...But, when all is said and done, the truth about race and IQ means a lot more to liberals and to neocons than it does to paleos. For the liberals and neocons, being statist to the core, are obliged to seize control of resources and to alloocate them somehow among the various groups of the population. Liberals-neocons are "sorters," they aim to sort people out, to subsidize here, to control and restrict there. So, to the neocon or liberal power elite, ethnic or racial science is a big thing because it tells these sorters who exactly they should control, who they should restrict and limit. Should they use taxpayer funds to subsidize the "disadvantaged" or geniuses? Which is more socially productive, which dysgenic?...
(from The Irrepressible Rothbard)
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Friday, February 18, 2005
Until You Host Again
Jay Severan, I salute you! I don't have anything particularly important to comment on tonight, save for the end of Jay Severan's guest hosting of the Neal Boortz radio show this week. I will miss hearing what I have come to think of as a breath of fresh air on the radio. It simply does not happen enough that another libertarian voice has the attention of an audience of a few million strong. I was especially thrilled today when I heard him espousing his view of being opposed to the U.S. military occupation of Iraq. I love it when the large population of mostly right wing talk radio listeners are made aware of rational arguments against the President's dangerous and destructive occupation of Iraq. It is especially nice when the opposition view comes from someone who they feel is on their side, and not someone coming from a pure leftist point of view. This way many right conservatives might actually think about thier own postions and analyze the merits of those postions. Rock on Jay. Until you host again.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
The Nation and the State
While the State is a pernicious and coercive collectivist concept, the "nation" may be and generally is voluntary. The nation properly refers, not to the State, but to the entire web of culture, values, traditions, religion, and language in which the individuals of a society are raised. It is almost embarrassingly banal to emphasize that point, but apparently many libertarians aggressively overlook the obvious. let us never forget the great libertarian Randolph Bourne's analysis of the crucial distinction between "the nation" (the land, the culture, the terrain, the people) and "the State" (the coercive apparatus of bureaucrats and politicians), and of his important conclusion that one may be a true patriot of one's nation or country while- and even for that very reason- opposing the State that rules over it.
(from The Irrepressible Rothbard)
(from The Irrepressible Rothbard)
Monday, February 07, 2005
Freedom and Coercion
Freedom is the absence of government coercion
~ Dr. Ron Paul
Every time congress passes a new law no matter how seemingly noble or necessary liberty is restricted as a result. Everytime the federal government strikes down the consitution and violates the 4th Amendment freedom is eroded at its core. Do airport security screeners (read: federal agents) rummaging through your personal belongings in your bags come to mind anyone? That's why the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights. To limit the power of the government so that it won't be dangerous to the preexisting natural rights of the people. The word preexisting is important here. Natural rights are something we are born with. The government does not give me the right to free speech, or the right not to have my home searched against my will. Those rights were given to me by my Creator when I was born into this world. The government was instituted to protect those rights, nothing more. When I think of the U.S. government the way it exists today I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Jefferson stating, "government, big enough to give you everything you need, strong enough to take away everything you have."
Obviously most American's aren't ready for a third party just yet, or they would have voted for the libertarian party presidential candidate in much larger numbers in 2004. I happen to believe that the road to freedom is going to be won through the spread of ideas. So spread the good news of what freedom really has to offer. It offers a world of liberty and peace unknown to the current generation of Americans who have been living in a state of siege under the big government Bush administration.
~ Dr. Ron Paul
Every time congress passes a new law no matter how seemingly noble or necessary liberty is restricted as a result. Everytime the federal government strikes down the consitution and violates the 4th Amendment freedom is eroded at its core. Do airport security screeners (read: federal agents) rummaging through your personal belongings in your bags come to mind anyone? That's why the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights. To limit the power of the government so that it won't be dangerous to the preexisting natural rights of the people. The word preexisting is important here. Natural rights are something we are born with. The government does not give me the right to free speech, or the right not to have my home searched against my will. Those rights were given to me by my Creator when I was born into this world. The government was instituted to protect those rights, nothing more. When I think of the U.S. government the way it exists today I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Jefferson stating, "government, big enough to give you everything you need, strong enough to take away everything you have."
Obviously most American's aren't ready for a third party just yet, or they would have voted for the libertarian party presidential candidate in much larger numbers in 2004. I happen to believe that the road to freedom is going to be won through the spread of ideas. So spread the good news of what freedom really has to offer. It offers a world of liberty and peace unknown to the current generation of Americans who have been living in a state of siege under the big government Bush administration.
