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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:00 AM

Debate over government-funded police protection heats up

Conservatives decry "socialized" law enforcement; Democrats are divided over "single-payer" police protection

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  • Monday, June 29, 2009 07:08 PM

    Dumb beyond belief

    Lind thinks he's being clever, but he just shows his ignorance. Policing, military protection, and the like are legitimate responsibilities of the government, something only a government can do. The legitimacy of the state (or lack thereof) lends itself to the force sometimes necessary to protect the public and enforce the law. (That's why vigilantes are outside the law.)

    Health care is not something only the government can do. It is something legitimately done by private entities. (Never mind that it's often done better by private entities, too. Compare the survival rates for cancer and heart disease in Canada and the U.S.)

    Lind confuses the duties of the government vs. the rights of private citizens (which would include private companies and organizations).

    I'd think a Salon editor would have been smart enough to save Lind from embarassing himself here. Apparently not.

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