Brett Cashman There are plenty of authoritarians playing up various...
· Comment — Archer T. Ships replied to Brett Cashman's comment. · View on Facebook · Markdown source
Brett Cashman There are plenty of authoritarians playing up various harms so that a gullible public will give them more power. IMO, the benefits of individual liberty and free trade (culturally, economically, and ethically) receive relatively little attention. So I spend my time making those arguments. Do you feel badly for the people who are killed by guns wielded by criminals? Yes, of course. Does that mean that you think that banning guns is good policy? Of course not. Likewise, do I feel badly for people who are harmed by immigrants? Sure. But does that make immigration suppression laws good policy? No. I'm ethically an individualist, who believes that people should be deprived of their property or their liberty only if they've been justly convicted of a crime with an actual victim. I don't think someone should be deprived of their liberty based solely on their skin color, genitals, religion, or birth place. I also don't believe in collective guilt. If you're a white guy, I don't think you should be held accountable for the evil deeds of a white slaveholder from 250 years ago. If you're a Jew, I don't think you should be held accountable for the misbehavior of some Jews. If you're a gun owner, I don't think you should be deprived of your guns just because some gun owners commit crimes. Likewise, if an immigrant commits a crime, I think only the offending immigrant should be held accountable. I don't think all immigrants should be deprived of their liberty because some immigrants commit evil acts. Also, nativists like to play up the harms caused by immigrants. But I've never seen nativists take any responsibility for the harms _they_ cause. What about all of the young women who are raped because immigration suppression laws stopped them from fleeing to the US?