Justice Matrix
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Blindfold
Univesality – not one law for rich, another for poor. Not one law for blacks, another for whites. Not one for women, another for men.
Aka: equality before the law, equal protection of the laws
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Scales
Proportionality of punishments to crimes.
Guilt or innocence a function of the evidence not the whim of the judge.
Is there a finger on the scales?
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Sword
Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice must be swift and certain or it is not justice. But sword pointed down means justice should be minimized. Coercion (aka violence) is bad. Criminalize as little as possible.
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Starting gate
Justice is about equality of economic opportunity. If you are malnourished or lacking the same cultural capital at the starting gate, there is no equality of opportunity. Is there a diversity versus equal opportunity trade-off? Are some values less conducive to upward mobility? |
Ladder
Does greater economic inequality make the rungs of the ladder too hard to reach? Does a too high minimum wage rip off the bottom rung? Is there a parental liberty versus equal economic opportunity trade-off? |
Pie/Leaky Bucket
Is money being taken from the wells of the rich to the cups of the poor in a “leaky bucket” – much of it going to third parties and reducing work incentives for both rich and poor? Is there a fundamental trade-off between growing the pie and splitting it more evenly? |
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Income and Wealth Inequality Statistics:
Current versus historical. What is too much? What is too little? Who decides? How?
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Mobility Statistics
How much is enough? What explains differentials in mobility? Is the American dream a fraud?
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Tax Burden statistics
How much is too much vertical and horizontal inequality? Where are we on the spectrum? What would change your mind?
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