Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Douglass
Oh Lordy, Where's Ayn When We Need Her? In yestiddy's Wall Street Journal (1/9/09------p. W11), in a column entitled "De Gustibus", Stephen Moore recounts the critical points made by Ayn Rand in her great novel "Atlas Shrugged". I am sure one of you compootah geniuses could source it up and (legally?) reprint it here.
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Yeh. Can't imagine paying for someones opinion when we can read all kinds of opinions free here.
What a great material for a winter rant post, Fred.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Douglass
My wonderful and wondrous father said that the reason Ayn Rand was so loathed and reviled by American liberals was that she---a refugee from Stalinist Russia-----was able to subtly, yet forcefully point out the irrefutable similarities between socialism (and its more extreme offspring, communism) and western liberal philosophy and action.
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I think socialism derived from the limbic region of brain development. As an example, cold blooded reptiles (not much limbic region) don't as a rule, care for their young whereas warm blooded mammals do. Nothing like warm boobs(er, mammaries), eh? Well this eventually transcribed into taking care of more than offspring. Now humans, like wolves, have a pack mentality. It remains to be seen whether this is an improvement in sustaining the development of life.
Here is a cool
link on differing forms of government. Russia was(is?) a few wealthy elite in charge of many. Don't know whether that qualifies as a pure socialist state. It seems familiar though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Douglass
The problem with liberal egg-heads is that they (seemingly) never have gotten their hands dirty, and/or tried to preserve the fruits of their own honest labor. Sure, societal "glue"---in the form of helping the less fortunate and able---is critical to defusing riots, class warfare and other lamentable eruptions of envy. But when charity becomes systematized and an industry unto itself (especially when run by the gummint) THEN you get the runaway train. Big government, wouldn't you agree, is composed of a myriad of myopic little fiefdoms and it never meshes well or efficiently. It ALWAYS trends toward "mandatory this and mandatory that" as its efforts to control individual liberty breed more contempt and rebelliousness. Money today is freedom. Period. So-o-o-o, guess what the gummint does? Right! Aside from robbing us and bribing us with our own money---how 'bout those seatbelt laws?
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"The problem with liberal egg-heads is" progressives tend to be socialist as opposed to .....conservatives preserving the dog-eat-dog world?
"...helping the less fortunate and able---is critical to defusing riots..."
"...Big government, wouldn't you agree, is composed of a myriad of myopic little fiefdoms... "
"...It ALWAYS trends toward "mandatory this and mandatory that" as its efforts to control individual liberty... "
Sounds like all government democracies ...but not all governments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Douglass
The trouble with utopians is that they ALWAYS concoct "solutions" which go against human nature. When anything or anyone goes against human nature, it/they must acquire means to quell disagreement----all the way up to, and including, permanently "silencing" critics and rebels. If you wonder why liberals LIE all the time (look at the foo keen media!), it's because if they DIDN'T lie---and actually spelled out exactly what their aims and methods of achieving them were-----normal folks would HANG 'EM ALL. Lordy knows, there's still enuff trees.
Caveat socialistas!
A pitchforks in every closet!
Chow-dah!
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"The trouble with utopians is that they ALWAYS concoct "solutions" which go against human nature..."
Human nature both wants something for nothing ...but doesn't want to give anything away.
Now which is it, really?
It's the boat rowing scene again.
If the boat is too socialist, everybody gets the same amount of hardtack whether they row or not. After a while there is no rowing incentive and the boat about stops in the doldrum. For the boat owner and management calling cadence, this is slim pickins. They absolutely depend on somebody rowing. Really ...the whole boatload depends on it.
Then there is the other scenario. The capitalist boat. The owner and management start their efficiency quest. They give the rowers less and less share of hardtack as days go on. It works. They slap each other on the back and stroke each others ego's on how smart they are. Well that's why they're in charge, eh? After a while there is no rowing incentive and the boat about stops in the doldrum. For the boat owner and management calling cadence, this is slim pickins. They absolutely depend on somebody rowing. Really ...the whole boatload depends on it.
Somewhere, in between, it just keeps on working.
Maybe there is a utopia.
"A pitchforks in every closet!"Yeah, man!!
I don't have a pitchfork and a torch is too conspicuous.
So I'm off on my quest to root out the economic evil that has befallen our dear country.
Instead of a torch, I plan to carry a Mini-Mag Lite in my rear hip pocket.
The pocket outline alone should give folks pause as to what I might do.
Sure, it's not like carrying a full size Mag Lite, like cops who can beat a perp over the head with them.
But I may be able to tap adversaries into submission.
I'm hoping not to have to use it.
God, this winter is getting long.
Wes
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