My company hired a contractor on my last project for extra help. The reason this guy contracts instead of full time employee is because between gigs he goes on long foreign trips. He recently sent some pics of his backpacking trip to China and Tibet. Of course, he doesn't exactly have a family with dependents yet, but even so I think it depends on the kind of lifestyle you want. I think even with a family, you can live pretty cheaply and travel a lot if you decide not to spend your money on the biggest house you can afford and those new cars in the driveway.
More evidence--in case you needed it--even when Congress' approval rating drops into the doldrums, as it has on several occasions, re-election rates for seated members rarely drops below 90%.
That's a very interesting point. Personally, I would take this as a complete failure of the democratic system to reflect the will of the people. The political machine in this country (the USA) has made it a cake walk for incumbents to get re-elected and block third parties/independents as much as possible. Unless they cause a serious scandal, like Sen. Craig for instance, they are likely to get re-elected. I care very much about every single bill congress passes, because they all restrict my freedom in one way or another. In that way I have an approval rating of about 0% for most everything Congress does. Once in awhile they surprise me, but those times are getting fewer and fewer.
Your reply is about what I expected from someone who is steeped in the statist doctrine of using force to solve society's supposed ills.
Libertarianism can and will survive in the real world, at one point or another. Good luck to you in your quest for educational utopia.
That world bank link you posted fails to back you up as well. It says nothing about how free China and India are respectively, and how their public education spending leads to prosperity. And then there is your statement about Sweden. Forgive me if I don't believe your statement that they are better off economically. Then there is the problem of economic calculation which von Mises clearly demonstrated. There is no way to know what the actual output of these countries really is. So your bank quotation is quite meaningless. I've also seen many reports that India is expected to surpass China in economic growth.
You would be hard pressed to prove that "libertariansim cannot survive in the real world". Your aids comparison is ridiculous and completely unfounded. Allowing people to exchange the goods and services they want, rather than forcing them to accept ones they don't want, has nothing to do with aids. In fact I would say it is common sense. As the anonymous responder to your post said, voluntary economic exchange benefits both parties, otherwise they wouldn't engage in trade.
Maybe China is more wealthy than India because they are actually more economically free than India. And rightly so, as they continue to free up their economy, which they have been doing for years now. All the presidents you mention are socialist in my book. They all support income redistribution, all sorts of price controls/subsidies, and the warfare/welfare state. I agree that education is important, but the state actually does a terrible job at it. Our public schools have been failing our children for years now, yet people clamor for more public education. It never ceases to amaze me.
And I stand by my assertion that libertarian policies are deceptive, because they will end up making the rich richer and the poor poorer -- but very few libertarians are honest enough to admit this.
It's a pity you really believe this. Have you actually read anything by the great economists Ludwig von Mises or Murray Rothbard? Have you even clicked on the link I provided? There's not much more I can say if you choose to remain ignorant of their work.
Why should I bother to respond to stats you are pulling out of your ass? Socialists are in clear denial about the consequences of their economic policies, and you are no different... they don't understand the grave injustice of forcing people to pay for services they don't use, and they think everything should be free. I provided you with plenty of reading material to back up my assertions of economic freedom. You have provided no documentation for your claims about China or India. And you are calling me deceptive? Go figure... Nice try on the aids analogy though. I'm sure it works better on emotionally weak people.
I am not eager to force anyone to do anything. That is exactly why I oppose the public funding of all services. Socialists, on the other hand, are eager to force their morals on everyone possible. It is well known that economic freedom is the single most important factor in reducing poverty. When governments stick to protecting life, liberty, and property, there is more prosperity than there would otherwise be; poor included. The best way to reduce poverty is through allowing this individual choice.
You talk like it is somehow a right for people to have the ability to check out books for free. Libraries are not "crucial for the upward mobility of the lower classes." Economic freedom, however, is. By "economic freedom" I mean allowing individual choice in all desired services.
And like I said, there would be nothing to stop people from banding together and forming non profit book exchanges in the absence of taxpayer funded books. You seem to be conveniently ignoring that statement.
