A recent Brad Taylor post, Behind the Moral Curtain, argues that competing interests writing constitutional charters results in illiberal documents. Perhaps, and it should be noted that this blog has made a long standing point against the idea of the US Constitution being a libertarian document, but sometimes, it should be acknowledged, competing interests may contract "negative rights" as a hedge against loss of majority power. So, the US Bill of Rights, for example, is an example of a liberal, or even a libertarian document, amending a not necessarily liberal document.

To frame this in terms of communitarianism, which is really the context for Taylor's critique, it should be noted that communitarianism shouldn't even be using the language of "rights," rather it should be using the language of "obligations." However, "A Bill of Obligations" in the context of monopoly government is utterly redundant, as if there is any need for enumeration of obligations in light of monopoly power. Communitarianism is the scourge of liberalism...