From: stephen@orchid.UCSC.EDU (coram populo)
Newsgroups: ba.politics
Subject: Re: But it is OK to coerce certain groups...
Date: 28 Jan 93 22:03:35 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: Santa Cruz
NNTP-Posting-Host: orchid.ucsc.edu

In article <1993Jan28.172412.3843@netcom.com> phil@netcom.com (Phil Ronzone) writes:
>In article <1k8147INN905@morrow.stanford.edu> XA.U20@forsythe.stanford.edu (June Genis) writes:
>>In article <1k6ftsINN1mv@darkstar.UCSC.EDU>,
>>stephen@orchid.UCSC.EDU (coram populo) writes:
>    >>Number one, you live and function ( I assume ) within the
>    >>social and political structure of the US. That for one, makes
>    >>it someone compelling to become and belong to the
>    >>social/political contracts that we based the operation of our
>    >>society on. You of course, are quite free to make change via
>    >>democratic processes.
>
>A real life example would be the Amish. Starting in the early 1970's, when
>the Federal State started collecting "Social Security" taxes from the
>self-employed with a vengeance, the Amish would particularily hard hit.
>
>After several well publicised confiscations of Amish farms (for back "Social
>Security" taxes), Congress passed some kind of delaying law.
>
>I haven't been able to follow the conclusion, but, in any case, it's not
>germaine to the point.
>
>Which is -- WHAT supposed "social contract" do the Amish live under that forces
>them to pay Social Security taxes. By all accounts, their retirement programs
>are self-sufficient and far superior to any thing that "Social Security"
>could evenr provide.

And you are probably right in this context- but and the BUT is, somewhere
along the line, people have allowed this process to be installed, and they
have not changed it.  It is afterall a position taken by either the majority
or a powerful subgroup that this was the best thing we could do for all
people involved.

>
>By their very lifestyle, surely no one could accept even this mythical
>"Social Contract" as applying to the Amish.
>
>

It is all very simple- you, I and everyone else posting against this concept
of 'social contract' are unwilling, willing, blindly or whatever, going 
along with it.  Now the snowballing effect, if you, I and everyone else
wishes to live here, in these United States, then we have an obligation
to make the system reflect what we want it to be.  If you, I and everyone
else let's this system goes, on its own, without our intervention, then
it will turn into what you don't want. 

You cannot have what you want if you do not work to bring about.

One of the most simple ways to bring the whole system to its knees,
is right in your own hands- stop paying taxes, if you can convince
10,000, 20,000, 1,000,000 people around yourself, and others do the
same all across the country.  Then government as it is will stop and
pay very close attention.  But as we see, the majority will sit and play
along with the whole game. And will they do anything, some small percentage
will, the rest will not.

Your choices become somewhat limited then, according to the grand
scheme of things. If the majority does nothing to insure that the 
government does what it is suppose to do and no more, then as a famous
quote goes-

The people get the government they deserve.

Now why any government or the infamous phrase 'social contract'. IMHO
most people cannot take care of themselves or things around them, without
being told to do so.  Now granted I based this on histoical context and
partly on what I see occuring today.  

Without many of the laws and regulations that are in place, we would have
a society (actually we not have one at all) that is out of control and
definitely based upon power leveraging (weapons).

And just to bring out some other points about the so-called mythical
social contract, tell me how you can differ and say that you are not
part of the following;

1) Drive on the right side of the road.
2) Speak English
3) Use public parks/facilities
4) Read SJMN or WSJ
5) Wait in lines.
6) Use the US mails.

and on and on and on.

Face it, we all products of the society in which we live, it is up to
each of us to generate individual personalities and individual accomplishments,
but you abide by an enormous number of social rules and procedures.
Xref: sparky ba.politics:8355 ca.politics:10704