- Joined
- Feb 4, 2012
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- 25,566
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- Location
- American Refugee in Europe
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- Political Leaning
- Independent
I agree to an extent....but government is not some autonomous entity. It's controlled and it serves the interests of some group of people...which is why class or groups within a country DO matter. It's also why looking at government vs All People is false in my opinion.
The Monarchies of Europe were controlled by the Aristocracy. They gave additional "rights" to landowners while taking away rights of the peasants. So it wasn't some automous entity that just gobbled up power...it was government serving the interests of one group of people.
Also...the Civil Rights Act gave additional powers to the Federal Government...and that power was used to break down institutional racism in the south. So you could say the rights of White Males in the South were lost while rights to African Americans was gained.
I just think this idea of "government vs citizens" is a wrong view. Government is sometimes a means of serving the interests of one group but it's not like in the absence of government equality exists.
I suppose this is where it should end between you and me, because we've stumbled across the fundamental issue. I believe that when the government's sole role is to ensure the natural rights of it's citizens, economic prosperity will follow. I believe in equal opportunity, not equal outcome. It's only when the government gets involved that a system develops where certain individuals have certain privileges that others do not.
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