Because we live in America and our system of governance was created with certain things in mind; one of them being the nature of individual rights and how they are negative obligations on others.
Really. What America are you living in? Because I live in our nation's capital, and I see all sorts of government agencies devoted to "stealing" your money.
Ethereal said:
Because if I own something and you take it without my permission it's stealing, and stealing is wrong.
Unless, of course, YOU approve of the stealing...as is the case with taxes for military/police/courts.
Ethereal said:
Because rights are negative obligations. If rights were positive obligations to the possessions of others then they would be entitlements, not rights.
You can use whatever word you want to describe them. But you're just arguing semantics, not why your view is better than any other.
Ethereal said:
These are necessary and permitted adjuncts to our Constitution. Since I'm not advocating the complete abolition of government, it should be safe to assume that lawfully permissible agencies thereof must be funded by the citizenry via taxation.
I'm not talking about whether you think it's LEGAL under our system of government. I'm talking about why you think those things are MORAL. Why is it morally acceptable for you to "steal" my money to pay for your military protection, but it isn't morally acceptable for me to "steal" your money to pay for universal health care?
Ethereal said:
P.S. - You didn’t mention education…is that because you know it’s unconstitutional?
Nope, I just picked examples of government programs I knew you'd support.
Ethereal said:
Not necessarily. If I have a moral belief in the law then adhering to or supporting the law is a morally righteous act. I would further argue that the Constitution itself is the most morally just form of legality existent.
This is a circular argument. You are claiming that the Constitution is the most moral form of government because it limits the role of government...and you're claiming that limiting the role of government is moral because it's in the Constitution.
Ethereal said:
It establishes government and law.
It subordinates the government to the people.
It provides equality under the law.
It has a Democratic mechanism for change (Re: Amendment process).
It secures liberty.
Not sure what else you'd need in a Constitution...:2razz:
Meh. I could write a better one. I'm sure many people could, if we were starting from scratch. That's not to say that it hasn't done well, but it's far from perfect and certainly should not be the basis of one's morality.
I'm not sure why you think the moral principles (as opposed to legal principles) from a 200-year-old document are inherently superior to, say, a 2,000-year-old document. Religious fundamentalism is religious fundamentalism, regardless of what text you prefer. Personally I get my morals from my observations and experiences...not what some other fallible human wrote down centuries ago.