On Tue, 21 Aug 2012, Alex Hutton <highspeeddub@gmail.com> wrote:
...rights Australia promised to uphold, as you will recall from Petr's original post that started this thread. If you don't like it, either find another nation-state, or petition your representatives to have Australia back out of that promise.
What gives Australia the right to make promises on my behalf and obligate me into fulfilling them?
The politicians who were elected (including your vote) have the right to determine government policy. Feel free to move to a different country if the majority of Australian citizens vote for things you don't like. On Tue, 21 Aug 2012, Alex Hutton <highspeeddub@gmail.com> wrote:
But these rights aren't real rights, they aren't natural rights, they are rights determined arbitrarily by the UN. They contradict natural rights.
Of course if you thought about this issue for a few minutes then you would support human rights. Don't assume that because you have a job now you will always have one. Don't assume that your local community will be happy to support you if you lose your job or become unable to work - it could be that everyone in your region loses their job (as has happened to parts of the US in recent times). If you ever find yourself on the losing end of the employment game you want to have the option of welfare. Consider the small portion of your income tax that goes towards welfare as being insurance against that. Don't assume that Australia will always be a dominant regional power and don't assume that there will never be any form of insurrection or civil strife here. Don't assume that the US will protect us, contrary to American propaganda they have NEVER done so in the past, all American wars have served American interests (or at least the interests of some Americans). When UN conventions protect the rights of refugees it has the potential to protect YOU if things ever go badly in Australia. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/