View Single Post
Old 08-22-2005, 08:20 AM   #8 (permalink)
joshbaumgartner
Insane
 
joshbaumgartner's Avatar
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alansmithee
I think he is only 110% correct. All that all these "rights" are doing is ensuring that we live in a dangerous society. If there is a possiblility for someone to make a wrong/harmful choice, someone always will make that choice, even when they don't have that right. When you are thinking about allowing someone to do something, you should always consider the worst possible outcome, and assume that's the one that will happen.
Of course people will make bad decisions, that is a given when one has free choice. If they don't have the opportunity to make mistakes, then they don't really have freedom. If people are allowed to drive, they will have accidents and people will die. If people are allowed to drink, they will get drunk and cause trouble. If people are alloed both, they will put them together, drink and drive, and kill innocent people.

But if we want a responsible society, we hold those who transgress accountable, but we don't take away rights for everyone. In a responsible society, people have the freedom to dictate the path of their own lives, and face the consequences of their choices.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alansmithee
Also, I see people here criticizing Coren because of his right-leaning views. What I've never understood though, is how someone will be criticized because of wanting to set limitations on what people have the right to do in social situations, but have no hesitation on placing limits on people's economic freedoms (as many in the left seem to want to do, through environmental regulations or higher/progressive taxes). To me it seems blatant hypocricy, but maybe someone can explain the doublethink for me.
First, I think folks have already said here that it is "not because Coren is a right wing nut, he's just a nut" (highthief), and right-wing, left-wing, or outer space, he has chosen a very slanted set of 'desired rights' that supposedly are being sought, couching a few controversial but legitimate isseues amongst an array of very extreme ones that most people would consider fringe.

That aside, you are putting up a strawman by asserting that anyone here is criticizing Cohen's social limitations while having no hesitation with economic restrictions. That is an attempt to play on a myth proposed by the right to misrepresent the left's approach to business and commerce. The simple fact is that almost every liberal I know is very concerned about ensuring that every person has the most economic freedom possible. I haven't seen anyone here promote the evisceration of economic rights, and certainly not 'without hesitation' as you proclaim.
joshbaumgartner is offline  
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73