New face of capitalism

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
[b]No, a private citizen doesn't have the right to take food from another private citizen by force

Then a private citizen does not have a right to food.

Only the government has the right

Governments don't have rights! People have rights.[/b]

A private citizen does have the right to food, but they don't have the right to take it directly from another private citizen. Rather, they have the right to have it provided by the government, and the people collectively have the right to replace the govt if it isn't doing its job properly.

Governments do have certain rights. For example, the govt has the right to incarcerate violent criminals after they've been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a fair trial by due process of law. A private citizen, by way of comparison, does not have the right to kidnap another citizen who's wronged them and keep them captive.

The rights which a govt has are not, ultimately, for the benefit of the govt itself. Rather, those rights are there so that the govt can function as an institution to maintain the rights and welfare of its citizens (and, to a lesser degree, persons in others countries, nonhuman animals, the environment, etc.)

Govt should ideally be as small as feasibly possible, but this is not the only priority. The govt shouldn't be so small that people are left without healthcare or food or shelter.