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2012 May 18 |
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http://www.theatlanticright.com/2007/12/07/the-right-to-be-idle/
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Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.”

Those aren’t rights, they’re privileges.

  1. Michael van der Galien

    You say they aren’t easily replaceable, but plenty of people each year graduate with degrees in business administration. High CEO pay has a lot to do with the boards of these companies being stocked with friends of the CEO.

    The way it was in the 50s and 60s made much more sense. IIRC, CEOs made 30-60 times what their average employee made.

    Yes Chris, it's all a conspiracy. I believe that Edmund Burke, rightfully, referred to these individuals as the natural aristocracy. It's not up to you to decide how much they should make. That's up to the market. Liberals are, in that regard, extremely arrogant. Yes, many do. Many, many, many more, however, don't. What's more: many of those who get such a degree don't become one of those big earning CEOs. Only those with the talent, the persistence and the determination, etc. Repeat after me: workers are easily replaceable whereas CEOs are not. As for the friends: I think that history has proven that socialist regimes are the ones in which the incompetent rule only because they friends of the ones in power. In a capitalist society with a free market, however, that can never truly happen: if it does the company will go broke and the CEO will be left with a destroyed career, a horrible image, and no job.
  2. Posted by Interested
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9068 ›
    Interested
    You say they aren’t easily replaceable, but plenty of people each year graduate with degrees in business administration. High CEO pay has a lot to do with the boards of these companies being stocked with friends of the CEO.
    what an absolutely mindless statement. Do you actually want to believe that the CEO position is nothing more than the buddy system? You do realize that it completely and totally flies in the face of your earlier statements that corporations are oozing in profit dollars right? And it negates what a business must do to survive and remain profitable in a competitive world. And it negates the entire premise that a business is for-profit? If the CEO cannot cut it just how long do you think they would survive in that seat? And it goes on to assume that someone with a business administration degree has the necessary items to be a success at running a business - while also assuming that no other degree could?
  3. Posted by Chris
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9069 ›
    Chris "It’s not up to you to decide how much they should make. That’s up to the market. Liberals are, in that regard, extremely arrogant." And conservatives are beyond arrogant in believing that the market is some magical infallible force. Repeat after me, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected...
  4. Posted by Interested
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9070 ›
    Interested
    Repeat after me, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected…
    Take an economics class - and if you did - retake it and pay attention. The market corrects itself. What you are stating is that markets need to be forced into a direction that deviates from normal market correction.
  5. Michael van der Galien

    Who then determines what is fair? What if you moved rural to fulfill your dream of being a writer, yet you couldn’t cut it. And now do not have the resources to move again. Yet you despise working at Wal-Mart - or perhaps you couldn’t cut it there either.

    How much should your fellow citizens pay for your mistakes? Few people would say your on your own, but where is the defining point of their charity to you?

    Your fellow citizens shouldn't pay anything for your mistakes. There certainly is a job you can do. It just will cost you a lot of time and willpower to get where you want to be. But that's what being a man is all about, isn't it? At least, I was taught so. Old fashioned, I know. If this person climbs out, does what's necessary to move back to where he came from, he will be twice the man he would've been if he would've succeeded in writing and ten times the man he would've been if the government would've bailed him out. (of course I realize you agree with me Interested)
  6. Michael van der Galien
    Repeat after me, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected, markets have to be corrected…
    Not it doesn't. True, lasting problems arise when people step in and try to cure perceived ills.
  7. Michael van der Galien O, and I want to nominate this comment for best comment of the tread.
  8. Posted by Chris
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9075 ›
    Chris Like the Fed?  How about anti-trust laws?  Worker safety laws? Laws requiring truth in advertising?  Labels on food?
  9. Posted by Xel
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9076 ›
    Xel I don't think markets have to be corrected. But I don't think people should have to deal with everything only to their capacity. I don't want to live in that kind of society.
  10. Posted by Interested
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9078 ›
    Interested
    Like the Fed? How about anti-trust laws? Worker safety laws? Laws requiring truth in advertising? Labels on food?
    Do you have any realization that you are part of the Market Chris? Do you have any idea what market forces actually are?
  11. Posted by Chris
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9079 ›
    Chris Do you?
  12. Posted by Interested
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9080 ›
    Interested
    Do you?
    Again, attempting to divert the question (while a favorite libby tactic) does not work.
  13. Posted by phin
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9089 ›
    phin
    The right to ‘leisure’ then, is a typical example of a 20th century thought up right, which encourages people to be lazy and has encouraged people to believe that they have the ‘right’ to sit back and produce nothing.
     I think the Epicureans predate our modern day hedonists, err, bums, err, free loaders, err, liberals.  Damn Epicurus, crazy hippie Greek!! :)
  14. Posted by Xel
    | Quote | Trackback | Link #9094 ›
    Xel "Again, attempting to divert the question (while a favorite libby tactic) does not work." Again, attempting to make a quite sweeping generalization (while an all-too common tactic) is not convincing, like, ever.
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