RED DAVE

From explainyouranswer:There can be no other meaningful interpretation? At the age of 18 you are going to decide for the rest of the known universe what constitutes a meaningful interpretation. Wow! When I was a kid Marxist at the age of 18, I wasn't that arrogant.

Forgetting the fact that women can violate your rights too, how about this scenario:

You are strolling down the street minding your own business, along with a buddy who has health care, and you don't. (Yes, I know you have a job with health care, explainyouranswer. Good for you. But stretch uyour imagination.) A building collapses on the two of you, and both of you are critically hurt. You and your buddy, he with the health care, get taken to a hospital. He, with his insurance, is admitted quickly, gets to an operating room, is operated on, and he lives.

You, you second-hand parasite with no health care, are not given equivalent care. You end up in a public ward. And, you die. Was your right to life violated?

I can't wait to hear the compassionate response of someone who is okay with several million people a year dying of AIDS while the drug companies make billions.

RED DAVE

explainyouranswer

I'm willing to take that risk.

I prefer to use my own expensive grill with grade A Angus beef that I payed for with my hard earned money =).

So what. The risk is not so great that I'm willing to pay for some free loaders medical needs.

I'm not sure, probably a combined income of maybe $70-$90 thousand. Thats a complete guess though.

2 Years.

If I lose my job I will be on the hunt for a new and better one. My life depends on it, my own hard work and determination. I am not dependant on others, my mother did not teach me to be a moocher or freeloader.

The common dogma of being "unemployed" is entirely misleading. There is no such thing as "can't find a job." McDonalds is always hiring, Hardees is always hiring, etc. There is only "can't find a job that I feel like working," but one cannot possibly claim that "there are no jobs." There are plenty of jobs, just perhaps not the ones that people feel like working temporarily.

No our technology would be so advanced from our industrial output that would be x10 that of your socialist nation. We have found a way to keep our air clean, you guys are still back in the Soviet industrial days .

What would you have told runaway slaves?

Ok humor me, apply a differant definition consistantly and accurately; that is if you can.

First of all, this scenario is not consistant with reality. People in critical condition are always given priority, or else ambulances would never be picking up half-dead bums or children from the ghettoes.

And no by the way, your right to life was not violated by the hospital in any way, shape, or form, any more than it was violated by other random private citizens who didn't stop to help you.

Yah Red Dave, why is it that you wish to see several million people die of AIDS each year? You never really told me why you feel that way.

RED DAVE

From explainyouranswer:To attempt to construct "the right to life" as an abstract definition, covering all situations, is a useless task. I'm not into axiomatic thinking. I'll go with something vague and fuzzy like, the right to a full, meaningful and joyful existence. Rand would not approve.

So, two people; identical medical problem; Person A gets better care because of insurance; Person B, uninsured, gets inferior treatment and dies. The "right ot life" of Person B was not violated. You got a great set of values, kid.

Uh, just a minute there. It is you, explainyouranswer, who are okay with these megadeaths, not me. I, miserable altruist that I am (and a collectivist to boot), am trying to ameliorate this situation. The very smelly shoe is on your foot, not mine.

RED DAVE

explainyouranswer

It's funny how you lump both cases of rights being violated and non-cases such as the post office.

To answer your question:

Legitimate government function

Child Protection (rights)
Coast Guard (rights)
Search and Rescue (rights)
Public Health (rights)
Fire Department (rights)

Improper government function

Post Office
Civil aviation
Public sanitation

All of those improper government functions could easily be taken over by private corporations, especially the U.S. post office which forcibly outlaws it's competition (mail could and has been tried to be delivered for less than 33 cents, the government took this company to court and demanded they raise their cost so that the post office could compete).

Roads are kinda inbetween, since they would be one of the very last government functions to be privitized.

I said meaningful definition, not a vague definition with several undefined words. Define for us a "full, meaningful and joyful" existance. Does that include a $100,000 yacht? What all does that include?

Hospitals are under no obligation to help just because they can, anymore than you are under some sort of obligation to donate all your clothes to a homeless shelter just because you can.

If we use that logic, why can't a person enslave another person to support their life? Say a white slaveowner is unable to farm by himself, and requires a slave to do the work, what is wrong with that situation? Wouldn't the slave be violating the slaveowners right to life if he chose not to involuntary serve this man?

No Red Dave, it's all on you. You have done nothing, absolutely nothing to help starving Africans or AIDS victims. What you have done is pointed your finger at other people and ask why they aren't doing more to help. What you have not done is help in any way, shape, or form, these AIDS victims you claim to care about. If pointing fingers is helping, then I'll point fingers at the African governments themselves, and I've done just as much as you have.

RED DAVE

From explainyouranswer:Sorry, sonny, but you're wrong. Willfully, obtusely, aggressively, meanly wrong. You don't know what I've done! Yet you, in your meanness and lack of compassion, in your sadism, accuse me of doing nothing. Like you. It's not my policy to discuss my charity work. My politics yes. My charity, no.

What I've accused you of doing is being perfectly comfortable with the drug companies making their profits while millions die. This is perfectly in tune with Objectivist belief and practice of justifying the activities of business, come what may, no matter who suffers.

RED DAVE

explainyouranswer

What exactly have you done to help AIDS victims in Africa? I'm curious to know how you've helped millions of AIDS victims in Africa, and we shall compare your contributions with that of any U.S. corporation. Sound fair?

And your perfectly comfortable with typing on your computer living a "luxrious" life while millions of people in Africa die of AIDS. Instead of saving up enough money for a plane ticket to Africa, you would rather point fingers at large corporations which have helped AIDS victims more than you could ever hope to in several of your worthless lifetimes.

Individual inalienable rights. http://www.capitalism.org

Fires spread, therefore the government serves a legitimate function in protecting property rights. I would also like to remind you that in a capitalist society the fire departments role would be taken over by private industry in the final steps. The same applies to search and rescue teams.

RED DAVE

From explainyouranswer:[QUOTE]What exactly have you done to help AIDS victims in Africa? I'm curious to know how you've helped millions of AIDS victims in Africa, and we shall compare your contributions with that of any U.S. corporation. Sound fair?[QUOTE]

Cute, but no cigar. The issue isn't about me (although, in your arrogance, you have made it so). It's about the corporations you love and your justitication of their not distributing drugs in Africa while millions of people are dying.

Again, you have not idea what my life is like, what I do or do not do with regard to private AIDS work, nor do I have any intention of telling you.

My life is far from worthless. And it just goes to show what kind of person you are (or secretly consider yourself) that you would say so. I am a lifelong teacher. Once again, you've insulted me. As when you called me a racist. However, I'm not going to ask you to apologize. I know better.

(Has anyone ever noticed how often when conservatives get attacked for their political postures they have nothing better to do than to impune the morals of others, frequently, as in this case, sight unseen?)

RED DAVE

Mediancat

Welcome to ~Elsewhere~. Enjoy your long, slow sink into oblivion.