This appeal to what advocates call "private property rights" ignores the fact that the common good — and a commonwealth such as Virginia is, by definition, devoted to the common good — is, in the order of things, a principle of a higher order, in specific instances, than private interests. [More]Who wrote that, Marx or Mao? It sounds suspiciously like the tried and true leftist con of using the "general welfare" clause to justify EBT cards and other coerced wealth transfers.
The way to ensure the common good is by respecting individual freedom.
1 comment:
Hell, even Machiavelli, no believer in "natural rights" noted (paraphrasing broadly) that the "common good" could only exist as the side effect of a balancing act between the "self-interest in advancement" of "those who (would) rule" and the "self-interest in being left alone" of "the people".
There was no "common good" that had anything to do with actual communal agreement.
Post a Comment