"How could the absence of government possibly result in abuses any worse than that?"
Some people may argue about the blood feuds in history were pretty shitty, but they can't hold a candle to governments. When you look at the current problem in the middle east, it's the blood feuds multiplied by a million times. Your ancestors did shitty things to us, so we're going to do shitty things to you. We do shitty things to you, so you do shitty things to us in retaliation, then we do shitty things back to you.
It's that whole fighting between two brothers thing. "BUT HE STARTED IT!", except there's no parent out there to 'finish' it. So it continues forever until one, or both of them are dead.
Except those 'Crisis’s' were nothing compared to the ones we have today. Not only that, but some well-known historians have backtracked on how bad they actually were, but in the legitimate ones where we recovered quickly, they were caused by roughly the same thing that causes them today.
Banks doing stupid crap, back then banks could do stupid crap and as a result, fail.
Now today, thanks to government and fiat currencies, banks can do stupid crap, the government prints lots of money to bail them out, and they stay in business and all get their bonuses.
Another point, we're still having crisis every few years anyway. We have a recession, what’s the solution? PRINT LOTS OF MONEY, INFLATE NEW BUBBLE.
"So, you have to dig at least 100 years for arguments for the gold standard?"
Well, being as we went off the real gold standard in 1913, yeah pretty much. The 'gold' standard after 1913 was fraudulent, thats why they had to confiscate everyones gold in 1933 while making it illegal to own.
Sure, you can go die in a world war. But no, you can't own a shiney yellow metal. Oh no no no no.
When someone wants things, they want it now. They're not going to wait a year to purchase something that they want now, otherwise nobody would have ever bought a computer, or a new automobile even.
If we had a similar currency system setup for the whole economy, it would not be as volatile and prices would only go down as productivity increases. Even so, people aren’t going to wait when they actually want something.
And everybody needs to buy things and pay for things.
When we were on the gold standard from 1800-1900, the price level dropped by 50% over one hundred years and we had some of the largest economic expansion in human history.
How about NASA setup a portal where citizens can donate money directly to NASA, in exchange for priority access varying on how much they contribute every month. Then NASA is no longer subject to the whims of congress, but by how much people value NASA.
If people want NASA, they'll be willing to pay for it directly, instead of indirectly through taxation.
Except in reality this won't actually increase any safety, what it will become is a rent seeking entity and regulatory capture nightmare, as what happens with most situations
It will also drive prices of everything though the roof, because one can always argue for more safety regulations (whether they increase safety or not), and then claim anyone who's against it wants people to die in horrible ways.
The federal government would spend all of Bill Gates money in like a week.
What's your plan for week two?
By the way, Bill Gates doesn't actually have all of that money. He has ASSETS which are worth all of that money.
Guess what? In order to confiscate all of his wealth, you have to confiscate those assets. Except those assets aren’t money, who are you going to sell the assets to? Who’s going to buy the assets if they know that the government could just confiscate them?
Don't drop out of college kids, get into massive amounts of debt being forced to pay for classes you have zero interest in and pay through the nose for books that become worthless in a year.
Because then you'll really be able to start a business after your $30,000-$200,000 in the hole.
Slashdot Mirror
But if you encrypt your hard drive, you're probably a terrorist or child molester.
If you have enough of them and cash advances... yup.
Your honor, I OBJECT!
And why is that, Mr. Reed?
Because it's devastating to my case!
Overruled.
I'd train them.
Poorly.
Yeah, rm -rf / –
That's how you fix it.
Police also have a profit motive.
Some people may think they can outsmart me, maybe, maybe.
I've yet to meet someone that can outsmart BULLET.
You mean like the Holodomor? When the government confiscated farms and food and let people starve to death?
Yeah, I think if the government left them alone they'd have been fine.
But what about the roads?
"How could the absence of government possibly result in abuses any worse than that?"
Some people may argue about the blood feuds in history were pretty shitty, but they can't hold a candle to governments. When you look at the current problem in the middle east, it's the blood feuds multiplied by a million times. Your ancestors did shitty things to us, so we're going to do shitty things to you. We do shitty things to you, so you do shitty things to us in retaliation, then we do shitty things back to you.
