Robert Reich on Governance, majority rule vs. limited government

[dingusmungus]

Maybe subtitles on these clips with bad audio? I wish I could hear you.

[JartaMan]

It's nice that he had patience to answer your tedious questions... it would have been a lot more fun to ask him about minmum wage....

Listen, no matter how much this guy wants to redistribute your wealth, he was nicer to you than any of your other victims, Jan.

That microphone was BAD.... there are ways to fix...

[jjrglobal]

How did you get all these interviews? I'm impressed

[meccaturbo]

Reich doesn't know a damn thing about effective labor policy. Elitist liberals like him are so out of touch with reality...it's disgusting.

[rebby11]

Reich on the slavery question: huminahuminahumina...He wan't two incompatible standards, majoritarianism and individual human rights. The cognative dissonance is written on his face and his panicked rationalizations.

[mikeyramone33]

majority rule? majority of americans are against third world immigration,bailouts,most foriegn aid,policing the world etc. yet they go on and on.the majority of people in america would never put a anti white criminal like riech into a position of power.

[guyNbluejeans]

Why this midget hasn't been taken care of after his anti-Caucasian remark a while back is a mystery to me. He should live with Ted Koppel on another planet in another galaxy due to their hate for Caucasians. But these are the times we live in, racist bastards and bitches in the media and in government spewing out their hate for "white people" while they live in a world where their millions of dollars afford them all the finest comforts and luxuries Caucasians have invented ... while we get hate.

[boomqeda]

never mind my bad lol

[boomqeda]

wheres the sound

[dchamberss]

This guy has no clue what the term "Natural Law" means.

[rumco]

Statist pig Reich, always full of himself. There is no such thing as a society. Only individuals exist. Therefore there cannot be a social contract with society.

[WurledPeas]

I had to shut it off after this lying asshole said he was a proponent of Locke and Burke. I have no hip waders and the bullshit coming out of my speakers was already getting too deep.

[baglemonkey]

audio problems, i had to turn the volume all the way up, but it was worth it. this is the same guy who said "I am concerned, as I'm sure many of you are, that these jobs [hopefully being created by government spending] not simply go to high skilled people who are already professionals or to white male construction workers."

[TeddyLeper]

Reich is a rational person. He is also wrong. His beliefs are at odds with human nature and reality.

[SDS4BO]

How often do we have to repeat this: We do not live in a democracy, we live in a Republic. There is a difference.

Reich believes in the Constitution - ROFL. He needs to read it. He would never be a 'humanist' if really knew what he was saying when he starts talking about natural law.

[pbeaird]

Natural law is NOT an appeal to individual conscience. It means the requirements nature places on keeping human life. It was America's moral philosopher, Ayn Rand, who identified what those requirements are and showed them as the first consideration of an objective morality and the purpose of government. As natural facts, they are less variable than individual consciences.

Read Rand, learn what's real, enjoy life !

[Jyoyo1]

Can't hear well but it sounds like tiresome debate.

Get focused.

Ask about the clear violations of our constitution.

Ask about exemptions to laws for gov and "special"entities.

Ask about the power of the federal gov to control us.

Ask about the constitutional and moral right of citizens to abolish/change their government when it fails to serve the people and to follow the constitution.

Ask, "what do we do when it's clear the rule of law has been replaced by rule of men?"

[capitalist4life]

I hate this guy as much as you, but why all the Jewish smears? He is a horrible little man, but his religion has nothing to do with it.

[rock90123]

there are a lot of out there antisemites out there

[rickelmonoggin]

Sound quality is very poor, but the basic concept of democracy is that a majority rule determines how the country is ran. That doesn't mean the majority is morally right. Slavery is wrong. But if a majority vote for parties who support it and it is carried through legitimately, then it should be the law of the land-but it's still wrong.

I think at that point, you would have reasonable grounds for questioning the legitimacy of the state.

[rickelmonoggin]

The reason why democracy is the best system is because even though a majority COULD vote to re-introduce slavery (or kill the first-born, or send minorities to gas chambers etc), in practise, they don't. These things tend to occur in undemocratic states directed by 'principles'.

