This post, via Hacker News, was amusing. Someone thought it was awesome that Microsoft employees don't have to get permission when they take a bathroom break.
In all my jobs, I didn't need to get permission to take a bathroom break. I didn't realize that for people in low-paying jobs, they're treated like children.
In school, you need to get permission to go to the bathroom. This is training for working as a slave, where you have to get permission to go to the bathroom.
This story contains a common evil fnord. "Someone made a transition from a minimum-wage job to a decent professional job. Therefore, the economic system is fair." That is false. By hyping success stories, the economic system seems more fair than it actually is.
This post on Google's blog was interesting. Newspaper publishers are suing Google for including their content in their search index. They want a cut of Google's advertising revenue.
Google points out that any website who wants their content removed from Google's search index can edit their robots.txt file.
As a website owner, you'd be an idiot to not have your content indexed by Google. Google is the #1 source of traffic.
Google's point is that the mainstream media website owners want it both ways. They want the massive traffic that Google sends to their site. They also want a cut of the ads that Google sells alongside their index.
A good analogy is that Google is like a library. A library doesn't have to pay the publisher everytime someone borrows a book. Google is like a library where they make money by selling ads in the book catalog.
This article was funny. If you had a bestselling iPhone application, then the new version of the iPhone may include a bundled app that makes your product obsolete. It seems that a lot of these iPhone app writers were doing free customer surveys for Apple.
I'm reluctant to spend time investing in iPhone app development. It seems silly to work in an environment where there's a monopoly.
The iPhone is trendy now. There's no guarantee that it will still be popular 5 years from now. I remember when I was considering learning Palm OS development.
This thread on Hacker News was missing the point. It's asking "What tools does Congress use to write 1000+ page laws?"
The answer is "lobbyists". Most laws are written by lobbyists. The Congressmen vote on them without reading them.
The "carbon tax" and "healthcare reform" laws are 1000+ pages each. I doubt that many (if any) Congressmen read the entire law before voting on it.
This article was interesting. It's a building designed to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The amount of carbon dioxide it absorbs is greater than the carbon dioxide generated by the energy required to operate it.
This article was interesting. It was a partial list of the massive State subsiides that Goldman Sachs recently received.
It missed the biggest item. The 0%-0.25% Fed Funds Rate is a massive subsidy for the banksters. When the Federal Reserve creates money by "monetizing the debt", there is no obligation to disclose exactly who gets the new money.
Banks profit by borrowing at the Fed Funds rate and then lending at higher interest rates. Real interest rates are negative, which encourages everyone to borrow as much as they can.
I liked this article, via Hacker News, on how to become really good at something. The theme is "Go to an environment where you're challenged by people who are better than you. Then, if you pay attention and work hard, you'll improve."
It also had an interesting bit on how to succeed at standup comedy. Basically, the advice is "Be so good that people can't afford to ignore you."
If I attempt "promote agorism via standup comedy", then there probably will be parasites who will say "FSK, tone down your act or you'll never get invited on a mainstream venue." That's obviously lousy advice. The only reason I'd be interesting in the first place is because I'm telling the truth more clearly than anyone else.
My blog readership seems to have hit another plateau. However, readership growth comes in fits and spurts. Things are flat for awhile, followed by rapid growth.
I'm looking to expand from blogging to other things. Now that I have a wage slave job, I'm focusing most of my energy on that.
I liked this YouTube Video, via Hacker News. It's by Ira Glass. (I've never heard of him before.)
He had an interesting point. He said "Having good taste leads to being a good creative worker. Initially, you will be producing garbage. If you have good taste, you'll see what you're doing poorly and improve. A lot of people get discouraged and give up. It takes years to become great at something."
I have pretty good taste regarding what blogs I consider interesting, and what TV shows I consider interesting. For individual shows, I'm good at telling the difference between the good parts and the bad parts. Having good taste should lead to success eventually, if I'm persistent.
If you have good taste, then "Make something FSK considers good!" should lead to "Make something that other people will consider good!"
I already have 2 years invested in "Become a good free market thinker!" That should be useful in blogging or other creative types of work.
