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Equality, as defined by the Constitution was equality of the law, that the law should not differentiate among Americans. The major progressive movements for the 19th and up till the 1960s was about ensuring the law treated all Americans equally and extending that protection to more and more different groups of people (different faiths, different races, different gender, and recently, different sexuality).
Equality wasn't defined by the Constitution. The original Constitution acknowledged slavery. The amendments abolishing slavery were added decades later and they did not define "equality". And decades ago, our laws acknowledged that abolishing slavery did not provide equality, that as a society we had built a system that embedded inequality into just about every aspect of daily life. As a society, that was not acceptable, and laws were passed to rid us of that systemic inequality.
References to what the Founding Fathers meant or what they envisioned is really not relevant. We as a nation have determined that the color of one's skin, or one's ethnicity, or one's gender, or a myriad of other characteristics, does not justify unequal treatment. When unequal treatment becomes evident, we address that unequal treatment to remedy it. We have to, because our principles demand it. Freedom and justice for all is just an empty phrase, unless we truly believe in freedom and justice for all, and are willing to enforce that principle.
From the concept of unalienable rights they are but everyone is different. If say my older brother is more successful than me it doesn't mean I wasn't born equal or that he held me back, and there must be an intervention.
Exactly. It's why Mahomes has a $450 million contract to play football ...and I don't.
Kurt Vonnegut explored the theme of forcibly achieving equality of outcomes in a short story way back in 1961, only then it was considered dystopian science fiction. Today, lefty idiots want to live it.
Provided that they are "created" ( which implies the existence of God,) - no they are not.
If you look at what's going on in the world, how some countries are going through droughts and famines, through natural disasters time after time, with horrendous loss of life, if you look at people that live in such disastrous poverty and misery, while other nations are prospering - of course they are not *created equal."
Equality wasn't defined by the Constitution. The original Constitution acknowledged slavery. The amendments abolishing slavery were added decades later and they did not define "equality". And decades ago, our laws acknowledged that abolishing slavery did not provide equality, that as a society we had built a system that embedded inequality into just about every aspect of daily life. As a society, that was not acceptable, and laws were passed to rid us of that systemic inequality.
References to what the Founding Fathers meant or what they envisioned is really not relevant. We as a nation have determined that the color of one's skin, or one's ethnicity, or one's gender, or a myriad of other characteristics, does not justify unequal treatment. When unequal treatment becomes evident, we address that unequal treatment to remedy it. We have to, because our principles demand it. Freedom and justice for all is just an empty phrase, unless we truly believe in freedom and justice for all, and are willing to enforce that principle.
Provided that they are "created" ( which implies the existence of God,) - no they are not.
If you look at what's going on in the world, how some countries are going through droughts and famines, through natural disasters time after time, with horrendous loss of life, if you look at people that live in such disastrous poverty and misery, while other nations are prospering - of course they are not *created equal."
I think that much is evident.
But that's again only, if we speak of "creation."
Created or not, the question is do we believe that race, religion, or other characteristics justify unequal treatment? If not, then the laws that our nation has passed to affirm equality are not a problem But if we believe that unequal treatment is justified, then the laws are a problem.
You think that differences in outcomes are always the result of differences in effort????
If a person wants to make $100,000 a year, then that requires a different level of effort, knowledge and experience compared to a person making $50,000 a year.
If a person wants to make $100,000 a year, then that requires a different level of effort, knowledge and experience compared to a person making $50,000 a year.
Can we agree to that?
A different level of effort, knowledge and experience certainly can make a difference. Knowing the right people can certainly make a difference, too. There are lots of factors that go into being successful, not the least of which is luck, but effort, knowledge and experience are not the only factors.
A different level of effort, knowledge and experience certainly can make a difference. Knowing the right people can certainly make a difference, too. There are lots of factors that go into being successful, not the least of which is luck, but effort, knowledge and experience are not the only factors.
knowing people and luck should not be discounting factors.
one shouldn't be punished because of perceived "luck".
i find that word is used by the left to discount the success of the "wrong" people.
i would also point out that none of us think inequality in access is a good thing. it does however seem to be the case that the left has a focus on outcome that is just flat wrong.
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