Comments on: Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government)

By: Irrational Robot

Irrational Robot — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:18:33 +0000

I’m more interested on these laws that “force people to accept abortion” (etc etc).

I did have a lively conversation online with someone a few years back, who was really bothered about the government taking away his “Right to protect the flag from desecration,” which I don’t recall from philosophy classes, but is probably in the same ballpark (see also: Rights to prevent other people from doing things I don’t care for).

By: Twewi

Twewi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:53:04 +0000

Well, what works on Gelgamek isn’t necessarily gonna work well for us here on Earth.

By: reiver

reiver — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:01:15 +0000

@James Sweet, you said…

Forcing people to purchase health insurance is a little bit trickier, because there is no “opt out” (akin to just not driving). A better model, IMO, would be to have free health insurance for everyone and pay for it with tax money. That’s effectively the same thing, but more palatable for some reason. (If this is a problem, then perhaps we should stop forcing people to buy roads, buy militaries, etc…)

There are many people who consider those things being forced to be wrong too.

By: James Sweet

James Sweet — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:21:59 +0000

You’ll change your mind about forced car insurance when you get an accident with someone who doesn’t have it, was completely at fault, and doesn’t have any money… One does not have to drive, so in my mind there is no problem with forcing people to get car insurance if they want to drive. I mean, we force people to get their car inspected, and that costs money…

Forcing people to purchase health insurance is a little bit trickier, because there is no “opt out” (akin to just not driving). A better model, IMO, would be to have free health insurance for everyone and pay for it with tax money. That’s effectively the same thing, but more palatable for some reason. (If this is a problem, then perhaps we should stop forcing people to buy roads, buy militaries, etc…)

By: Twewi

Twewi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:33:04 +0000

Okay, but it still doesn’t fit with the examples given of things like forced abortions, homelessness, etc. which are unarguably wrong. It’s hardly difficult to imagine, as he said.

By: reiver

reiver — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:54:25 +0000

@Twewi, you said…

Both the Senate and House bills would require individuals to buy health insurance, with penalties for non-compliance.
—CNN

And why not? We force people to get car insurance…

There are many who consider forcing people to get car insurance to be wrong too. And thus see forcing people to get health insurance to be yet another horrible example of this kind of wrong.

By: Twewi

Twewi — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:26:46 +0000

Code fail. This is why I like preview buttons.

By: Twewi

Twewi — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:25:19 +0000

Both the Senate and House bills would require individuals to buy health insurance, with penalties for non-compliance. —CNN And why not? We force people to get car insurance because if they drive without it they put the burden of risk on society. Not getting health care if it's made easily avaliable to you puts the ever present financial risk that something will send you to the ER on society, because obviously no decent society is going to deny life saving treatment because of inability to pay.