Josh and I are having a strongly-worded email discussion on politics and, more specifically, citizenship. He is a Libertarian who is strongly against most social programs and income taxation; I'm a liberal who believes social programs benefit the society as a whole. The emails are just flying back and forth. It's like the Matalin-Carville household sometimes.
The discussion really centers around these two questions:
What do you think are the obligations of citizenship, if they indeed exist?
What is a citizen to give to its country in exchange for structure, peace, safety, etc?
My thinking is this country gave us the opportunity to live somewhere where electricity, heat and water are subsidized and available, where schools are open and free to any kid around, where roads are maintained and safe, crime is dealt with, fires are put out, hospitals are open, political power is checked and rechecked and jobs are plentiful. This country gave us standards to keep our air and our water at levels where they won't slowly kill us (well...maybe they will), parks and museums to see the wonders of creation and beauty of life, standards to keep our investments safe, places to go when there isn't anywhere else. Your country will most likely ask you for nothing more than your vote and some money in return. I don't see this as a moralistic standard but a civic one.
What about you? What do you think are the obligations of citizenship?
Happy Good Friday. Jesus: Thanks for dying today. I mean that.
The discussion really centers around these two questions:
What do you think are the obligations of citizenship, if they indeed exist?
What is a citizen to give to its country in exchange for structure, peace, safety, etc?
My thinking is this country gave us the opportunity to live somewhere where electricity, heat and water are subsidized and available, where schools are open and free to any kid around, where roads are maintained and safe, crime is dealt with, fires are put out, hospitals are open, political power is checked and rechecked and jobs are plentiful. This country gave us standards to keep our air and our water at levels where they won't slowly kill us (well...maybe they will), parks and museums to see the wonders of creation and beauty of life, standards to keep our investments safe, places to go when there isn't anywhere else. Your country will most likely ask you for nothing more than your vote and some money in return. I don't see this as a moralistic standard but a civic one.
What about you? What do you think are the obligations of citizenship?
Happy Good Friday. Jesus: Thanks for dying today. I mean that.
1 comment:
what??? what is "polotiks"?
that's crazy talk.
and what exactly is an "opinion"?
i'm so confused.
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