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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Basis for legislation
Message-ID: <275@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Aug-83 09:52:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.275
Posted: Tue Aug  9 09:52:39 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Aug-83 15:06:10 EDT
References: <548@grkermit.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M, Toronto, Canada
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Liberty as a basis for law is fine as far as it goes, but survival
comes before it, and personal well-being after it, according to
the American Declaration of Independence. (If I have the right document --
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness).

If a society can ensure the physical survival of most of its citizens
to a reasonable age, it can then and only then afford to offer everyone
freedom of choice as a democracy. If they aren't going to live,
they aren't going to care much about freedom. Once they have a basic
freedom to choose courses of action for themselves and for their society,
they can worry about where their freedoms impinge on each other. At this
point they can worry about "the pursuit of happiness".
We seem to be moving from the third stage back to the second, and some
people seem to want to go back to the first -- which may eventually
be necessary.

As the world's resources diminish, it will be harder for many parts
of the world to justify democracy, even if they are in those favoured
regions not subject to the dictates of a superpower.

The survival of the state (or governing group) provides a whole mess of
other problems to worry about.

Martin Taylor