[vipero00]

3:50 the "appeal" to Natural law. This is what progressives do. They don't believe in natural law yet they try to put the feel good wrapper of appealing to natural law which gives them some moral camouflage. They will tell you one thing but then act another and justify it by we know best.

[marxbitesall]

Reich knows the truth - the freudian slips and outright gaffs indict all these parasite elites that TV rating owner's pay off.

Violating the rights of some in the name of humanity, fiat money, and four major constitutional clauses empowering govt at the expense of the peoples rights by standing those clauses on their heads to rob the people's purse/w while stuffing their OWN pockets is how much longer endurable? The police state advances every self created emergency. Next our swords. Then?

[libertarianjury]

As a condition of joining, the society can make certain demands upon them...

"Noone knows exactly what natural law is?" Not so. This is a well-researched question. "What do I do with my moral objection?" ...You join the abolitionists! You join Lysander Spooner, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown...

Or in the case of today, you join Harry Browne, Jacob Sullum, Vin Suprynowicz, and Wayne Root. You stop supporting evil. You start supporting the appeal to natural rights.

[thafix82]

too much background noise

[guyjohn59]

A lot of politicians claim to be what this guy claims to be, but the problem is that none of them vote NO on Bills. There's too much politics at risk, in other words.

[ALittleBitPregnant]

The answer is so simple, if something violates the rights of another it is wrong.

[jadam914]

I think he saw a glimps of the truth but did not fully know what it was.

[atrickpay11]

Robert Reich looks scared.

[DominationCorp]

he always looks scared. its just his thing

[vipero00]

No he doesn't. Put him on cable news surrounded by big government journalists and democratic party strategists and he will inevitably lead the pack with confidence.

He only looks scared because Jan is challenging his moral foundation. Cable news will never challenge his moral foundation because theirs is equally flawed. The basic flaw is they believe that societies can aggregate rights such that the majority has more rights than the minority.

[titosantucci]

I can't believe that Reich is actually claiming that he's a Classical Liberal! Locke!? John Locke would reach out of his grave and choke this guy if he could. He's turning Social Contract into Totalitarianism. Locke's role for gov was limited to protecting individual rights.

[gbushimprov]

@titosantucci John Locke wasn't a Classical Liberal, he was a Social Liberal.

[PwndByTheFed]

why do Jews hate republics so much... Rome, Weimar, the US... :(

[mailer666]

Jan,

You should be the head of the staffing dept directly involved of interviewing all potential political candidates for office. Seriously.

It certainly weeds out the intellectuals from the bunch. Reich was doing rather well.

I haven't watched all your videos yet, but definitely make sure you put out examples of good sound principles, as it will help boost your popularity, and validity in leaps and bounds.

You could easily become very popular indeed with this interview style. Well done

[JakeandElwoodBlues]

Robert Reichhhhhhh hates the Constitution. He is a racist leftist who hates white male construction workers.

White Male Construction Workers United!!!!

[timbosforporn]

What if a condition for joining a society meant you had to accept slavery?

It kind of seems to me that his "condition for joining" statement meant that each citizen had to obey the government or they would be declared "un-american". It kind of makes me wonder if Liberals believe that govt is right to compel any citizen to any act it deems "right". Doesn't that sound like totalitarianism?

[TimeWarp66]

Their is no such thing as a "society", their are only individuals.

[CorrosionX3]

Get some mikes man that's ridiculous

[billyjoeallen]

Democratic republicanism just means that the problems of mob rule are compounded by judicial activism. Stable, limited government is impossible because the state always uses its rule-making power to change the rules that limit it's power.

[timbosforporn]

A long time ago it was considered the role of all three branches of the federal government to interpret the constitution and no one branch had absolute authority over its interpretation. Even state governments could disagree with the interpretation. Bringing this back might take away some of the court's power and destroy judicial activism.

[Conza88]

The joke goes; who are the two most important historical people to Western Civilization? It is arguable but largely agreeable, Jesus and Socrates.

Who killed Jesus and who killed Socrates?

Democracy did.

:p

[feeknocks]

subtitles could help a little, jan

[TehBANN3D]

When people JOIN a society?

Bull, under the current government, people are born into it. It's nothing more than state sanctioned slavery.

[Nexus974]

I can't hear you Jan.