It's that whole fighting between two brothers thing. "BUT HE STARTED IT!", except there's no parent out there to 'finish' it. So it continues forever until one, or both of them are dead.
Nothing is funnier than people investing their money, with a guy that has the nickname... "PIRATE".
Then complaining that they lost their money.
"Hello, police? I gave this guy money to invest and he stole it all!"
"Whats his name"
"pirate at 40" ...
Have you ever thought that it's because it's not a free market?
Cell phones are for-profit, and get better and cheaper every year. They also don't cost $2000.
Computers are for-profit, and get better and cheaper every year. They also don't cost $2000 unless you get an absurd one.
The difference?
The government doesn't interfere as much with these markets, so they're allowed to function.
Wow, the great depression ended in 1933 the minute Roosevelt was elected? I had no idea!
lol
Except those 'Crisis’s' were nothing compared to the ones we have today. Not only that, but some well-known historians have backtracked on how bad they actually were, but in the legitimate ones where we recovered quickly, they were caused by roughly the same thing that causes them today.
Banks doing stupid crap, back then banks could do stupid crap and as a result, fail.
Now today, thanks to government and fiat currencies, banks can do stupid crap, the government prints lots of money to bail them out, and they stay in business and all get their bonuses.
Another point, we're still having crisis every few years anyway. We have a recession, what’s the solution? PRINT LOTS OF MONEY, INFLATE NEW BUBBLE.
"So, you have to dig at least 100 years for arguments for the gold standard?"
Well, being as we went off the real gold standard in 1913, yeah pretty much. The 'gold' standard after 1913 was fraudulent, thats why they had to confiscate everyones gold in 1933 while making it illegal to own.
Sure, you can go die in a world war. But no, you can't own a shiney yellow metal. Oh no no no no.
And your analogy is even worse.
When someone wants things, they want it now. They're not going to wait a year to purchase something that they want now, otherwise nobody would have ever bought a computer, or a new automobile even.
If we had a similar currency system setup for the whole economy, it would not be as volatile and prices would only go down as productivity increases. Even so, people aren’t going to wait when they actually want something.
And everybody needs to buy things and pay for things.
When we were on the gold standard from 1800-1900, the price level dropped by 50% over one hundred years and we had some of the largest economic expansion in human history.
The world didn’t end.
So why do you have a computer when you can always wait another six months, and buy a better and cheaper one?
The computer industry is a deflationary spiral.
Land of the free, home of the brave.
Wow, that's a really nice business idea. Let's regulate it out of possibility.
Here's a better idea.
How about NASA setup a portal where citizens can donate money directly to NASA, in exchange for priority access varying on how much they contribute every month. Then NASA is no longer subject to the whims of congress, but by how much people value NASA.
If people want NASA, they'll be willing to pay for it directly, instead of indirectly through taxation.
That's called breaking the law.
The Congress also passed bills that allow the government to kill people with no due process of law, doesn't mean it has the authority to do it.
Except in reality this won't actually increase any safety, what it will become is a rent seeking entity and regulatory capture nightmare, as what happens with most situations
It will also drive prices of everything though the roof, because one can always argue for more safety regulations (whether they increase safety or not), and then claim anyone who's against it wants people to die in horrible ways.
"A Cambridge academic is arguing for regulations"
You don't say. An academic arguing for regulations.
The chief stated that they could not take recording EQUIPMENT.
They said nothing about recording media!
Don't you just love clever politicians.
The federal government would spend all of Bill Gates money in like a week.
What's your plan for week two?
By the way, Bill Gates doesn't actually have all of that money. He has ASSETS which are worth all of that money.
Guess what? In order to confiscate all of his wealth, you have to confiscate those assets. Except those assets aren’t money, who are you going to sell the assets to? Who’s going to buy the assets if they know that the government could just confiscate them?
Don't drop out of college kids, get into massive amounts of debt being forced to pay for classes you have zero interest in and pay through the nose for books that become worthless in a year.
Because then you'll really be able to start a business after your $30,000-$200,000 in the hole.
Get rid of the damn traffic lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS_wjo378h4
The only problem is they can't put red light cameras for free money, oh no.