The best strategy is for me to stick with the wage slave software engineer career track, until I'm able to make enough money to earn a living from other sources.
This article on thestreet.com made me think "What a bunch of pathetic liars!" The headline says it all "Gold Losing its Luster".
Every time there's a week or two where gold underperforms the S&P 500, the comedians on the Communism Channel say "Gold investors are such idiots." So far in 2009, gold has been a better investment from the stock market.
Everytime I see someone denounce gold investors, it makes me want to buy gold.
This article, via Hacker News, was interesting. 50% of founders get fired by the VCs.
When you get VC, the fine print of the deal makes the founder the effective employee of the venture capitalist.
You might say "If you don't like it, don't accept VC!", but the rules of the economic system give the financial industry a monopoly on financing new businesses. It's much harder to bootstrap a business, than raise capital.
If you have an idea for a business that will generate $100k-$200k per year in revenue, that's a decent job. A VC won't be interested in a business that small, but it's a decent basis for a 1 person business. Plus, if you have your own business, then you have a chance to be very successful and make even more. If I'm an employee, and do something really great, the profits are merely owned by my employer. If I own my own business and do something great, than I get all the upside.
This article was amusing. After selling a book on the Kindle, a publisher decided that they didn't want to make the book available electronically. Amazon.com then remotely deleted the book from customers' Kindles.
Incidents like this make you wonder "Why would you buy something when someone else has the ability to remotely shut you down?" Fortunately, owning a general-purpose computer is still legal, even though those in the mainstream media industry would love to have it be illegal to own a non-DRM-crippled PC.
For example, the iPhone also has the ability for Apple to remove apps from a user's phone.
Ironically, the book deleted was George Orwell's 1984.
I liked this thread on silverseek.com, where someone was citing "The Gold Lease Rate is Negative!". The poster claimed that the silver lease rate is negative.
A negative metal lease rate is an opportunity for insiders to make a guaranteed riskless profit. They borrow metal, sell it on the spot market, and then buy bonds or other assets.
Only insiders may borrow at the official lease rate. The metal is lent out by central banks who have an interest in manipulating the gold or silver price downward.
Someone pointed out that the lease rate is not an absolute rate, but rather the rate relative to LIBOR. The Fed Funds Rate is currently 0%-0.25%, but LIBOR is the rate in England.
I liked this article on Yahoo. A conservative group asked FedEx for $2M-$3M in exchange for backing a law that would favor FedEx over UPS. When FedEx refused, the group supported UPS.
That story is an interesting example of how lobbyists buy laws and get favors from corporations.
The law seemed to be "Does FedEx have to negotiate with separate unions in each state, or can it negotiate one contract for the entire country?"
A couple of months ago, I was looking to buy an external HD to replace my crappy Western Digital.
I looked around again, and Moore's Law is working its magic. Prices have come down a lot. If I wait a few more months, it looks like I'll be able to get a good 1TB external HD for under $100.
I watched bits of the new season of Torchwood "Children of Earth". I taped the whole thing and watched the last episode. I concluded that it wasn't worth watching the whole thing.
They made the story move too slow. They had 5 episodes, but they really only had enough material for 1 or 2 episodes.
I'm watching the latest season of Big Brother 11. At first, I thought that Ronnie would be decent. Unfortunately, he's been playing like an idiot. The producers of the show picked stupid "smart" people for the "brains" team. Ronnie is probably going to get evicted this week.
Actually, Ronnie has the parasitic personality type and most of the other houseguests seem to have the "abused productive" personality type. That gives him a chance, even though he's been doing awful.
Ronnie has made several huge mistakes already:
- He promised to vote to evict Chima and then voted to keep her.
- He won Head of Household when he could have just thrown the competition to Michelle and been guaranteed safety. Michelle couldn't nominate him because he was on the same team as her.
- Winning Head of Household early in the game is stupid. You just make enemies. You don't know where other people stand yet.
- He tried to make deals with everyone, and it backfired when the other people started comparing notes.
- He shouldn't have tried to make so many deals so soon. For the first couple of weeks, the best strategy is to let other people get into big fights and let everyone pick each other off. Usually, someone winds up angering almost everyone in the house. You don't want to be the person who angers everyone else in the house.
