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Comment by tsotha | Hacker News Reader

Why does that make it right?

Because in "a democracy" the majority provide what's called a "political mandate". This kind of clandestine lobbying outside the democratic process usurps the democratic process.

There's a big difference between publicly supporting Bernie Sanders because you believe he'll be a good president and skulking around in the corridors of power buying off officials so that you can line your own pockets.

No, the fact that the US is a democracy just makes it legal. That still doesn't make it right.

Right now in the US almost all the income taxes are paid by 20% or so of the population. People who advocate a bigger, more expensive government are almost always planning to do it with someone else's money.

Strawman

It's in no way a straw man. That doens't even make sense in this context.

It does yeah - you've taken what I was saying, made a replica stuffed with straw and then defeated that. Your response doesn't really tie into what I was saying it seems like something you had rehearsed. So you reinterpreted to suit your response rather than discuss the topic at hand.

Still... no logical connection there. Are you cutting and pasting this from somewhere else?

Ha was thinking the same thing about you!

From the outlook of the human species, the health the needs of millions hold a higher value than the desire of the absurdly wealthy to become even more wealthy.

Hmmm while I broadly agree with your sentiment I could argue your point on Darwinian principles (-:

Sounding the Utilitarian alarm! Someone here hasn't done Philosophy 101. Here's the gist of it: utilitarianism is self-contradictory and by consequence self-defeating.

Many people have not had "the luxury" of doing "psych 101" as you call it. I have not but yet I get the gist of what your saying and to me it sounds like you're making an appeal to authority. I'd imagine the authority you're appealing to is a fairly culturally biased one too (101 doesn't sound particularly rigorous). Try to make a reasoned argument for what you want to say rather than regurgitating what was pumped into you as a brat freshman.

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