Gene Wolfe Fans Talk Politics (Again)

Adam Thornton · 19 May 2009, 20:36 · from 2009-May.txt.gz

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From: adam at io.com (Adam Thornton)
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 15:36:38 -0500
Subject: (urth) Gene Wolfe Fans Talk Politics (Again)
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Message-ID: <9ABFD473-EF4F-44FA-8C53-9A140080E64F at io.com>

On May 19, 2009, at 3:25 PM, James Wynn wrote:

>
> Because the people there do not respect the integrity of private  
> property?
>
> You will find millionaires hiding out in the Bahamas. And many  
> millionaires have left the "more equitable" welfare state of the  
> U.K. for the "less fair" U.S. and Ireland. The flight of load- 
> bearing citizens from NYC and California are test-tube examples of  
> what happens when you increase benefits for all on the backs of a  
> voting minority.

Can one not make the case that societies in which people DO respect  
the integrity of private property are the result of those in which  
benefits for all are increased on the backs of a voting minority?

Basically: the difference between a mostly functional police force and  
a full-on social-services safety-net state is one of degree, not  
kind.  And I hold that both those states are preferable to Somalia.

Adam

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