US/ND-5: A civil society
A civil society
Ken Hammer (ken.hammer@ConnRiver.net)
Sun, 22 Sep 96 22:42:54 -0500
Re: "a civil society"
In digest 4 week 3, Frank Odasz <franko@bigsky.dillon.mt.us> said:
The language of the marketplace says "Get as much as you can for
yourself." The language of government says "Legislate for others what
is good for them." We're missing the distinctive moral language of a
civil society. All of us have to go out in the public square, and all
of us have to assume our citizenship responsibilities.
Frank's view of business is so warped that it is not
recognizable by me as the view of any business I respect. It is
common only among those which have shaped themselves to exist in
highly regulated and protected niches.
I'm no member of the religious right, but Frank's conclusion seems to
be the advocacy of an atheist state where civil action takes the place
of religion in the establishment of morals. How about going to church
and influencing neighbors rather than each of us seeking to harness
the power of all through the action of govt on our behalf?
I'd be much more comfortable with a 3-legged stool of government,
business and religion where each was powerful enough to serve as a
check on the others when they were not internally self-disciplined. I
have no hope for a society still more dominated by reliance on
government for all conscience.
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K.F.Hammer Associates Ken Hammer
management consultations St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
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