Is stealing O.K. as long as it goes towards a "good" cause?

Percentage · 16-02-2008, 06:11 PM

Can i pose a question before your intellectual minds please?

As some of you may know I work for a supermarket,my particular store throws away on average around £10,000 a week on waste foods,some of which especially the produce & fresh items have been victims of resolute EU policy,however a large proportion of this foodstuff is more than edible.

Having lived in a country where real poverty was rife the above is a great cause of consternation for me.

I'm in a position to extracate some of the said items & personally consume,if i was to do this i would have to do this privately & not promote this act for others as the company would suspend me & probably terminate my contract.

As these items have been discarded & are awaiting the rubbish skip is this really stealing?

Who actually has the moral right?

Afterall if one wants to get philosophical,the company has used or taken the earths natural resources for the benefit of profit & failed,by lazily throwing the goods away (due to poor management) & not looking for an alternative,it could be put forward they have stolen from nature & an above act is an act of liberation & recycling that Robin Hood himself could not have bettered!

Smidgey · 16-02-2008, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkpdavies

How do you know what a Libertarian would do? Don't be such a *******. Just because a Libertarian doesn't believe in stealing, doesn't mean he/she would watch another person suffer through no fault of their own. How did you become so hateful towards other people?

Exactly right. I always found it funny how those who were most willing to help others are the capitalists. Take a look at the original capitalist, Adam Smith. It was discovered upon his death that he had given large sums of money, secretly, to charity.

What is quite sad is that the non-capitalists think it is more moral to be forced to give to some so-called 'charity' than to do it through ones own choice.

Smidgey · 16-02-2008, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleopatra

Interesting, he must be one very lucky Texan:

City of Burnet Texas | City Deparments: Utilites: Garbage Rates

If I was from the City of Burnet in Texas I would be hopping mad that your Texan friend paid only $20 per year. I find it very difficult to believe if I'm honest.

If we are talking Britain then we could pretty much treble that amount quoted as $13.90 per month.

You do realise that you have linked to a government website? If we wanted government to do our garbage we would have said we supported corporatism, however, nobody libertarian on these boards is claiming that.

I would be fuming mad as well that the government is making me pay extortionate rates for garbage collection.

Smidgey · 16-02-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eurosceptic Atlanticist

No, what's immoral is denying education and healthcare to those who can not afford it. Can't afford to send your kids to school? That's ok then, no education for them. Got cancer, but can't afford the treatment? Have a nice death.

I'm sorry, which economic system are you attacking again? It sure doesn't look like libertarianism.

Stop with the straw men and get back to the actual issue at hand: theft is immoral.

Quote:

A libertarian would let an orphan starve and die unless someone agreed to take them in. It's disgusting in my opinion.

I would? News to me.

Also, can I ask when you will be petitioning the government to give the vast majority of this nations GDP to other nations around the world where this does happen?

John Connor · 16-02-2008, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleopatra

If I was from the City of Burnet in Texas I would be hopping mad that your Texan friend paid only $20 per year. I find it very difficult to believe if I'm honest.

You find it difficult to believe that a private company working to its own plan would charge less than a private company contracted to a city? You don't think that companies increase their prices when dealing with the bottomless pit of government finances and their captive audience citizens?

FYI, my Texan friend's waste company recycles everything - so gets money back on stuff like cans. That's how they keep their prices so low.

John Connor · 16-02-2008, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Percentage

Can i pose a question before your intellectual minds please?

As some of you may know I work for a supermarket,my particular store throws away on average around £10,000 a week on waste foods,some of which especially the produce & fresh items have been victims of resolute EU policy,however a large proportion of this foodstuff is more than edible.

Having lived in a country where real poverty was rife the above is a great cause of consternation for me.

I'm in a position to extracate some of the said items & personally consume,if i was to do this i would have to do this privately & not promote this act for others as the company would suspend me & probably terminate my contract.

As these items have been discarded & are awaiting the rubbish skip is this really stealing?

Who actually has the moral right?

Technically, shouldn't your company be paying tramps to come and grab the food?

If it's clearly discarded, it ain't theft.

John Connor · 16-02-2008, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleopatra

And if they don't leave it on their property which will be more likely, what do you suggest then?

Well, if it's no longer on their property it's cause for punishment.

Percentage · 16-02-2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Connor

Technically, shouldn't your company be paying tramps to come and grab the food?

Funny you should mention that,but in a former life when i was part of a "soup run" for the homeless in London,one particular high street store (the one thats famous for underwear) used to land down to the "arches" with a van load of out of date that night sarnies!

Smidgey · 16-02-2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Connor

You find it difficult to believe that a private company working to its own plan would charge less than a private company contracted to a city? You don't think that companies increase their prices when dealing with the bottomless pit of government finances and their captive audience citizens?

FYI, my Texan friend's waste company recycles everything - so gets money back on stuff like cans. That's how they keep their prices so low.

An argument in favour of the market solving our environmental crisis if ever I saw one.

Also an argument that clearly proves these environmentalist nuts care more about control than about the environment.

John Connor · 16-02-2008, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Percentage

Funny you should mention that,but in a former life when i was part of a "soup run" for the homeless in London,one particular high street store (the one thats famous for underwear) used to land down to the "arches" with a van load of out of date that night sarnies!

And that's how it should be done.

View Poll Results: Is theft for the greater good O.K.?
Yes	2	14.29%
No	11	78.57%
Don't know	1	7.14%
Voters: 14. You may not vote on this poll

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16-02-2008, 06:11 PM	#31 (permalink)
Percentage Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 1,729	Can i pose a question before your intellectual minds please? As some of you may know I work for a supermarket,my particular store throws away on average around £10,000 a week on waste foods,some of which especially the produce & fresh items have been victims of resolute EU policy,however a large proportion of this foodstuff is more than edible. Having lived in a country where real poverty was rife the above is a great cause of consternation for me. I'm in a position to extracate some of the said items & personally consume,if i was to do this i would have to do this privately & not promote this act for others as the company would suspend me & probably terminate my contract. As these items have been discarded & are awaiting the rubbish skip is this really stealing? Who actually has the moral right? Afterall if one wants to get philosophical,the company has used or taken the earths natural resources for the benefit of profit & failed,by lazily throwing the goods away (due to poor management) & not looking for an alternative,it could be put forward they have stolen from nature & an above act is an act of liberation & recycling that Robin Hood himself could not have bettered!