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Comment by zo1 | Hacker News Reader

The problem with peddling guilt is that not everyone subscribes to it. I pay taxes, and I expect the needy and the poor and the sick and the hungry to be taken care of. If anyone should feel guilty, it should be the government leaders and the people that don't hold them accountable for the duties there are tasked with performing.

I think stealing is wrong, no matter the situation and desperation. However, I also believe that the supermarket (or whoever was stolen-from) has the right to compassion for this individual. And if you ask me, I believe people are generally good, and most would forgive the transgression without hesitation.

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"Are there no Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"Both very busy, sir..."

"Those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

The supermarket owner does have that right, and likely would if asked discretely. People are generally good and would probably forgive. Many do. That's why it is so important to donate to food shelters (don't forget toys for children - feed the body and mind).

But saying stealing is ok is wrong.

People are generally good. But some people aren't. Incidentally, those are the people who tend to accumulate wealth and power.

There are certainly people in this world who would sit on top a mountain of food that will spoil if not eaten a foot away from a starving dying man and tell him he's not allowed to have any because they'd like to watch him suffer.

In that case stealing is quite alright by me.

>There are certainly people in this world who would sit on top a mountain of food that will spoil if not eaten a foot away from a starving dying man and tell him he's not allowed to have any because they'd like to watch him suffer

Hell, there are people in this thread who would apparently play the role of the foodpile guy because of their intensely, sincerely held moral conviction!

It's your job to make sure the needy and poor and sick and hungry are taken care of. The government is you, what it does is your responsibility. Paying taxes, shrugging your shoulders, and saying "not my problem anymore" is not an option from a moral standpoint. If it is ineffective, it's on you and all of us to make sure it works properly.

That you expect them to be taken care of does not help those who are starving. Consider legal decisions like this an incentive to push for a government that actually does this.

> I think stealing is wrong, no matter the situation and desperation.

So you put property rights above the life of someone else?

Personally I find such an attitude incredibly offensive.

So you would never steal, no matter the situation?

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