tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7805322597160286755.post7098911940996447044..comments2010-04-14T17:15:17.700-04:00Comments on Derived Law: The Thesis of this BlogEvanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16655980548835061363noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7805322597160286755.post-50097574380100044852010-03-15T23:46:18.947-04:002010-03-15T23:46:18.947-04:00"Either consideration can render a government..."Either consideration can render a government illegitimate."<br /><br />I disagree: I think either consideration can render a power <i>legitimate</i>. I think that government can stop someone from murdering you, even if he hasn't consented to have the government stop him. Similarly, I think that if everyone in the country agrees to Communism, it'd be okay for the government to enforce it even though it'd otherwise violate rights. (In other words, just as you can give up your property to another person by a free contract, you can do the same with the government. Whether this scenario has ever happened, though, is open to question.) I'll try to get more into this subject in future posts.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16655980548835061363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7805322597160286755.post-84026608990115540042010-03-15T10:57:38.939-04:002010-03-15T10:57:38.939-04:00You write about the "two sources of governmen...You write about the "two sources of government power," namely, our inalienable rights and consent of the governed. I prefer to speak of these as two "checks" on government. Either consideration can render a government illegitimate. If its actions fail to protect our rights, government has veered into the illegitimate zone. Same thing if we don't consent. (even if the action undertaken is apparently benevolent and/or rights-protective.) Though my view of the second contingency may seem hard to accept, no government should take parental control of our lives, even when they try to make us do something that's good for us. In other words, government shouldn't be a "Big Daddy" any more than it should be a "Big Brother."susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02602098405767596971noreply@blogger.com