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On Equality
Jun. 4th, 2005 12:02 amMore requests for comment -- I had recently read an article about the ability to pay $80 a year in order to get into a fast lane that can bypass the normal security at airports. That seemed wrong to me, and during my random driving through the Florida night I gave it some more thought.
I have been raised to believe in equality; if the Scandinavian societies have a social problem, it is the overzealous drive to make everyone equal. So, perhaps it is understandable that I instinctively feel bad when money buys one extra rights.
Now, it's obvious that the more money you have, the better things are. You can drive a safer vehicle and are less likely to get killed or injured. You can get the best, private health care. These things are easy for me to accept. But government providing differing levels of service depending on the financial ability of a citizen to pay galls me. Government is supposed to treat its citizens equally. And yes, airport security is a government function.
The one that left me in a bind was the justice system, though. Rich people can afford good lawyers, private investigators and are consequently much less likely to be convicted of crimes or loose civil disputes, while others may settle for basic lawyers or those provided for free. Everyone is not equal before the law. This bothers me -- but I have no idea how one could fix this. Ban lawyers and make everyone settle for a possibly incompetent public defendant? Bankrupt the state and pay for the best lawyers for everyone, on a first come first serve basis? Neither option is sane.
All of this assumes that equality of citizens, in front of the law and in dealing with government, is the ideal. Does everyone agree with that?
I have been raised to believe in equality; if the Scandinavian societies have a social problem, it is the overzealous drive to make everyone equal. So, perhaps it is understandable that I instinctively feel bad when money buys one extra rights.
Now, it's obvious that the more money you have, the better things are. You can drive a safer vehicle and are less likely to get killed or injured. You can get the best, private health care. These things are easy for me to accept. But government providing differing levels of service depending on the financial ability of a citizen to pay galls me. Government is supposed to treat its citizens equally. And yes, airport security is a government function.
The one that left me in a bind was the justice system, though. Rich people can afford good lawyers, private investigators and are consequently much less likely to be convicted of crimes or loose civil disputes, while others may settle for basic lawyers or those provided for free. Everyone is not equal before the law. This bothers me -- but I have no idea how one could fix this. Ban lawyers and make everyone settle for a possibly incompetent public defendant? Bankrupt the state and pay for the best lawyers for everyone, on a first come first serve basis? Neither option is sane.
All of this assumes that equality of citizens, in front of the law and in dealing with government, is the ideal. Does everyone agree with that?
