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Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
I agree with you. There was a piece awhile back comparing similarities between Rome at the end of its time as empire and the USA now (bloated military, foreign wars, etc) but I can't find it now.
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I had (or still have) a pdf that has a great comparison of both empires. I'll look for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
I always enjoy your political posts, Coach, because I think you're very smart and I share your cynicism about a lot of things. And you're funny. My issue with Libertarianism is that, to me, it's one of those lines of thinking that depend on a belief that human beings are, at their core, honorable, and that given the chance, we'd all prefer to play on a level field. And I just don't think that's so. I think that, given the opportunity, most people who make it will gladly tilt the field and then pull the ladder up after themselves (apologies for the mixed metaphor). I think it's human nature.
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I believe we're conditioned to be awful people. In some aspects we're still primates. Without stripping away hate, warfare, elitism, etc. we're never going to make it as a species.
I feel that about 80% of the population are followers. The other 19% consist of powerless critical thinkers that include a subset that are watching the 1% that are the elite globalist old money contingent.
If history has taught us anything is that these monsters in charge have little hesitation to put millions of lives at risk. All for more control, more land, more natural resources, more drugs, etc.
Libertarianism can work with proper tweaking. Diluting the power structure is key, IMHO. Social programs should be kept. All citizens should be well fed and educated. Foreign relations are nice but we cannot help others until we help ourselves.
Some may disagree but so be it. This country is near ruin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
I'm not saying the regulations we have now are the right ones, or even work well, largely because a lot of them are written by the very companies that are seeking to keep the ladder pulled up after them. It's one of the things that annoys me about Ayn Randites- a lot of them completely ignore that, in her magnum opus, one of the biggest villains was a crony capitalist, and that she would, were she around today, have huge contempt for the Jesus-heavy GOP- she hated Ronald Reagan- and the Wall Street/government relationship (yes, I confess; in my teens I read a lot of Ayn Rand. A lot). But even Rand had to compromise with the real world- she went on Medicare when she was older because she couldn't afford her medical bills. And she collected Social Security. And if real life could put a financial squeeze on her, what does it say about what it can do to the rest of us?
But I don't know what the solution is. I'm also really worried. We had a kid last year, and while he's the light and joy of my life, I sometimes wonder if bringing him into the world was a big mistake, because I don't have a lot of hope for what kind of a world he'll grow up into.
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The focus needs to be primarily on the federal reserve, the 6 major banks, and why Goldman Sachs is balls deep in all 3 branches of the federal government.
Don't worry. Learn how to can food. Look into a generator and how to install one yourself. Protect it from an EMP attack. Get lots of rice and salt.