Laws can be made to help some people to have better lives, but it will cost other people their good lives. Laws are rules set by people who feel that they are at a higher level of life than everyone else who is not able to create laws. Legislators create laws to help people in need, while harming those who do not need the help that are being offered to others. A law was passed just recently that made it illegal for females of all ages to have abortions in certain states in the United States of America. Like what Bastiat said <“…The law is made, generally by one man, or by one class of men,” (2011, p.53).> The legislators who created the law were majority males. The law affects women not men about having children and not having children. Children might be the future of the world but the child should not come into the world by force, such as a young female being raped, a woman who can get pregnant but not able to carry full-term without miscarriage, a woman in poor health that will not be able to give birth without serious complications. There are cases where the umbilical cord wraps around the baby's throat or is not connected to the baby while in the womb and an abortion is the only way without waiting until the baby is born to take it out because leaving a dead child inside can cause problems and complications to the mother's health. One man or one class of men can not make a law that does not affect them but only effects women. If a woman wants to have an abortion because of certain reasons like what has previously been mentioned, they should have a right to fight for it and not be accused of killing a child that they do not want or know will not make it to the birth. <“…As every individual has a right to have recourse to force only in cases of lawful defense, so collective force, which is only the union of individual forces, cannot be rationally used for any other end,” (Bastiat 2011, p.89).> Laws should be made to help and protect those who need help and protection not force people to do things that they do not want to do. <“…Will take up the cause of the working classes, and claim them by means of the law, at a fixed rate, clothing, lodging, food, and everything necessary for the support of life,” (Bastiat 2011, p.90).> People who ask for help need it those who do not ask, do not need it or do not want help from others.
The government should not focus on their gains but the gain in which the country gets by new laws being created to better the country. Humans are greedy beings by nature but few are able to turn away from greed and focus on the feeling of accomplishment they receive by helping others, such as a blind person trying to cross the street with people ignoring them and continuing on their way. The blind person will feel gratitude for the person who helped them and the person who helped them will feel great at being able to make others better by doing little things. Laws are created by legislators who seek benefits for creating the laws, and raising taxes when the money needs to be earned back to cover the costs of the new laws. <“Government is only too much disposed to follow this diabolical advice, for it is composed of ministers and officials – of men, in short, who, like all other men, desire in their hearts, and always seize every opportunity with eagerness, to increase their wealth and influence,” (Bastiat 2011, p.99-100).> The government has always been selected by the people who put their trust in them to help those in need and have no faith in themselves to reach for the position of power, where everyone will be watching them and hoping that they can finally have the help that they need. The government will always hid the hand that will take so that they can continue to receive benefits and stay in position and when the time comes leave with all their benefits. <“It has two hands – one to receive and the other to give, in other words, it has a rough hand and a smooth one. The activity of the second is necessarily subordinate to the activity of the first. Strictly, Government may take and not restore,” (Bastiat 2011, p.102).> Humans will always be greedy and take what they can when they can such as promising certain laws, but not talking about the rise in taxes due to creating said laws. The laws always sacrifice something for the law to be affective. <“You have ceased to have any right to invoke the interest of the consumer; for, whenever his interest is found opposed to that of the producer, you sacrifice the former. You have done so for the purpose of encouraging labor and increasing employment. For the same reason you should do so again,” (Bastiat 2011, p.230).> When consumers want a law created that lowers taxes, the producer suffers the loss of profit and vice versa. The world is run by people who are greedy for profit and greedy for power no matter how you look at it and Bastiat was correct when talking about all the different eras having different rules, but the same concept still applies, every ruler or leader is greedy for power and benefits.
Bastiat Frédéric. (2011). Petition of the Manufacturers of Candles, Waxlights, Lamps, Candlelights, Street Lamps, Snuffers, Extinguishers, and the Producers of Oil, Tallow, Resin, Alcohol, and, Generally, of Everything Connected
with Lighting. In The bastiat collection (pp. 227–232). essay, Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Bastiat Frédéric. (2011). Government. In The bastiat collection (pp. 95–107). essay, Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Bastiat Frédéric. (2011). The Law. In The bastiat collection (pp. 49–94). essay, Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Trevon Jones
Professor Trost
EEE-2083
11 February 2023
Peer review 1
“Law, government, and petition of candle makers”, begins with abortion laws affecting women across the nation. The article claims that laws are rules set by people that think they have a higher level than everyone who can’t create laws. Also that some laws can help some people but won’t benefit everyone. Then the article, it states the that new abortion law was created by a majority of men. Then backs this up with a quote from Bastiat I feel this helps the argument that laws are created by one man or a group of one class of men. Or that law is created by people with higher levels. I completely agree with this argument because I believe that some laws are put in place to help a certain class of people. How some organizations won't give homeless people leftover food from restaurants because it's considered a legal liability in some cities. It's just another one of those laws that only help one class of people. My example isn’t on the same level as abortion but it's just to show that some laws can hurt a class of people. Further, into the article, the author pushes a claim that legislators seek benefits for creating laws and earning back money through raising taxes. This claim is pushed with another quote from Bastait to further prove a point.
Peer Review #1
I agree with the statement in general because it coincides with Newton’s third law, “for every action there is a reaction.“ I don’t think every law is so extreme, for example, school buses stopping at railroad crossings, but people will still have to stop behind them. Then of course you have your extreme examples of abortions and in my case weed prohibition which where morally incorrect abortion is weed was just for money. I think the problem comes from greed and then our leaders think way too broadly. There will always be a pull and take to every decision law makers make so that's why citizens have to be active. Our leaders should be more focused on the bigger picture and the gain they are creating for our country rather themselves. I really liked your views.
I think the real problem is with how we select our leaders because that is the source of everything. It’s generally the people hungry for power or influence that aspire to these positions which generally are not the most wholesome people. Generally being manipulative and conniving people to get what they desire. I think the system is designed in a wholistic manner and set up to be ran in a way that tries to benefit people, but it’s all about the people. I agree the government needs to be focused on the good of the country rather than themselves. But it this a problem of the government or are we jut innately selfish people?
The laws should be made to help people who need it and those who don’t should be able to omit themselves. I agree with your view on abortion. It shouldn’t be the right of the government to take away something like that, it’s not their place. After they did that, it really showed the whole country that politicians think they have the power to practically play God. Which comes from them generalization every situation and that is simply just not reality, and it’s crazy to think we elected people who can’t take into the perspective of the many different situations that their laws effect they wouldn’t be so quick to act. Lack of diversity in office, and just overall life experience I feel like is where it comes from followed by different agendas and what have you. The only thing that could ever change it is men or women who lack greed could somehow get in office. Boy the things they could do. Which I believe will eventually happen because I’m an optimist and I don’t let negative thoughts enter my inner matrix.