Uncivil Rights
A BLOG rife with wit, sarcasm, and the endless joy which comes from taunting the socialistic and unpatriotic liberal left. Logical thoughts and musings ONLY need reply...unless you're really, really funny. You have the Uncivil Right to be an IDIOT.
"Give me LIBERTY, or give me DEATH!"
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Philanthropic Philosophy: A Microcosm of the Individual
The debate on governmental disaster aid provides an insight into the philosophical differences of government politics. We have foreign parties accusing the U.S. of being stingy in its disaster aid. The American press, including John Roberts and Diane Sawyer has picked up on this theory and are currently running with it. Sawyer even brought up the “Percentage of GDP” argument claiming the U.S. does not give a similar percentage as other countries. This is strictly a government aid number and does not reflect the amount given by private citizens, so why is the latter number ignored? Is it simply to make the U.S. look bad? Possibly. I believe the underlying theme is a basic difference in views on the role and identity of the government, a basic difference of philosophy of and about the individual.
As Americans, we believe we have inalienable rights granted us by a higher power, God. The government does not afford us any rights, it takes them away. Conversely, Europeans believe each individual is a part of the State, and the State grants these individuals rights. Without the State, the individual is nothing. These two philosophies pit a true capitalistic republic society against a socialistic/communistic society. It is this basic difference why Europeans do not, nor cannot consider private donations as part of America’s overall generosity.
The Europeans do not define and consider an individual in and of itself; rather individuals are defined and considered in the context of the State (government). Americans believe the government is defined and considered in the context of the individual. It is this basic conceptual difference that separates our successful capitalistic society and the failing socialistic/communistic societies of Europe.
As Americans, we believe we have inalienable rights granted us by a higher power, God. The government does not afford us any rights, it takes them away. Conversely, Europeans believe each individual is a part of the State, and the State grants these individuals rights. Without the State, the individual is nothing. These two philosophies pit a true capitalistic republic society against a socialistic/communistic society. It is this basic difference why Europeans do not, nor cannot consider private donations as part of America’s overall generosity.
The Europeans do not define and consider an individual in and of itself; rather individuals are defined and considered in the context of the State (government). Americans believe the government is defined and considered in the context of the individual. It is this basic conceptual difference that separates our successful capitalistic society and the failing socialistic/communistic societies of Europe.
totalkaosdave, 6:22 PM
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