On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on taxes versus slavery, infanticide after abortion, emergency medical care, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

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Whole Podcast: 12 May 2013

Listen or Download:

• Duration: 1:08:57
• Download: Enhanced M4A File (24.8 MB)
• Download: Standard MP3 File (23.7 MB)

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Podcast Segments: 12 May 2013

You can download or listen to my answers to individual questions from this episode below.

Introduction

My News of the Week: I attended the hearing of the Colorado Supreme Court regarding the Coalition for Secular Government‘s lawsuit in federal court. The main question discussed whether a single sentence of express advocacy in our policy paper makes the whole paper a policy paper or not. I’m still working on editing the galley proofs of soon-forthcoming book, Responsibility and Luck (a.k.a. my dissertation). Of course, that’s taking longer than I’d like.

Question 1: Taxes Versus Slavery

Question: Are high taxes comparable to slavery? On Facebook, some friends suggest that America is becoming more like Nazi Germany. Others share images comparing Americans workers to slaves picking cotton in the antebellum south due to our ever-higher taxes. I think these comparisons go way too far: Americans are still some of the freest people the world has ever known. No doubt, our freedom is being chipped away, but are we really like slaves?

My Answer, In Brief: Advocates of free markets discredit their cause by likening taxation to slavery. Slavery is the complete and utter violation of the rights of persons. It’s a far worse horror than taxation, with differences in kind, not just degree.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 6:51
• Duration: 14:35
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Activism, Apocalypticism, Epistemology, Government, History, Language, Politics, Slavery, Taxes

Links:

• Ayn Rand on the Draft
• Man’s Rights and The Nature of Government by Ayn Rand

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 2: Infanticide After Abortion

Question: Is killing a baby born after an abortion a form of murder? Kermit Gosnell is currently on trial for murder, due to accusations that he killed infants who were delivered in abortions at his clinic. If the facts are as reported, should he be convicted of murder? What should be done when a baby is born alive during an abortion? What are the likely cultural and political implications of this trial?

My Answer, In Brief: According to the testimony at the trial, Kermit Gosnell did not merely perform abortions: he killed born babies, i.e. persons with a right to life. A person who does that is guilty of murder, and he should be prosecuted and punished.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 21:28
• Duration: 15:52
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Abortion, Children, Crime, Ethics, Infanticide, Law, Politics, Pregnancy, Rights

Links:

• The Atlantic: Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story and 14 Theories for Why Kermit Gosnell’s Case Didn’t Get More Media Attention by Conor Friedersdorf
• CBS News Coverage of the Kermit Gosnell Trial
• The “Personhood” Movement Is Anti-Life: Why It Matters that Rights Begin at Birth, Not Conception by Ari Armstrong and Diana Hsieh, particularly Rights in Pregnancy
• Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell Condemned by Pro-Abortion Rights Groups
• Gallup: Americans’ Abortion Views Steady Amid Gosnell Trial
• Philosophy in Action: Criminal Death of a Fetus

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 3: Emergency Medical Care

Question: Do people have a right to emergency medical care? EMTALA (a.k.a. the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) is a federal law that requires emergency rooms to stabilize any patient with an emergency medical condition, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Is that proper? Is that the same as a right to medical care?

My Answer, In Brief: EMTALA violates the rights of doctors, based on the false premise of a “right” to health care. In practice, it’s a disaster for doctors, hospitals, and the working poor. Ultimately, only scammers and advocates of government-controlled medicine benefit by it.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 37:20
• Duration: 22:21
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Altruism, Charity, Egalitarianism, Emergencies, Ethics, Free Society, Justice, Law, Law, Medicine, Politics, Poverty

Links:

• FAQ on EMTALA
• Cato Institute: Medicare’s Origin: The Economics and Politics of Dependency by Charlotte Twight
• American College of Emergency Physicians: On EMTALA and The Uninsured
• Health Care Is Not a Right by Leonard Peikoff
• The Objective Standard: Moral Health Care vs. “Universal Health Care” by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh
• The Objective Standard: Health Care and the Separation of Charity and State by Paul Hsieh
• Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM), particularly its articles
• The History of Health Care Costs and Health Insurance by Linda Gorman

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

• Is taxation a form of racket?
• Does your house have dignity?
• Have you ever noticed people mixing up a right to something and eligibility for it?

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 59:42
• Duration: 7:05
• Download: MP3 Segment

To comment on these questions or my answers, visit its comment thread.

Conclusion

Be sure to check out the topics scheduled for upcoming episodes! Don’t forget to submit and vote on questions for future episodes too!

• Start Time: 1:06:48

About Philosophy in Action Radio

Philosophy in Action Radio focuses on the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. It broadcasts live on most Sunday mornings and many Thursday evenings over the internet. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.