[extropy-chat] A view of what politics is.

[Brett Paatsch]

Giu1i0 Pri5c0 writes:

>I think Brett gives a good definition of what politics *should be*.
> If a resource that everyone needs is scarce we can either shoot each
> other or trying to find a mutually acceptable agreement. This is
> called politics.

> Unfortunately in the real world things that have nothing to do with
> resource allocation becomes a part of the political debate. Take gay
> marriage for example - two adults of the same sex who want to get
> married do not take anything out of my pocket, or in general do not
> take any resource away from me, so I do not think such things should
> be part of politics.

Don't gay marriages in Europe result in a better claim on the spouses
assets? 

Don't arbitrary meaningless demands that place an impost on some
outgroup cause benefits to flow disproportionately to one's ingroup?

Where there is agreed to be a common wealth, (ie, when that is a given)
all rights that are recognized as rights are claims on that common wealth.
Denying others their rights however arbitrarily means that there is more 
of the common wealth (tax dollars to allocate say) left over for one's 
own group. 

Brett Paatsch