Who should rule test?

[midcan5]

Do you understand your core values?
Is liberty more important than equality?
Is the state necessary?
Is government necessary?
Are all values relative?
Are rights more important than duties?
Have you ever regretted something you have done?
Does the free market exist?
Is welfare acceptable?
Are you better than a homeless bum?
Is the separation of church and state a good thing?
Should societies attempt social justice?
Do you read?
Are poor people lazy?
Should health care be available to all?


All 15 questions are Yes or No. Two questions are debatable, four questions are No, Nine demand a Yes answer if you are to rule. A correct score to be a ruler must be near perfect.

Answers to follow.

[midcan5]

There was debate over whether the questions were too ambiguous to answer easily. While that is true, if you answered the first question yes, you should have some idea how to answer the others.

1. Do you understand your core values? Yes
2. Is liberty more important than equality? yes
3. Is the state necessary? Yes
4. Is government necessary? Yes
5. Are all values relative? No
6. Are rights more important than duties? debatable but I select yes
7. Have you ever regretted something you have done? Yes
8. Does the free market exist? No
9. Is welfare acceptable? Yes
10. Are you better than a homeless bum? No
11. Is the separation of church and state a good thing? Yes
12. Should societies attempt social justice? Yes
13. Do you read? Yes
14. Are poor people lazy? No
15. Should health care be available to all? Yes

Reasons

Most everyone got stuck on exceptions. 'It depends' was the key comment but if you are a leader at some point you have to make a choice. Can one really imagine modern life without a state/government? Is not personal responsibility a primary value? Show me that free market? Have you never known a family in need? Should society allow anything? Ever meet a hard working poor person? Healthcare for all - why not and who else would do it?

Two and six are the tough ones. At first I considered 2 and 6 either/or but I changed my mind on 2. Twelve is tough for some but imagine if no cop existed or no regulator or no law?

Five, eight, ten, and 14 are 'no.' (5) Individual responsibility is/should be a key value and individual freedom is required for that to exist. The push to control our personal life runs counter to this very key American value. (8) the free market is an interesting abstraction / concept? but the actors who make it up do so mostly for self interest. These actors can act in anyway, so the idea that other actors are free is a misconception. The free market is more a utopia than a reality. A market (without free) is an excellent solution but recognize its potential and problems too. (10) Anyone could end up homeless. (14) Some of the hardest working people I know are poor.


fullpolitics.com/viewthread.php?tid=25749

"Freedom depends on how men actually do behave, not upon how they are allowed to behave. It is a matter of character, not of foolproof constitutional devices. For fools are paramount in politics, and there is nothing which they are unable to destroy." (p 156 The Liberal Mind Kenneth Minogue)

oll.libertyfund.org/Home3/Book.php?recordID=0089

[Ian]

Interesting thread. I'll try and write back when I'm not getting drunk. If you haven't guessed by my name yet, yes, I am Irish.

BTW, I was pleasently surprised by your answer #2. Shows some intellectual honesty and/or sanity. We can work with this.

Slan go foill!