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From: kfl%mx.lcs.mit.edu@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: mod.politics
Subject: Justice
Message-ID: <12229551933.51.MCGREW@RED.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sat, 9-Aug-86 20:55:11 EDT
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Posted: Sat Aug  9 20:55:11 1986
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    From: ~joe testa~ <TESTA-J%OSU-20@ohio-state.ARPA>

    ... libertarians believe that one of the functions of government
    should be to prevent people from infringing on other people's
    rights.

  Not simply ONE of the functions, but the ONLY function.

    Well, to do this, a government has to provide some sort of
    judicial system, since not all members of the society will
    voluntarily respect each others rights.

  True.

    This is bound to make (at least part of) the world a better place.

  Well, yes.  What I was objecting to was the idea that by
redistributing wealth among people convicted of no crimes the
world becomes a better place.

    Then there is the question of how one manages to establish this
    judicial system.  It will take money.  But, you object to taxation
    as "robbery".

  I object to INVOLUNTARY taxation.

    Certainly the concept of "user's fees" cannot apply here, ...

  Certainly it can.  Convicted criminals can be fined.  The losing
side or both sides in civil trials can be billed for court costs.
Retail companies can start a fund to pay for special prosecutors,
just as they now have a fund to place those anti-shoplifiting ads.
  An enforcement tax can be placed on all contracts.  It would be
perfectly ok to make contracts without paying the tax, but if you
do so you cannot sue if the contract is violated except by paying
court costs.

    justice should be available to everyone, not just those with
    money.

  Is it now?  There ARE volunteer attorneys for the impoverished
accused.  Many attorneys will take civil cases on a contingency basis.
The court appointed attorneys for indigent defendants are worse than
useless, in my experience.

    Is it not reasonable that, in exchange for a justice
    system designed to protect everyone, that some form of taxation be
    used to support it?

  To protect everyone's rights, it is necessary to violate everyone's
rights?  No, it is not reasonable.
                                                              ...Keith

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