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From: esk@wucs.UUCP (Paul V. Torek)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: starvation and freedom
Message-ID: <463@wucs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Nov-84 21:49:18 EST
Article-I.D.: wucs.463
Posted: Thu Nov  1 21:49:18 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 02:47:41 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Washington U. in St. Louis, CS Dept.
Lines: 32

[]
From: nrh@inmet.UUCP
>>and seems to make very problematical the situation where a human must 
>>give the fruits of his labor to another to avoid starving. --ward@hao
>
>This is, in a nutshell, the problem lots of people have when they first
>hear libertarian ideas.  Socialists in particular argue that a starving
>man is not free, and therefore only through whatever measures are 
>necessary to prevent starvation can man be freed.
>This is an emotionally satisfying sort of argument, until one realizes
>that there are no measures that are absolutely guaranteed to prevent
>starvation, that by attempting to take such measures, one will give up
>more and more freedom, and that people will still starve.  

But there ARE measures to guarantee that nobody who cares enough about
himself to seek govt. aid when work is unavailable will starve.  And
they would not cripple anyone's freedom (does paying taxes of a small
part of your income cripple your freedom?).

>I have, of course, exaggerated here to make a point: it is difficult,
>probably impossible, to measure the "net gain" or "net loss" of freedom.

Then it is also impossible to say that such govt. activity would lower
freedom.  It IS possible however to say that if one had an equal chance
of occupying any position in society one would have better expected
prospects with such govt. activity.  I think this is important; it is
an application of something like the "golden rule".

"What is the opportunity cost, in lives saved?"
				--Paul V Torek, ihnp4!wucs!wucec1!pvt1047
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