28 Dec 2022 2:30 am
"Rights" are a fictitious construct popularized by classical liberalism back in the 1600s and invented by the Sophists attempting to link "Natural/Mathematical Law" to "the laws/nature of humanity" in classical Greek civilization.LibDave » 29 Dec 2021, 4:42 pm » wrote: ↑ The American Idea
At the heart of the American Idea is the Right to Property. As Jefferson paraphrased, if someone whittles a stick into an arrow with his own labor his right to that arrow and all the wealth entailed is sacrosanct. If he uses his arrow and his skill at hunting to fell wild game it too becomes the product of his labor and he may rightfully use it to feed his family or barter in free trade for something he deems of more value.
This anecdote was proffered by Jefferson to explain the bedrock of our system. This applies to all product of one's labor. Whether we trade our labor product for an agreed upon wage or sell such product directly. Under the American Idea no one else has the right to object or lay claim to the proceeds. Michael Jordan made the decision to apply his labor to developing the skills required to place a ball through a hoop (and all the other talents necessary to play basketball). At some point it turned out an owner of a basketball team thought it in his own interests to pay a freely agreed upon wage to Michael in exchange for his talents on the court. Now I consider $26 Million/year to earn for playing basketball astounding. Truth be told I am jealous as hell and it is only human nature to want someone to force Michael to hand over the product of his labor to me. I might even be willing to share in the theft of his wealth. But I and others have NO RIGHT to decide what is a fair price to pay for Michael's talents. Nor does he have any say in what I agree to receive in return for my labor. This is the American Idea. It is capitalism in its truest form.
In any discussion with so-called "classical liberals" (which, as I noted in another thread, most of whom are unable to define "classical liberalism"), they are unable to defend the basis for "Rights."
1) "God gave us these rights; bestowed to us upon God" - no evidence let alone proof for this claim
2) "Nobody has a right to violate another's [insert some right here]" - this is irrelevant if someone does choose to violate them, whether "Someone" refers to the State, another individual, or some ((((unsavory groups))) doing what they do best: usury and rent extraction.
Through simple observation of every society that has existed - no matter whether said society is "Free" and "Democratic" or "Authoritarian" and "Undemocratic" - your rights end where the State says they do. No amount of anti-taxation or anti-regulation tirades will change this feature of human society.
If you come back and tell me that I "didn't refute your claim that rights inherently exist," I'll tell you that it doesn't matter because your rights crumble in the face of overwhelming force. You have (presumably) never told the IRS that "they don't have a right to tax you" [because reasons]. You just pay them what you're legally required to (or can get away with without triggering an audit).
No amount of sophistry changes this arrangement of the pecking order.