Hi 
“In order to give, the government must first take” (“Government” essay video),
stood out to me the most because we see so much of this in our society today. From politics to taxes, it seems that our government looks at what is best for the lawmakers first, then considers the effects on the people. And in some cases, it seems that the government does not even consider the effects their decisions have on other individuals. One example you gave that really stood out to me was the idea of unfairness when you referenced the company Shein. This company uses underpaid adults and even children for labor and exposes them to unacceptable work environments to make cute cheap clothes. I do not understand how this is not discussed more at the highest level of our government and how this company can still operate if they are paying unfair wages, using children for labor and has very poor working conditions. This is a perfect example of how the government has laws that go unenforced, while we have some people whose liberty is at stake. Another example you mentioned from the article was regarding the use of the term “plundering.” Your reference to today’s society still using underage workers being legal, and that 18-year-olds can vote, but neither of them can rent a car is ironic. We see again that lawmakers choose to enforce laws that take from society, but not ones that give. Your opinion and mine agree that the issues we face today are not unlike the issues Bastiat described in this article. We are still living in a society described in the 1800’s regarding some basic government and liberty applications. I really enjoyed reading your essay because your real-world examples point out how our government and laws have not changed much regarding justice and liberty for all.
RE: Frederic Bastiat Essay