DeletedUser
Personal responsibility in not defined in social obligation. Social obligation is what someone is required to do (under threat of prosecution or persecution) by others.
Society is made up of the individuals within it. It is only because of the collective desire to ensure that everyone follows the same rules, that society comes up with institutional arrangements (governments, courts, legislative bodies, regulatory bodies) as an attempt to define and enforce unwritten social norms. I.e., to codify what is acceptable and what is not.
Personal responsibly includes being accountable to acknowledging those norms and formal laws that exist in a society, though you have the right, in fact one could argue the duty, to try to change them and make them better through social and political engagement.
Each system of government is different, even among democracies, reflecting to some extent the varied, and evolving, collective desires of the individuals within that society to establish boundaries for behaviors members of society can exercise. However, you do not have the ‘right’ to ignore social institutions and norms because you personally don’t feel like it.
Human beings are innately social animals, and every society has its rules and codes of expected behavior, and ways to enforce them. And no, that does not stop at your property line. Since the concept of private property is also one of those rules reflecting beliefs of the society, and is enforced by social institutions (courts, police...), it is also subject to being defined and controlled by society. You can’t have a meth lab in your house or sell drugs to grade school students; nor can own slaves, beat a child as you desire, torture animals because you want to (e.g. dog fighting), dump hazardous liquids into the ground to contaminate the ground water, etc, etc. etc.)
Personal responsibly is intimately and inextricably bound to social obligations. Unless you want to live a monastic life, and reject all the obligations and privileges that comes from living in a society, you have a personal obligation to respect social obligations, even as you work to change them.
If we were still a nation of laws, these people would be facing military tribunals for treason. Sorry, only difference between the US and any other banana republic is better tech and indoor plumbing. The facade of decency.
I made it clear, repeatedly, that every organization (governmental, corporations, churches, etc) has problems with corruption. You seem to negate the absolutely essential role of government in setting boundaries on personal behavior, just because government suffers from some corrupt politicians or from some inefficient or ineffective laws. This, despite the fact that no organization is immune from inefficiency and abuse of powers. That is the whole reason for various systems of checks and balances (including courts and the press you so love to bash). Imperfect as they are, and they are flawed, they are the best mechanisms that the world has ever know to set up multiple centers of power (Executive, legislative, judiciary, as well and federal, state and local) that have power to oversee and hold accountable the other centers of power. And it largely works.
Truly, have you actually lived in in developing countries? Not just visited, or been stationed there. But actually, lived and worked there, subject to laws, their political and social processes, etc? I have. It is amazing how some folks do not appreciate how incredibly fortunate North Americans and Western Europeans are, to live in a society where courts largely work, with access to a free press and multiple sources of information, where you publicly state your political and religious opinions without being hauled to jail.
This is what bothers me the most about the continual attack and efforts to undermine our democratic institutions such as courts. It shows a lack of pride in the sacrifices made over the years for the country and in its institutions. Our democratic governments exist because generations of Americans and Europeans sacrificed their lives for them. We are the envy of the world for our enduring democratic systems, despite their many flaws, which I repeatedly acknowledged. That is whey everyone tries to come to Europe and North America; they want the same safety, stability and democracy that seems to be taken for granted more and more by right- and left-wing populists.
Voting still remains the best option for ensuring everyone has a voice. Yes, it is tedious (at times boring) work to help elect those you feel can be honest public servants, and who represent your beliefs. It also means accepting that your opinions will not be reflected always in decisions made. That is the nature of democracy, for political representatives to find workable solutions that meet as many of the needs of the many without sacrificing too many rights of the minority.
What is your alternative that would measurably improve the lives of all, without sacrificing the welfare of the weakest? What is your practical alternative to working through the existing political systems to reduce waste and corruption?
Can you provide a real world example of a better alternative to representative democracy as practiced in the US or Western Europe, with all their flaws, that does a measurably better job in ensuring that every single human being’s rights will be better protected, regardless of how poor they are, what ethnicity they have, or what beliefs they have (political, religious, etc.)?
Can you provide a single example of one country, where the government is better, or where the lack of a government makes it better? Russia, China, Haiti, Monaco, Singapore, where?[/QUOTE]