“The authors of the constitution make it clear in the Federalist papers that they are disturbed by the possibility that in an unfettered democracy ‘measures are too often decided, not according to the rights of the minor party; but by the force of an over-bearing majority.’”
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“American taste for retribution might have come from the frontier and the need to protect goods when property rights are uncertain. Alternatively, it is possible that two world wars, and awful experiences with fascist regimes, have discredited vengeful punishment in Europe.”
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“People who have themselves risen from poverty are more likely to think that the poor can do it as well, and therefore are only on welfare because they are cheating the system.”
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“There is an extremely strong relationship between supporting capital punishment and opposing welfare in the US.”
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“More religious Americans and Protestant Americans are more likely to oppose increased spending on welfare. Protestantism is also linked to the belief that success results from effort.”
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“Sixty percent of American respondents say that the poor are lazy. Twenty-six percent of Europeans say that the poor are lazy.”
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“The upheaval in continental Europe over the last century has meant that there were no durable institutions which could protect property against popular demand for redistribution.”
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“Racial fragmentation in the US and the disproportionate representation of minorities among the poor has clearly played a major role in stopping rich-poor redistribution within the US, and, indeed, across the world racial cleavages seem to serve as a barrier to redistribution.”
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“Our bottom line is that Americans redistribute less than Europeans because the majority believes that redistribution favors racial minorities”
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End of conversation
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