Category: Politics

What Is The Definition Of Freedom?

The word ‘freedom’ gets brought up a lot, by all kinds of people. But what does it even mean?

Regardless of your personal political leanings, you will likely have heard someone who agrees with you and someone who disagrees with you, talking about how their freedoms are being curtailed. Politicians of all stripes use the word frequently, often with a generic-sounding phase like, “I’ll fight for your freedoms!”

Certainly, this sounds good. We all want to be free, right? Free to say and do what we want without government interference. Of course, complete individual freedom immediately comes into conflict with other individual freedoms. My right to drive on the wrong side of the road conflicts with your right to have a safe commute.

What we say and do impacts other people, and so there have to be rules, and those rules place limits on our freedoms. The first amendment, for instance, guarantees free speech, but even free speech has limits.

Additionally, there seems to be some confusion about consequences. Free speech means you have the right to say any offensive thing you want. But other people then also have the right to think you are a jerk for saying them. Which might mean you get fired from your job, or friendships might end. You are not free from consequences of your speech and/or actions.

Most people agree that one person’s freedom does not permit them to injure or kill someone else. But what about injury to themselves? Or injuries to society as a whole? Most people seem to agree that requiring drivers to wear seatbelts is an overall good, for example, even though it limits the freedom of the driver.

How do you define freedom? Do you feel that our society is more free than not? In what ways are your freedoms being restricted? Are there times when that restriction is a good thing?

Related questions: Are you free? What makes something a human right? Freedom or security?

Are You Knowledgeable About Politics?

With politics, there is a lot to follow, including the players and their goals, among other things. Do you pay close attention to all the details?

Politics, especially on the national scale, is like a giant tapestry. There are hundreds of possible threads to follow.

For example, there are members of congress, five hundred and thirty five of them. Quick: how many of the 100 senators do you know? Those legislators propose and debate laws, and for legislation that you view as important, you might follow committee hearings and track necessary vote counts.

You also have judges. The nine members of the Supreme Court, obviously, and the cases they take up. The arguments for and against, predictions how they might rule, and possible implications to the decision. Not to mention district court judges, appeals courts, and so on.

And there is the executive branch, which includes not just the president, but all of the cabinet-level positions. Following everything a president does, including foreign trips, executive actions, state visits, disaster declarations, and so on can be overwhelming. Not to mention everything the various cabinet secretaries propose and announce.

In addition you have hundreds of thousands of career civil servants, various governors and state legislation, foreign leaders and foreign affairs, and so on.

Following it all, or even attempting to, could be a full-time job. There are 24 hour news channels, dozens if not hundreds of newspapers and magazines, online blogs, and late night talk shows.

How much do you keep up with any of this? Do you pay more attention in election years? Or when your own state plays an important role? Do you talk about it with friends, and share your opinions? Or do you choose to drown out the political noise, busy enough with work, family, friends, and hobbies?

Are you knowledgeable about politics?

Related questions: What role should government play in our lives? Are you politically active? What is the proper level of engagement with national politics? What should taxes be used for?

 

Have You Put Up A Lawn Sign For A Candidate Or Cause?

No doubt you’ve seen lawn signs promoting a political candidate or point of view. Have you ever put one up?

Share why if you wish.

Who Is Susceptible To Misinformation?

There are very skilled, well-financed groups attempting to spread misinformation across the world. Who is likely to be duped?

It can be very frustrating when someone you disagree with ignores logic and common sense. How can they believe something that is so obviously incorrect? They clearly are being fed a steady diet of misinformation, from politicians, news outlets, social media feeds, and so on. But why can’t they see it?

Of course, it is very likely they, or someone else who disagrees with you, is thinking the exact same thing. How is it possible, they ask, that you don’t see you are being lied to? They believe your social media feed is full of misinformation. The politicians you vote for deliberately tell lie after lie. News sources you follow are biased and don’t tell the whole story.

Surely both sides can’t be right. One side must be telling the truth, and the other is sadly deluded. And, of course, your side is the correct one. Theirs is the one filled with misinformation.

Need proof? Just look at the video clip of someone interviewing them, exposing how ignorant they are. It is sad they don’t see what has happened to them.

But again, those video clips exist on both sides of the political spectrum.

How can you be sure that your side is the correct one? What if it isn’t? What if the people spreading misinformation are not targeting just one side of the political aisle, but instead look to destabilize the entire system, left and right alike?

You probably believe the other side should be more skeptical of the information they are exposed to. But how skeptical are you?

Related questions: What is truth? How do you know who to trust? What beliefs do you have that might be wrong?

Should Health Care Be Tied To A Person’s Employment?

For many people, at least in America, health care is largely subsidized by their employer. Does that system make sense?

Health care is one of the more controversial topics in American politics. Millions of Americans get their health insurance, to pay for the ever-increasing cost of health care, from a plan offered by their employer.

It is easy to see how this situation evolved. In addition to salary, an employer may offer additional benefits as an incentive to take a job. These might include, among other things, generous vacation time, stock options, and yes, cheaper health insurance.

Indeed, that can be an attractive benefit, as health insurance is very expensive. This is due to the fact that health care is expensive. However, large companies that represent hundreds or even thousands of employees, can negotiate lower prices that would be unavailable to individuals.

One downside to this scenario, though, is that having health care offered through an employer means employees are put at a severe disadvantage. A worker might be unhappy with a particular job, but feels they are unable to leave because they can’t afford to lose the health insurance for them and possibly their family.

Additionally, an employer’s choice of plan could impact what medical procedures an employee is allowed to get, or even which doctor they are allowed to have.

So, which is it? Is subsidized health insurance a nice perk that comes with signing on with a big company? Or is it a tool that gives an employer unfair leverage over their employees? Should health care be tied to a person’s employment?

Related questions: Is health care a human right? Health care: private or public? What does it mean to be healthy? Is your sense of self tied to your job?