Deadly Force
It occurred to me tonight that so many Americans still have absolutely no concept that government is backed up by deadly force. The government funds all of its activities through taxes. Taxes are not paid voluntarily by the people that fund the government. That money must be taken in the form of taxes. If the money that funds the government was paid voluntarily by the people then it would be called donations not taxes.
Now back to the deadly force part. This occurred to me when I was discussing the campaigning of politicians with a friend the other day. I told my friend that when a political candidate asks you for their vote, they are in fact asking you for the authority to use deadly force over the people to accomplish their goals. My friend laughed when I said the words deadly force. I asked my friend why they would laugh and explained that I was not joking. I don't know why most people just don't seem to understand the difference between the private sector, which is the voluntary sector and the public sector, which is the government sector, or the coercive sector.
I further explained to my friend that when a car dealership for example sells cars it must persuade people to come give it money in exchange for a car. By contrast when the government wants to build a new road or create some new program, you do not have the ability to say, "no thanks, I don't think I'm going to pay for that." See what happens when you stop paying your property taxes for a while. Eventually an agent from the IRS will contact you either by phone or in person giving you deadlines as to when you need to have your back taxes paid. If you do not pay by the deadline then the government will take your house from you. If you refuse to leave your property then the guns come out. Men with guns will come forcefully remove you from your property. If you attempt to resist the invaders you will be shot and killed. This is no joke and it does happen in America.
Now back to the deadly force part. This occurred to me when I was discussing the campaigning of politicians with a friend the other day. I told my friend that when a political candidate asks you for their vote, they are in fact asking you for the authority to use deadly force over the people to accomplish their goals. My friend laughed when I said the words deadly force. I asked my friend why they would laugh and explained that I was not joking. I don't know why most people just don't seem to understand the difference between the private sector, which is the voluntary sector and the public sector, which is the government sector, or the coercive sector.
I further explained to my friend that when a car dealership for example sells cars it must persuade people to come give it money in exchange for a car. By contrast when the government wants to build a new road or create some new program, you do not have the ability to say, "no thanks, I don't think I'm going to pay for that." See what happens when you stop paying your property taxes for a while. Eventually an agent from the IRS will contact you either by phone or in person giving you deadlines as to when you need to have your back taxes paid. If you do not pay by the deadline then the government will take your house from you. If you refuse to leave your property then the guns come out. Men with guns will come forcefully remove you from your property. If you attempt to resist the invaders you will be shot and killed. This is no joke and it does happen in America.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Hardball
Tonight I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews who was discussing President Bush's so called privatization of social security plan. The guests were of-course two partisan political hacks, one from the right and the other from the left. The leftist fellow was of-course arguing that to allow workers to take a small portion of the burdensome 15 percent social security tax and to invest that privately in the stock market would be disastrous for our elderly people, but most of all dangerous for "society." My favorite point came when host Chris Matthews, and I must give him props for this question, asked the democrat to consider a hypothetical scenario. The question asked was whether or not the democrat would have, given the opportunity at the age of eighteen to twenty something, kept his social security tax in the current system only to receive a 3 percent return at best, or invest a portion in a stock market fund where over his working life he might average as much a 10 to 15 percent. His response started off by stating that if he only cared about himself, then of-course he would have invested privately. He then went on to scare the older generation again and mutter famous leftist mantras about the good of society.
The point here is this, leftists have zero respect for THE INDIVIDUAL. And when I speak of leftists I am speaking of 99.9 percent of politicians, republicans included. The new right is only right by name. They are very left according to historical standards. The politicians love to talk in terms of groups i.e.: blacks, women, minorities, upper class, lower class, white collar, blue collar, etc. The worst nightmare of the left would be for individuals to storm Washington demanding their lost individual rights back. The politicians have taken those rights and turned them over to the collective i.e.: social security, medicare, medicaid, welfare, corporate welfare, etc. The politicians need for those various groups to be dependent on the state for their every desire. That is how they can ensure their reelection year after year after year. The reason the politicians classify people into groups is because groups are easier to control and lead than individuals. What the left, and 98 percent of the new right for that matter, fail to realize is that the more freedom individuals have to look out for themselves, the more prosperous most people will become. One important aspect about the new right is that they pay lip service to individual rights and smaller government during election season, but they never walk the walk once elected. As the dominant party in Washington they hardly talk of shrinking the size of government any more. Which goes to prove one point. They will say what they need to say to get elected, but once in power they will use that power to pursue their hidden agendas.
