RE: Penn Says: Cynicism is Hateful

How can a state both protect human rights and refrain from any wealth distribution at all?

Response to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYBoi8NVyBk

Category:

Education

Tags:

• penn
• teller
• pennsays
• taxation
• ron
• paul
• libertarian
• wealth
• redistribution
• human
• rights

[kennybarlow]

Unfortunately, this is an "ITS NOT FAIR" argument. Welfare is setup as a CHARITABLE institution. The definition of Charity is: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity. GOVERNMENTS as an institution are incapable of goodwill nor are they capable of feeling emotions such as love...only the individual members of the society are capable of charity, that is why charity must be voluntary. Charity never faileth and if it does it is because of a lack of choice to be charitable.

[avgUtuber]

government is a group of individuals who can feel love and charity. human beings created our government as it is today, with charitable inclinations. you have an inalienable right to try to convince us all to see things your way and change the way our government works, or even annihilate it. so far i'm not convinced, though, and neither are most Americans. nevertheless, i respect you for doing what you think is best for the country.

[fourdoorchevelle]

have you seen the world rankings for our education system? last i heard it was in the low high 20s. almost 30 countries in the world that our better educated than american students.

government monopolies that are union run are a receipt for disaster.

bring choice and accountability and then we are talking. competition breeds better service at cheaper prices. if some thing is failing you don't reward it with more money!!! plus if they can fool adults with propaganda (WMD's) imagine the kids

[avgUtuber]

choice, accountability, & a state guarantee of education for every child are not mutually exclusive. neither do i think that more money is the answer to propping up our failing schools. what i do believe without a doubt is that the state must guarantee every child access to education.

[cambriawiz]

Let's assume, for a moment, that education is not a right. It is in everyone's best interest to train every american to reach his or her fullest potential.

Democracy cannot long exist without enlightenment.

It cannot function without wise and honest officials.

talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition.

the children of the poor must be thus educated at common expense.

- attributed to Thomas Jefferson

[nurbSoldier]

@avgUtuber what i said in reply to kennbarlow and also the fact that it is EASY to be generous with other people's money. that is what government does. it is hard to be generous with your own money. that is what actual charity is

you also used argument ad populum. regardless of whether or not you are right about the american people, it's gonna come to an end soon whether you all like it or not, courtesy of government stupidity. enjoy it while it lasts

[nurbSoldier]

@kennybarlow right, if I robbed the bank or used extortion and gave the proceeds to a bunch of poor people, I would still be treated and thought of as a criminal

[nurbSoldier]

First of all, "wealth redistribution" is a propagandist sugarcoated term. The correct term should be something that describes what actually goes on. "Forced Wealth Confiscation and handing to third parties (usually lobbyists)" would be a good one.

'Redistribution' sounds nice because the term is meant to conjure up images of orphans and grandma getting much needed funds.  The term and the people who use it only focus on the most positive aspects and not force and legal extortion of it.

[Eshaiel]

@fourdoorchevelle I'd like to point out that all of the top ten rated nations in terms of education subscribe to nationalized education as their base.

[Eikus89]

I can't answer for Penn, but since I am a libertarian I can give what I think is his answer: education is not, and can not be, a right. You have the right to not be exposed to the initiation of force. That's the right that all other rights are derived from. No-one is initiating force against you by saying no thanks to educating you. If your parents do not want to educate you, it is irresponsible and mean, but it is not illegal (they can't forbid you from educating yourself though).

[vegetorott]

PT.3

These are facts presented on the principle of: Freedom vs Tyranny, where I feel Penn was coming from. This principle is why the The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were written; we have fallen so far from this principle, most don't recognize it and just accept modern government as it has 'progressed' to (Freedom vs Security), instead of what it's meant to be.

Read, 'The 5,000 year leap'

@avgUtuber,

I hope I was as courteous in explaining, tho I'm not Penn.

[vegetorott]

PT.2

In a power grab the government is taking away tax cuts for charitable donations, implying that charity only comes from government, exacerbating the cycle.

Commodities (goods and services) are not rights; therefore education and health care are not rights. They've become part of the many government entitlement programs.

Rights are of freewill which can not be taken away, they are not given and don't require charity. One's right does not require another's labor.

What is given can be taken.

[vegetorott]

PT.1

Penn said "forced redistribution of wealth", through government.

Americans generally do the right thing. The wealthy pay half their money to taxes, 48+%. The more money one has, the more money one can freely donate to health care and education. Government redistributes to divide and conquer, 2 fold. Poor hating the rich for not donating as much on their own, while making it harder to do so & the rich feel it's the government's job now . And thus making you dependent on the government

[Watcher3223]

Social fairness is where your rights are respected, including your right to your own rightfully earned property.

"Social fairness" is a misnomer if you believe it's socially fair to take what someone had earned from hard work and give it to someone who didn't work to earn what you had taken.

Now, if you were to bring up the fact that some people took what they did due to dishonorable intentions, remember that two wrongs do not make one right.