Slave owners, reparations, and retroactive laws

[Gustaf]

This proves something I have long suspected - a lot of people who call themselves "classic liberals" or libertarians are just atheist conservatives. (talking about Philip of course)

Uh, I like to call myself a classical liberal and a libertarian too, ya know.

Yeah...but as far as I can tell you are. That is, your philosophy derives from liberalism. A lot of self-labelled libertarians are really just conservatives without most of the religious and cultural connotations.

And Philip, you can exchange atheist for immoral or whatever if you like.

[A18]

Conservatism is classical liberalism.

I dispute that I am 'immoral,' but you're pretty dumb, so I'll let it go.

[Citizen James]

yes/no  Tough question/easy question.

I think the 40 acres and a mule plan initated by Sherman would have been just compensation, and could be siezed from the traitors who took up arms against the United States of America.  It might have also been politically difficult in trying to heal the wounds of the war, but I think it would have at least been just at the time.

But retroactive action, no, the people who were enslaved are long gone, as are those who enslaved them.   I think we should admit the ugly things in our nation's past, but that doesn't mean we are personally responsible for them today.

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I wonder how good of a slave Philip would make.  I figure there's more than a few folks around who could easily best him in personal combat under his "might makes right" ideology and make him their bi*ch.

[A18]

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for capital punishment, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for any kind of punishment, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

I know you're an idiot, but you really should grow up and quit trying to make points via logical fallacies.

I don't have a "might makes right" ideology. If you didn't have some sort of reading disorder, you would have noted I believe slavery to be just only as punishment for crime.

[Emsworth]

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I wonder how good of a slave Philip would make.

This line of reasoning is completely fallacious. I imagine that if you are in favor of legalized abortion, then by this logic it should have been tried on you personally.

[Gustaf]

Conservatism is classical liberalism.

I dispute that I am 'immoral,' but you're pretty dumb, so I'll let it go.

That's exactly my point - it isn't. Calling me pretty dumb is a pretty dumb argument. I didn't say that you were. My point was that the lack of strict moral principles, usually derived from religion, separates a group of conservatives often mistaken for classic liberals, from religious right type conservatives.

[A18]

Conservatism is about negative rights. Liberalism is about positive rights. Classical liberalism is about the former.

[John Dibble]

Conservatism is about negative rights. Liberalism is about positive rights. Classical liberalism is about the former.

That doesn't make them the same thing.

[A18]

That's the sole uniting element of each, so yes, it does.

[PBrunsel]

No, but those in rebellion should have been heavily fined.  Guess what the money would have been used for.  :-)

Filling the pockets of corrupt beauracrats and politicians?

They would have been REPUBLICAN politicians

Grant, Harding, and Nixon weren't corrupt at all.

Very true about Grant. Almost none of the scandals that we associate with him (especially Credit Mobiler) had anything to do with his administration. The Senate was responcible for a majority of them.