When people are free to pursue their own free will and do something that they do best, the division of labor is most balanced and resources are allocated in the best manner possible. Free will creates prosperity. That is how the U.S. became the most prosperous nation in the world. The government was very weak and small in the beginning of our history and it allowed people to conduct their lives in a manner consistent with their own beliefs and values.
Is the president's plan for social security good for the advancement of liberty? It appears to be a step in the right direction, but if it passes it will probably end up causing more destruction than prosperity simply because the government will be administering it. In order for people to be able to retire with true 10 to 15 percent gains on their investment the government needs to get out of the retirement business and leave free will alone to run its course. I simply can't see how, given its track record, the government can fix this broken, fraudulant program called social security. The government can't elliminate poverty no matter how much money it dumps on that issue in its massive war on poverty that gets bigger every year. The government can't stop illegal drugs from coming into this country no matter how much money it dumps into that wortlhess war it has created costing more than just millions of dollars per year, but also the loss of thousands of innocent lives per year due to gang disputes over drug turf.
Will some people invest poorly and not have a nest egg to retire on. Yes, some will make foolish mistakes. However, if government did not take so much from the productive individuals, charities and non-profits would easily be able to fill the needs of the few who found themselves in dire straits. Americans are already the most generous people probably in the history of the planet. If the average American did not have almost half of his income seized by the government each year, he would be free to help out his family members, friends, or neighbors in a time of need, or donate to his church or favorite charity in a way he has never been able to do before. That is the kind of America I am optomistic I will see in my lifetime.
The point here is this, leftists have zero respect for THE INDIVIDUAL. And when I speak of leftists I am speaking of 99.9 percent of politicians, republicans included. The new right is only right by name. They are very left according to historical standards. The politicians love to talk in terms of groups i.e.: blacks, women, minorities, upper class, lower class, white collar, blue collar, etc. The worst nightmare of the left would be for individuals to storm Washington demanding their lost individual rights back. The politicians have taken those rights and turned them over to the collective i.e.: social security, medicare, medicaid, welfare, corporate welfare, etc. The politicians need for those various groups to be dependent on the state for their every desire. That is how they can ensure their reelection year after year after year. The reason the politicians classify people into groups is because groups are easier to control and lead than individuals. What the left, and 98 percent of the new right for that matter, fail to realize is that the more freedom individuals have to look out for themselves, the more prosperous most people will become. One important aspect about the new right is that they pay lip service to individual rights and smaller government during election season, but they never walk the walk once elected. As the dominant party in Washington they hardly talk of shrinking the size of government any more. Which goes to prove one point. They will say what they need to say to get elected, but once in power they will use that power to pursue their hidden agendas.
When people are free to pursue their own free will and do something that they do best, the division of labor is most balanced and resources are allocated in the best manner possible. Free will creates prosperity. That is how the U.S. became the most prosperous nation in the world. The government was very weak and small in the beginning of our history and it allowed people to conduct their lives in a manner consistent with their own beliefs and values.
Is the president's plan for social security good for the advancement of liberty? It appears to be a step in the right direction, but if it passes it will probably end up causing more destruction than prosperity simply because the government will be administering it. In order for people to be able to retire with true 10 to 15 percent gains on their investment the government needs to get out of the retirement business and leave free will alone to run its course. I simply can't see how, given its track record, the government can fix this broken, fraudulant program called social security. The government can't elliminate poverty no matter how much money it dumps on that issue in its massive war on poverty that gets bigger every year. The government can't stop illegal drugs from coming into this country no matter how much money it dumps into that wortlhess war it has created costing more than just millions of dollars per year, but also the loss of thousands of innocent lives per year due to gang disputes over drug turf.
Will some people invest poorly and not have a nest egg to retire on. Yes, some will make foolish mistakes. However, if government did not take so much from the productive individuals, charities and non-profits would easily be able to fill the needs of the few who found themselves in dire straits. Americans are already the most generous people probably in the history of the planet. If the average American did not have almost half of his income seized by the government each year, he would be free to help out his family members, friends, or neighbors in a time of need, or donate to his church or favorite charity in a way he has never been able to do before. That is the kind of America I am optomistic I will see in my lifetime.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
