[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]Scaredy: Since this is in the Hobby Lobby thread, can we recast or reframe this narrative in terms of “positive rights” and “negative rights”, with the US Government as God/Organized Religion?
In other words, “Thou shalt purchase contraception, or there will be consequences!” (Which, in the final analysis, is very real, as the US Government holds a monopoly on its ability to use coercion and violence to enforce its will, akin to the God of the Old Testament.)
How does the argument play then? You know, when someone points out that we’re actually talking about negative rights versus positive rights here, and the ability of the government to coerce a private citizen against their will or beliefs.[/quote]
i guess I see this not so much as a horrifically coercive governmental action, like the mutual fund holding a bit of the company that produces the stuff…it’s just unavoidable if you live ina complex society to keep your hands perfectly clean.
so you’re being commanded to buy insurance, not contraception, and part of the insurance package is that doctors make decisions, some of which you like, some of which you don’t, and some the objector may not even understand…like, it’s not necessarily being used for contraceptive purposes, even if it could be….basically, when you live and work ina pluralistic marketplace, not everything’s going to be perfect…and if this is just too much for you to bear…well, then, maybe you are too delicate to do business in the USA.
on the other hand..
it does seem different to place affirmative burdens on people to do stuff, though. I don’t know the legal debate on it…but it’s definitely odd…
of course, insurance is the lifeblood of society, we have lived, eaten and breathed it for a century or so, right? and we all understand you can’t insure with justa few people. you need lots and lots of people…ideally, everyone..to spread risks…to be able to afford to cover big losses….
ultimately, insurance, and perhaps citizenship, is a collectivist enterprise, and in terms of sacrifices, it just doesn’t seem that horrible to have a system where everyone is covered even if that system requires some coercive aspect. might not be worth it, and then I suppose the people will rebel…personally, i think of my kids, i think of lengthy periods when i had no coverage, i like the idea of not ahving to worry about them having coverage because i know id spend my last dime paying their medical bills if they weren’t…..