I disagree. Many of today's libraries began with endowments from wealthy individuals. And even without socialism, there would be nothing to stop individuals from banding together and starting non profit book loan programs. Most of all, if you don't use the library system you wouldn't be forced to pay for it anyway.
I love libraries with all my heart and soul. I live near the wonderful Harold Washington Library and I still get happy inside by just walking through their doors. Libraries are living laboratories of socialism in the belly of the profit-driven beast.
Right, because free information and libraries wouldn't exist without socialism. *rolls eyes*
Now that you mention it, I remember it was indeed at Bullfrog. Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there some time... thanks for the recommendation.
I have some fond memories from the week I spent houseboating with my cousins on Lake Powell. I slept on the top of the boat, and it was absolutely the clearest sky I've ever seen. Definitely much better than anything I've seen in the midwest, where I live. The only problem was the high walls blocked the sides of the sky.
I'm tempted to just not drive around with it at all, but would like to have it for legit purposes, both as ID and if I were to actually be pulled over. OTOH, it is only 25 dollars, and I haven't actually been pulled over in almost a decade, although I have gone through license checks.
I wouldn't consider being pulled over to be "legit"... at least not morally, hehe. But, after reading what you've said, I plan on not carrying my license with me at all anymore. I think it might be smart to keep it in my car in case someone hits me on the road though...
I'm with you 100%. I have absolutely zero sympathy for police in any circumstance. They are only there to protect the State. Every now and then I watch the show COPS, and it sickens me that the police treat those people the way they do. I don't understand why people still put up with it.
Vote the way that counts the most, with your dollar
Actually this is exactly what I want to do. My problem is that with living under *any* government, this isn't possible because they still insist on telling me how to spend my dollars. Switzerland or the Netherlands both look pretty good compared to the US right now. But, they both still have governments who will not allow me to spend my dollars as I please. So the marginal freedom I would gain from going to either of these two places seems to not be enough to go through uprooting myself.
So... the moral of your story is that a total dickwad who killed and neglected children at a university hospital can still purchase enough votes to win public office. And that the only person who could really challenge him owned a distasteful public access show. This is exactly what is so wrong with our democracy.
People who think they make a difference by going in to vote once every 4 years and then expect politicians to make all their decisions for them are the cop outs.
Voting is what got us into this mess. Do you really think voting is what will get us out? Or that voting will stop politicians from being corrupt? The whole system is rotten to the core. The only thing that will change it is outright collapse or violence.
Don't believe for a second that your vote matters or makes a difference. It only serves whoever gains power and uses it at your expense. And believe me, whoever you vote for will indeed use it at your expense... in one way or another.
I'm terrified of the power that any of these goons in office hold. I just wish the government would be drastically reduced. Until then I am not voting, and encourage everyone within earshot not to vote. Maybe when voter turnout gets to be less than 20% they will start to notice.
The difference between the two parties is so minimal from my pov that I don't think it matters how they end up sharing power. It's all one party rule to me.
Actually, when someone tries to sell me a product by pointing out that its done in java, I have to politely see them to the door.
Well then you are shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to established business solutions. I don't have a problem with the idea that Java isn't for everyone. But at the same time, I think nothing beats it when it comes to enterprise software. What are you going to use instead, PHP? Last time I checked, minor versions of PHP broke itself as well.
Slashdot Mirror
My company hired a contractor on my last project for extra help. The reason this guy contracts instead of full time employee is because between gigs he goes on long foreign trips. He recently sent some pics of his backpacking trip to China and Tibet. Of course, he doesn't exactly have a family with dependents yet, but even so I think it depends on the kind of lifestyle you want. I think even with a family, you can live pretty cheaply and travel a lot if you decide not to spend your money on the biggest house you can afford and those new cars in the driveway.
Funny you should claim blind faith. The state, democracy, and constitution worship I read about online every day is no less religious.
Democracy: The God That Failed
Your reply is about what I expected from someone who is steeped in the statist doctrine of using force to solve society's supposed ills. Libertarianism can and will survive in the real world, at one point or another. Good luck to you in your quest for educational utopia.
