Is the purpose of the US Federal Government to make life fair to everyone?

[Sheepdog]

This is a public poll, if you don't want your name associated with your view, don't vote.

It's a binary question. True or false. caveats, maybe, and I don't know answers are to be disregarded.

If you believe the purpose of the government is to make everyone equal in all things, vote true. If you believe the purpose of the government is to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, vote false.

if you believe in class warfare, vote true. if you think that envy is at least an equal sin to greed, vote false.

[JonLanceBarker]

I guess you need to do some qualifying.

If you mean equality before the law, yes.

If you mean homogeneity of life situation, no.

[FaithThruDoubt]

I guess you need to do some qualifying.

If you mean equality before the law, yes.

If you mean homogeneity of life situation, no.

Ditto. But I had little trouble in understanding the implication to mean the latter.

[JonLanceBarker]

Ditto. But I had little trouble in understanding the implication to mean the latter.

Sure, but it's always best to be as clear as possible in a poll. Results tend to get skewed otherwise.

ETA: Ok. He's clarified since I wrote that response.

[TheAnalogman]

So are the liberals sleeping? It's 3-0, good guys on top.

[themuzicman]

I guess you need to do some qualifying.

If you mean equality before the law, yes.

If you mean homogeneity of life situation, no.

The former is justice.

The latter is fairness.

Michael

[Pilgrim]

The purpose of any government is to execute the will of the governed in as equitable a manner as possible. This is what the founders meant when they wrote that the "government derives its power from the consent of the people."

To the question let me quote Jimmy Carter who was much lambasted as a liberal for saying this: "Life isn't always fair." He said this in the context of forbidding federal dollars to be used to subsidize abortions for the poor.

[themuzicman]

The founders also desired a very limited government, where its actions were for the benefit of all the people, and not to take from some and give to others.

We were to ask the founders about welfare and abortion and bailouts and a lot of the things that our government does, and they'd definitively say that, no, the federal government shouldn't be doing that.

Michael

[Darth Executor]

Who cares what the founders wanted. They're long rotted corpses by now. The country belongs to the living, not the dead.

Personally I'm not gonna answer the poll. Partly because I think the government has more than one purpose (and someone can hold to both of the options in the OP) and partly because the questions are too broad.

[TheAnalogman]

11-0, good guys.

[Sheepdog]

I basically tried to say the same thing in two different ways. I didn't use the word "equal" in the poll nor the subject line.

I did us the word "equal" in the post, but in the context of "equal in all things."

I really don't know how I can clarify or caveat this any further.

[Sheepdog]

14 to zip, by my vote.

I think it's because PoliSci 301 is where all the smart people hide from the Civics 101 drivel.

[nomad]

The question is loaded IMHO.

To the question
'Is a purpose of the United States Government to promote fairness?", I would say yes.

To the question
'If you believe the purpose of the government is to make everyone equal in all things, vote yes' - I would of course vote no. But the two things are not at all identical.

This poll is a great example of how to skew poll questions to get the answers you want to prove your position, instead of for truth seeking.

[Polrean]

Multiple choice would have been better

Such as:

-The purpose of government is to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and not make everyone equal in all things.

-The purpose of the government is to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with making everyone equal in all things a secondary purpose.

- The purpose of the government is to ensure life liberty and the pursuit of happiness along with making everyone equal as dual primary concerns.

-The purpose of government is to make everyone equal in all things, with life liberty and the pursuit of happiness a secondary purpose.

-The purpose of government is to make everyone equal in all things, and to not ensure life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't see why this has to be a binary issue, or why Sheepdog is compelled to frame it as such. The government can't "make" equality per se, but it can ensure that it does not institutionalize inequality.

And I would add that the "all things" phrase only apply to those issues which are under the realm of government power.

[Sheepdog]

The question is loaded IMHO.

To the question
'Is a purpose of the United States Government to promote fairness?", I would say yes.

in fairness to myself, i didn't say anything about promoting fairness, but about creating fairness.

This poll is a great example of how to skew poll questions to get the answers you want to prove your position, instead of for truth seeking.

not all polls are for the purpose of truth seeking :evul:

Multiple choice would have been better

you are entitled to start your own poll

I don't see why this has to be a binary issue, or why Sheepdog is compelled to frame it as such. The government can't "make" equality per se, but it can ensure that it does not institutionalize inequality.

the poll is about intent. the government certainly couldn't make everyone perfectly equal. the question is, is it the purpose of the US federal government to make everyone equal.