If you could be Robin Hood, would you?

[Toucano]

That is, if you could rob from the rich and give to the poor would you do it?

Is stealing from the wicked who have stolen from others morally wrong?

[Seeking Serenity]

1. It is morally wrong to steal.

End of discussion.

[sarcasmo]

10. Even if you stole the profits from Exxon and fed, sheltered and clothed the poor?

On edit: couldn't you call it Revenge?

[Seeking Serenity]

11. No. It's wrong.

Revenge only encourages violence and more suffering.

[guitar man]

2. only if

I coud pick a different outfit, I don't look good in green at all...:D

[bdamomma]

3. haven't they stole from us to give to the rich.

to answer your question, yes, I would do it.

[Pyrzqxgl]

4. Not morally wrong, but then the law isn't always morally right either.

[kestrel91316]

5. Stealing from thieves is no crime. Hell, YES, I'd do it. But I want purple tights.

[Fleshdancer]

6. It would be fun to steal from insurance companies....

and give the money to the sick and uninsured. How about stealing from Haliburton and giving the money to the forgotten veterans?

[TooBigaTent]

7. Anything done to those who have destroyed those "below" them in the social

structure is fair game. Even heroic.

Allowing them to keep their ill-gotten gains is morally wrong.

[Seeking Serenity]

8. It is wrong to steal

whether you are Halliburton or Eddie Punch-clock.

[0007]

29. Jesus wants me for a sunbeam a sunbeam a sunbeam.

What would the Naz do?

[silverweb]

9. Maybe.

If I were absolutely sure that a rich man was rich because of "ill-gotten gains" (including off-shore accounts and investments in anti-human companies) I would not hesitate to rob him blind.

If we're talking about someone who earned his wealth through hard work, thrift, and/or personal ingenuity (especially eco-sustainable solutions), I'd never touch him.

[EFerrari]

12. I don't think I could do that. Small debts keep me up at night.

A robbery would probably render me entirely sleepless. I blame the Catholic Church.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. No, I wouldn't. Stealing is wrong.

I'd tax the hell out of them and redistribute it. Many of the rich would think that was stealing, but it's perfectly legal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectly_Legal

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

14. No....

Its a great story but in reality he was not elected to right wrongs. When you tax companies and level fines for breaking the law thats *not* stealing, thats governing... When unelected you take arms and deprive people of their property thats a crime..

[WinkyDink]

15. Yes.

[asdjrocky]

16. In a New York minute.

[Tindalos]

17. Tempting, but stealing is wrong

A better plan would be to take out the "evil" rich and redistribute the wealth. Then, make sure those who have acquired their wealth through dishonesty and harm to others never rise again.

[Seeking Serenity]

19. take out the "evil" rich

Do you mean kill them?

[Tindalos]

24. I'm against violence, so no

That's not what I meant. I was thinking of corporations more than actual people. So, killing them would be problematic.

[Toucano]

20. Interesting, but I have no power to levy taxes.

So that plan won't work.

I have acquired an ability to (non-violently) redistribute some wealth from some bad people. But I'm torn.

On the one hand, the suffering of so many is becoming intolerable. On the other hand, I have always believed that stealing is wrong.

I'm no longer sure if it is ALWAYS wrong.

It's the old ends justify the means argument, I guess.

[Tindalos]

25. It is a dilemma

Stealing is not always wrong, as in the case of necessity. If you are freezing to death in the wilderness, you can break into a cabin and take food, blankets, etc. to survive. You cannot however, take their TV. That would be wrong. The line between right and wrong isn't always easy to see. Maybe there is no line?

The problem with laws is that they are written by those in power. You say you "have no power to levy taxes" and yet the government is supposed to represent you and your wishes. It is supposed to be your power to decide who and what to tax. Yet, this power is held by a few who want to increase their own wealth and do so at your expense. If the system is rigged against the people, are the people within their rights to oppose it? How intolerable does it have to become before we refuse to accept it? Is it wrong to take back that which was stolen from us?

[Toucano]

26. Thank you. I think you understand very well.

If the whole system is rigged against the downtrodden (possibly even our code or morality and ethics), then why shouldn't it be eschewed?

Some people think things are Black & White. It's wrong, so it's wrong always.

That sounds like a fundamentalist's argument to me.

Perhaps I can reverse the fortune of 10 or 12 families, and my "victims" will suffer no real consequence other than having fewer shekels to count at the end of the day; they won't lose their homes or not have money for medicine. Until someone tells them, they won't even know.

I am inclined to believe that justice sometimes needs a helping hand.

[azmouse]

18. There is always the Law of Unintended Consequences to worry about.

If I stole from the rich and gave to the poor, someone else may then think it's alright to steal from me as long they give the proceeds to someone else... and so it goes.
No. The cycle of theft has to stop somewhere.

[jmg257]

21. Stealing is wrong. Forcibly stealing (ROBBin hoodERY) is a shootable offense - and rightly so.

Stealing from those who have "stolen from others"? What "rich" people are you talking about? All rich people? Some certain ones?

Anyway, IF that is your "justification", you better be damn sure that is the case, as getting shot over anything less surely ain't worth it.

[Blue_Tires]

22. i guess...

even though I'd much rather be Batman or Deadpool....

[bobbolink]

23. In a MINUTE!

I'm sick to death of people suffering and dying because of GREED!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

27. "The rich" is not the same as "those who have stolen from others".

Most rich people made their money honestly. Most thieves (and the majority of, although by no means all, murderers, rapists, drug dealers etc) are poor.

It's a very tempting position to assume that to get rich, one has to act reprehensibly in some way, but it's not an accurate reflection of the facts.

There are all sorts of tempting slogans like "property is theft", but that's all they are, slogans.

[varelse]

28. No

Unless you consider FDR's progressive income tax to be theft. Some do take that view - but then to some people, all taxes are theft.