That world bank link you posted fails to back you up as well. It says nothing about how free China and India are respectively, and how their public education spending leads to prosperity. And then there is your statement about Sweden. Forgive me if I don't believe your statement that they are better off economically. Then there is the problem of economic calculation which von Mises clearly demonstrated. There is no way to know what the actual output of these countries really is. So your bank quotation is quite meaningless. I've also seen many reports that India is expected to surpass China in economic growth.
You would be hard pressed to prove that "libertariansim cannot survive in the real world". Your aids comparison is ridiculous and completely unfounded. Allowing people to exchange the goods and services they want, rather than forcing them to accept ones they don't want, has nothing to do with aids. In fact I would say it is common sense. As the anonymous responder to your post said, voluntary economic exchange benefits both parties, otherwise they wouldn't engage in trade.
It's a pity you really believe this. Have you actually read anything by the great economists Ludwig von Mises or Murray Rothbard? Have you even clicked on the link I provided? There's not much more I can say if you choose to remain ignorant of their work.
Why should I bother to respond to stats you are pulling out of your ass? Socialists are in clear denial about the consequences of their economic policies, and you are no different... they don't understand the grave injustice of forcing people to pay for services they don't use, and they think everything should be free. I provided you with plenty of reading material to back up my assertions of economic freedom. You have provided no documentation for your claims about China or India. And you are calling me deceptive? Go figure... Nice try on the aids analogy though. I'm sure it works better on emotionally weak people.
I am not eager to force anyone to do anything. That is exactly why I oppose the public funding of all services. Socialists, on the other hand, are eager to force their morals on everyone possible. It is well known that economic freedom is the single most important factor in reducing poverty. When governments stick to protecting life, liberty, and property, there is more prosperity than there would otherwise be; poor included. The best way to reduce poverty is through allowing this individual choice.
http://www.fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=1568
http://www.mises.org/efandi.asp
You talk like it is somehow a right for people to have the ability to check out books for free. Libraries are not "crucial for the upward mobility of the lower classes." Economic freedom, however, is. By "economic freedom" I mean allowing individual choice in all desired services. And like I said, there would be nothing to stop people from banding together and forming non profit book exchanges in the absence of taxpayer funded books. You seem to be conveniently ignoring that statement.
Now that you mention it, I remember it was indeed at Bullfrog. Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there some time... thanks for the recommendation.
I have some fond memories from the week I spent houseboating with my cousins on Lake Powell. I slept on the top of the boat, and it was absolutely the clearest sky I've ever seen. Definitely much better than anything I've seen in the midwest, where I live. The only problem was the high walls blocked the sides of the sky.
I'm with you 100%. I have absolutely zero sympathy for police in any circumstance. They are only there to protect the State. Every now and then I watch the show COPS, and it sickens me that the police treat those people the way they do. I don't understand why people still put up with it.
If you think the election you describe means we are under a good system of government, I guess your city deserved to have a crappy mayor for 4 years.
So... the moral of your story is that a total dickwad who killed and neglected children at a university hospital can still purchase enough votes to win public office. And that the only person who could really challenge him owned a distasteful public access show. This is exactly what is so wrong with our democracy.
People who think they make a difference by going in to vote once every 4 years and then expect politicians to make all their decisions for them are the cop outs.
Voting is what got us into this mess. Do you really think voting is what will get us out? Or that voting will stop politicians from being corrupt? The whole system is rotten to the core. The only thing that will change it is outright collapse or violence. Don't believe for a second that your vote matters or makes a difference. It only serves whoever gains power and uses it at your expense. And believe me, whoever you vote for will indeed use it at your expense... in one way or another.
I'm terrified of the power that any of these goons in office hold. I just wish the government would be drastically reduced. Until then I am not voting, and encourage everyone within earshot not to vote. Maybe when voter turnout gets to be less than 20% they will start to notice.
The difference between the two parties is so minimal from my pov that I don't think it matters how they end up sharing power. It's all one party rule to me.
Well then you are shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to established business solutions. I don't have a problem with the idea that Java isn't for everyone. But at the same time, I think nothing beats it when it comes to enterprise software. What are you going to use instead, PHP? Last time I checked, minor versions of PHP broke itself as well.
Guess you could always go with Microsoft.