Subject:
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Re: From Harry Browne
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 7 Nov 2000 21:55:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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497 times
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(snipage)
> Well, James, we've already had this argument. You know darn well already
> that all of these things above are goods, rather than rights. And as I've
> said before, there is no moral right to free goods.
True. I however feel that _as a society_ we choose to do some things, and that
those things mentioned (and snipped) above are things that are worth doing.
Why are they any less worth doing than say, defending the country, or your
house by hiring a police force?
Governments are NOT the be all or end all, there are some things that I think
governments should not be trying to do. They do some good things, and some bad
things. I just feel that health care (including pensions, and making it hard
to die through no fault of your own) is one thing that government should do.
You don't feel that way...I can understand that point of view.
> But since you're a communist: http://news.lugnet.com/off-topic/debate/?n=6396
> I'm not sure that you'll ever actually concede how reality works.
note, what exactly did I say: That I am a communist in the Marxist sense, not a
practical sense...I _know_ that communism does not work in total, but neither
does capitalism either. Where I want to see is the middle, fairly well.
Remember, we are talking about a country (The US) that by the standards that
Marx wrote, is communist to a remarkable degree. I am not one who wants to
have a obliarchy like the Soviet system, or any other (real world) model of
Communism.
> Not sure where you are going with that. What is the appropriate level of
> military expenditure if you're not trying to be the world's policeman and
> not trying to project your force around for "economic" advantage? A lot less
> than we spend now, and possibly less as a percentage of GDP than we spent in
> 1914.
Lets put it this way: it costs the Canadian Taxpayer about 11 billion cdn to
keep me employed. (thats about 8-9 bil. USD). Canada has a armed forces that
could not defend 1/10th of what we have in the way of territory. Extrapolate
that to the US, and say that you reasonably would want to be able to defend
your territory at 10x what Canada can manage right now. That takes you to 90
billion dollars of taxes (about 1/3rd of Canadas budget, IIRC). That is for a
reasonable "defensive" military. (and about 1/3rd the cost of the current US
military). That money, as you point out, has to come out of the pockets of
_someone_.
With kind nudges, (and no flames!-they ruin the atm.)
James Powell
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: From Harry Browne
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| (...) If you think they're worth doing, by all means, please go ahead. However since they involve transfers of wealth from one person to another, my position is that you ought to do them on your nickel, not mine. I am not my brother's keeper unless (...) (24 years ago, 7-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | Re: From Harry Browne
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| (...) Wow, you need to ask for a bigger part of the pie if it really costs that much to employ you! I'm assuming you don't make near that since if you did, I'd bet that you'd be looking to buy TLC and your collection would make Conan's look like a (...) (24 years ago, 7-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: From Harry Browne
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| (...) Well, James, we've already had this argument. You know darn well already that all of these things above are goods, rather than rights. And as I've said before, there is no moral right to free goods. But since you're a communist: (URL) not sure (...) (24 years ago, 7-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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