Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (16640)	6/13/2001 10:26:47 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

"The people" want the kind of government we have. And your basis for this is??? Our voting turnout is one of the lowest of "free" democracies in the world. Ask an average person, and they will tell you that they don't think they have much if any ability to impact what happens in Washington -- the special interests and big money have it all sewn up. Do "the people" want the number of laws, and lawyers, we have? Do "the people" approve of a government which allows collecting $3million because you were stupid enough to hold a styrofoam cup of hot coffee between your legs and, duh, got burned when it splashed out? Do"the people" like the way Congress runs, like gridlock in Washington, and think they're getting their moneys worth for the taxes they send to Washington? Do "the people" want a government that prohibits the use of medical marijuna? I don't know who your "the people" are. You lived and worked in the system for so long that it's natural for you to feel supportive and perhaps a bit defensive. I'm sure the British tax collectors felt the same way about the government THEY were serving. But your perception and my perception of what"the people" really want is quite different. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm right.

To: Lane3 who wrote (16640)	6/13/2001 10:40:37 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Fight the government under those circumstances and you're a patriot. Fight the government when it's mostly doing the will of the people and you're a terrorist. That goes back to our discussion of absolute morality and the idea of the majority always being right. Democracy is a very important principle for me but it doesn't trump everything in my opinion. If 50% of the people plus one support sending a hated minority to death camps and the government institutes such a policy then fighting the government either doesn't make you a terrorist or being a terrorist isn't always a bad thing depending on how you define the word terrorist. I pick an extreme example to make the point that fighting the majority is not always wrong. With a lesser abuse and a greater majority it gets a bit more complex. The question becomes, "where do you draw the line?" That can lead to a heated and possibly complex debate about each possible situation. I can not support the blanket statement "fight the government when it is mostly doing the will of the majority and you're a terrorist. Tim