has people lopping off the heads of their baby’s penises all over the world for no reason.
The situation did not calm down until the British Government sent a police force of 16, with armed vehicles and arrested more than 1, people.
Such a scenario is the result of long-term political frustrations, an economic stalemate, and deep social contradictions, and these problems are typical in today’s Western society. Nov 21, · Social media positive for teens?
It just might be, according to a recent report, which says it can build self-confidence and improve relationships. This is the most educated generation in American history by both total degrees and share of college graduates.
But whereas education once seemed to promise an inviolable social contract—a degree. Humane Society Legislative Fund works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office.