I found a song to help you celebrate:
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I don’t think America is perfect. No country is. But I’m not for getting rid of government.
Here’s where we can find anarcho-capitalism. Perhaps we’re both just useless dreamers posting songs. Could be worse.
I don’t know that anyone is. Government can allow secession. Government can allow free-trade between individuals. If secession were both permissible and desirable right down to the individual level, there would still be one-man governments.
Either am I. But how about half of it? How about a quarter of it? How about it just stays at the same size and scope every year without expanding? But that’s not what’s happening or what youre promoting.
I did agree with a previous post you made where you said something to the effect of “elect people to dismantle it.” Believe me i vote that way and try to convince others to do the same. Weve reached a point where the only good goverment is the one that cannibalizes itself. Lower taxes, cut services and deregulate.
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I can get on board with all of that, but the specifics would matter. The government does plenty of things I disagree with. But I want fire departments, I want hospitals, I want energy, I want schools, I want laws and I want cops. And probably a bunch more. I’d probably rather we made many changes and got rid of a lot of things. And some people want to keep the stuff I would get rid of. I think we spend way too much on the military, but maybe I’m wrong. I don’t think I have all the answers and I’m far from an expert on everything.
What am I promoting? The idea that not all government is bad? That taxation isn’t theft? That speed limits are ok? That trying to take care of the sick and most vulnerable isn’t bad? That providing kids education isn’t bad?
These don’t seem like extreme positions to me in the least bit. I think we have all sorts of unneeded regulations. But I don’t thing all regulations are bad. The specifics are far more important to me than blanket statements like cut regulations and cut services. I think cutting all those things at once would be disastrous. It seems insane to me to think that businesses that already exploit people are going to do it less the moment they have no rules. How about we get rid of the ones that don’t make sense?
I mean it’s easy for me. I’m fairly comfortable and I can work plenty of jobs. But I’m going to advocate for kids that need help. I’m going to advocate that we take care of our veterans and elderly. Just because I may not directly at this point in my life benefit from some of those services means I want everything to go away.
If I thought families and communities would do all those things themselves I’d be fine with it. I just don’t see it happening. And it’s not taxation that keeps that from happening anyways.
I think what I’m promoting is a pretty damn middle of the road path supported by far more people than kill it all or let it do whatever it wants. And I think calling the elderly and disabled things like takers and pointing out they aren’t paying their fair share isn’t a society I much want to be a part of.
So basically, utopia for the wealthiest people in the country, and the mechanisms by which billionaires and corporations are able to continue hoarding wealth at disproportionate rates. People will vote for a tax cut for themselves without a single thought of how the higher tax brackets are affected, and time and time again, the brackets that benefit the most are the ones that you and I will never, ever see. That’s why, when it all comes crumbling down every now and then, the ultra-wealthy seem to make it out wealthier than ever, while the rest of us take the hit.
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I think we have plenty of regulations that need altered or cut out. But to get rid of them all seems insane. I’m sure aspects abound and it’s not hard to find stupid rules.
I’m ok with pharmacies and food being regulated. I’m fine walking in a grocery store and knowing that we have nutrition labels. Knowing that companies that skirt the rules may face legal punishment for practices that harm my family. I’m cool with child labor laws. Big business has a long history of exploiting workers. I’m for protections against that.
We can look overseas and see how places with no rules are fairing. It seems to me like most of the places with rules are doing better. So maybe we have too many rules. Maybe we have rules that don’t make sense in some places and let’s eliminate them. But I don’t often look at those places without rules and envy them.
I also think it’s short sighted. Reduced air pollution is cited with less health care problems. So maybe when we did shit to get rid of acid rain it cost a lot of money. But maybe long term it saved money and lives. I know that’s crazy to think of when everyone just wants to get hard-ons over no taxes and no rules for businesses and the wealthiest Americans having even more wealth. If it’s radical to think we should consider options as a society that may help more than one person consider me radical.
Yes, probably should have added that. Some deregulation from time to time is necessary.
But the people I’m referring to are talking about massive, massive deregulation, as if none of this came about from workers/consumers/the planet being royally fucked over.
Yep. Every rule has an origin. Doesn’t mean they are well or good. But typically it’s from people demanding the government does something to protect people.
Last I checked haven’t people been voting for Congress for quite a while now? Haven’t they been voting for governors and state government?
I didn’t vote for either main party governor candidate in Kansas in 2016. I didn’t vote for Brownback. But people did. They didn’t get themselves in office.
Yeah, really
It would make it more likely to happen more often, which would make it more likely for you to see it
Start?
None of them donates time, money, effort?
No one in the 99.5% donates time, money, effort?
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But if it happens more it still might not be enough for you to notice or acknowledge
I just made a simple statement at first
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I don’t think I ever said that? I thought the ALL part was obvious?
No I acknowledge it. I mean of course some people do that. What I’m saying is a tax cut isn’t spurring big change in that regard. It’s not like a Trump tax cut magically had millions of people change that they were doing in that regard.
Some People donate time, money, and effort. If current taxation has an effect it is quite small. And it would be worth wondering if taxation was reduced enough to where those services were cut if people would make up the difference. I don’t think so in the least bit. I think many would be spurred to do more when they saw the effects on people. But a net positive for them I’m not sure.
Now people are mad and quoting the 10th Amendment because of a Trump tweet. Fucking lolz.
What are your thoughts on this?
Washington, Oregon and California announce Western States Pact | Governor Jay Inslee
How many “states rights till I die” folks are gonna throw a shit fit when they decide to open the economy back up later and more slowly than federal guidelines allow?
States rights are great… Until they allow s state to do something you and the federal govt disagree with haha.
I haven’t read much about it yet, but I’m fine with states doing what they want within the authority their constitutions allow. It’s preferable imo.
Trump can’t force them open. The federal government can’t force them open. That said, interstate-commerce is a pretty grey area, though. I’m not sure how a pact like this will work.
Trump can, and certainly would cut off aid if the states didn’t open on his schedule. Vindictive AF.
I bet it’ll be like the CA auto emissions issue all over again. The west coast is such an economic and population hub that federal policy will have very limited effect if the west coast states aren’t on board.
And don’t think for one second these governers won’t relish holding Trump’s feet to the fire after all the antagonistic tweets and personal insults. Then again, maybe they’ll take the high road. That would be a nice change.
ESPECIALLY if his ego is bruised.
Just today; with Cuomo acting as moderator; the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island; announced publicly via Teleconference; the formation of a task force that would allow them to coordinate how and when to proceed forward, with Public Health concerns taking the forefront, and driving when and how they would open economically. While they are connected geographically; they are also connected economically , especially along what they called the “!-95 Corridor” and work forces that travel between the states.
What they are doing is smart and well-thought out.
It shouldn’t matter, but they are all Democratic Governors.
There is a clash brewing if Trump thinks he is going to have some National “Economic Opening Day”…and quite frankly, these Governors are making Trump look and sound like an amateur at leading and governing.
We’ll see how he responds.
What is also brewing (and will be more regrettable than what I pointed out above) is a “Red State/Blue State” clash; with Red State Governors following in Lock-Step with Trump and his edicts and Blue States being much more cautious.
I hope that it doesn’t get to this…but the murmurs are out there.
(P.S. the “population density” differences is an extremely poor argument. The States are far too interconnected both in travel and in commerce).
