tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post110114762658671064..comments2024-03-27T07:18:39.229-05:00Comments on In Medias Res: Comments Post #1: Christians, Libertarians, and Civic ObligationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-61821107542569536552008-11-09T07:11:00.000-06:002008-11-09T07:11:00.000-06:00I agree that a state's constitution ought to refle...I agree that a state's constitution ought to reflect certain egalitarian priorities.<BR/><BR/>But that doesn't resolve the issue.<BR/><BR/>Consider a constitutional provision guaranteeing the security of all citizens in their home and property. That is egalitarian, and a worthy societal goal. After all, too many of our fellow citizens have to deal with the threat of violence in their neighborhoods and homes, and that danger is unequally shared.<BR/><BR/>But I wouldn't want a court to have the power to decide the appropriate number of cops to have on the street.<BR/><BR/>And I wouldn't want a court to set the number of cops without considering, for example, the money that needs to be spent on education. Or on roads. And so on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1103570950060650752004-12-20T13:29:00.000-06:002004-12-20T13:29:00.000-06:00A belated response:
I agree that a state's consti...A belated response:<br /><br />I agree that a state's constitution ought to reflect certain egalitarian priorities. <br /><br />But that doesn't resolve the issue. <br /><br />Consider a constitutional provision guaranteeing the security of all citizens in their home and property. That is egalitarian, and a worthy societal goal. After all, too many of our fellow citizens have to deal with the threat of violence in their neighborhoods and homes, and that danger is unequally shared.<br /><br />But I wouldn't want a court to have the power to decide the appropriate number of cops to have on the street.<br /><br />And I wouldn't want a court to set the number of cops without considering, for example, the money that needs to be spent on education. Or on roads. And so on.<br /><br />When we guarantee only one, or a few, of the many egalitarian priorities, we provide a hook for a court to decide the appropriate balance--which is to say, the court fixes on the enunciated priority and ignores the rest. In our state, that means more money for schools, and less money for seniors. Perhaps that's the right balance, but the legislature, accountable to the people, seems a better place to determine that.<br /> <br /><br /><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Finmedias.blogspot.com%2F2004%2F11%2Fcomments-post-1-christians.html%23comments" TITLE="dispiritedyounglawyer at yahoo dot com">Thomas</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com