Monday, October 27, 2008

"Positive" Rights

Classic HLS and Kennedy School continentalism.  The history of this reasoning is not distinguished for its success.  


Posted by Pericles at 11:32 AM

6 comments:

  1. EluzhunOctober 27, 2008 at 1:43 PM

    Oh Noes!! Socialism for everyone? Not just for bankers? That's unconstitutional!

    The audio is fantastic but the text interruptions draw ridiculous conclusions based on stereotyping his "school" of thought rather than from anything he's actually saying. This is blind paranoia, nothing more.

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  2. PericlesOctober 27, 2008 at 5:37 PM

    The text inserts are idiot. But Obama's words are hopelessly naive. As I said, the history of such reasoning is not distinguished for its success.

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  3. EluzhunOctober 27, 2008 at 5:49 PM

    Naive just because of redistributing the tax burden? I don't see how it's such a difficult proposition. Not literally "giving" money to those in the lower ses but freeing up capital from those in the upper levels seems pretty painless for all involved, and not terribly difficult. Of course then the question is what to do with that money, which then necessitates an administrative body, which then leads to distributing the money to the most capable, not just the most unfortunate... I could see how that part would get complicated sure.

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  4. PericlesOctober 28, 2008 at 8:12 AM

    I'm talking about something else: The distinction between negative freedoms against state power and positive rights owed by the state. The former is Anglo-American and the latter is continentalism. Obama is very much convinced that the Founders got this wrong. He is joined by the HLS and Kennedy School faculty and opposed by the considered judgments of nearly anyone else who has studied the matter.

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  5. Tony WaltersOctober 28, 2008 at 10:24 PM

    Hold it, Pericles: you are dangerously close to discussing actual ideas. Can't you get in trouble for that in your (political) neighborhood?

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  6. PericlesOctober 28, 2008 at 11:14 PM

    I hope not. I learned this distinction, and the folly of the HLS view, from my neighbors.

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