02-20-2006, 05:20 AM
Quote: Personal sovereignty is lent to the state via social contract. [/quote]
This is highly debatable. The social contract theory has a lot of holes, and besides, there are many forms of it. I do not believe that this is a viable reason to infringe on personal sovereignty. To say that the people decide how much sovereignty to devolve to the government is problematic because many government systems were made before the current participants were born, and without the input of a majority of their constituents. Therefore, I don't think this argument holds water. While this is somewhat tangental to the main discussion, I believe it applies.
On the other hand, I don't think it is up to the UN to decide this, either. I agree that it is each individual nation's decision, and their members. If a truly democratic decision is to be reached that respects personal sovereignty, an impersonal body like the UN is not the place to do it.
I maintain my opposition to this bill; it infringes too strongly on NatSov. While I accept the counterarguments that Fonzoland made to my earlier statement (though I still have reservations about the problem of trafficking), this remains a strong enough concern for me to maintain my opposition.
Edit: I do believe coffee and tea should be included in this resolution, as it is not the drinks as such, but caffeine, that is at issue here. Perhaps the way they were included is problematic, but their inclusion itself is not.
This is highly debatable. The social contract theory has a lot of holes, and besides, there are many forms of it. I do not believe that this is a viable reason to infringe on personal sovereignty. To say that the people decide how much sovereignty to devolve to the government is problematic because many government systems were made before the current participants were born, and without the input of a majority of their constituents. Therefore, I don't think this argument holds water. While this is somewhat tangental to the main discussion, I believe it applies.
On the other hand, I don't think it is up to the UN to decide this, either. I agree that it is each individual nation's decision, and their members. If a truly democratic decision is to be reached that respects personal sovereignty, an impersonal body like the UN is not the place to do it.
I maintain my opposition to this bill; it infringes too strongly on NatSov. While I accept the counterarguments that Fonzoland made to my earlier statement (though I still have reservations about the problem of trafficking), this remains a strong enough concern for me to maintain my opposition.
Edit: I do believe coffee and tea should be included in this resolution, as it is not the drinks as such, but caffeine, that is at issue here. Perhaps the way they were included is problematic, but their inclusion itself is not.