Archive for July, 2010
July 27th, 2010 | 
Author: PART ONE: THIS LAND IS MY LAND The philosopher John Locke believes that individuals have certain rights so fundamental that no government can ever take them away. These rights—to life, liberty and property—were given to us as human beings in the the state of nature, a time before government and laws were created. According to Locke, our natural rights are governed by the law of nature, known by reason, which says that we can neither give them up nor take them away from anyone else. Sandel wraps up the lecture by raising a question: what happens to our natural rights once we enter society and consent to a system of laws? PART TWO: CONSENTING ADULTS If we all have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, how can a government enforce tax laws passed by the representatives of a mere majority? Doesnt that amount to taking some peoples property without their consent? Lockes response is that we give our tacit consent to obey the tax laws passed by a majority when we choose to live in a society. Therefore, taxation is legitimate and compatible with individual rights, as long as it applies to everyone and does not arbitrarily single anyone out.
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This is the story of why they won’t stop shooting in Chicago. It’stold by the wounded, the accused and the officers who were on thestreet during a weekend in April 2008 when 40 people were shot, sevenfatally. Two years later, the grim reality is this: Nearly all of the shooters from that weekend have escaped charges. “Youdon’t go to jail for shooting people,” says Dontae Gamble, who took …
Published Jul 24, 2010.
Read more: Chicago Sun-Times