Another possibility is that, in the Diary Room, the producers of the show persuade the other players to behave in a certain way. After the show spent so much time on Ronnie, it'd be a shame if he were eliminated early.
I don't normally read The New York Times, but I read a bit recently. It had been awhile. I was offended by the volume of the pro-State trolling. The evil fnords are much more obvious now than they were before.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Compound Interest Paradox - a Simpler Explanat...":
I just cant understand how u could bring all that explanation on such fallacies. first of all u are considering only a single activity of money burrowing. U have neglected the time value of money, inflation and other economic interactions in ur analysis. If ur analysis were true then how come with over 100 years of invention of compound interest we are not under crushing debt ?? .
The Federal Reserve credit monopoly affects the interest rate market. That messes up people's ability to make economic calculations and plan for the future.
The reason the money system doesn't collapse via the Compound Interest Paradox is that there's inflation. Continuous money supply inflation is necessary to keep the scam going.
Historically, no fiat monetary system lasts more than 100 years. The time for the US dollar is nearing its end. Just because a corrupt system hasn't collapsed yet, doesn't mean it won't!
Francois Tremblay has left a new comment on your post "The Compound Interest Paradox - a Simpler Explanat...":
Because the government keeps printing more money.More accurately, the financial industry in collusion with the Federal Reserve keeps printing more money.
The most recent recession/depression was so severe that deficit spending by the Federal government was necessary to keep up the inflation rate. That's the whole point of the bailouts.
Mathias has left a new comment on your post ""Gold Standard" Fnord":
I appreciate how you analyze language and culture. Did you ever write a post defining "Fnord"?
I already wrote a post on "What Are Fnords?" I'll make an updated version. I'm getting better at seeing and understanding fnords.
I mean fnord in the Discordian/Illuminatus! sense, with one difference. There are both evil fnords and good fnords. Evil fnords are part of the human enslavement Matrix. They're the continuous little reminders that reinforce your pro-State brainwashing. Good fnords are hints that give people a chance to figure out the truth.
Fnords are the secret hidden messages in all the mainstream media.
There are evil fnords. This is the direct and indirect pro-State trolling you see everywhere.
For example, I read an issue of The NY Times after not having read it for awhile. I was offended by the evil fnords.
When President Obama talks about his healthcare reform proposal, that's an evil fnord. He's distracting attention from the real issue, which is "State licensing requirements for doctors restrict the supply of health care and drive up prices."
When President Obama talks about the carbon tax, that's an evil fnord justifying an increase in the power of the State.
There are good fnords. These are hints that let people figure out what's going on. "The Matrix" and "They Live!" are examples of good fnords. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report occasionally have some good fnords.
By E-Mail, someone wrote:
Found your blog today. Nice to find someone as revolted by our 'guardians' as I am. Looking forward to reading a little more.
Look at the "Best of FSK" list (in the left sidebar) for my most popular posts.
The important points are:
- Taxation is theft!
- The USA has a corrupt monetary system!
- Who needs a government anyway?
- A better economic and political system is a true free market system. Nobody should have a monopoly of violence or justice. All services currently provided by the government could be more efficiently provided by multiple competing vendors in a true free market.
- Agorism is the best strategy for achieving freedom. You boycott all the stupid taxes and laws that restrict your freedom.
I saw this story on MSN, and it made me think "WTF?"
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Sunday that he had to "hold my nose" over last year's taxpayer-financed bailouts of big financial companies but argued that the action had to be taken to avoid a major meltdown of the U.S. financial system and the broader economy.
Really? I thought that Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson had gone to Congress and begged for a bailout. Now, Ben Bernanke regrets the bailout?
In this discussion forum, Francois Tremblay was citing "An Example Tax Resister Calculation".
Francois Tremblay made a post saying "Tax resistance is easy! Everyone should be doing it!" I observed that he should put his freedom where his mouth is and start a tax resister insurance business. I made that post as a detailed example.
Someone in another country, posting in a foreign language, was citing that post and saying "See! In the USA you can purchase tax resister insurance!" He was citing my post as an example of an actual business, rather than a theoretical example.
I noticed this Frank and Ernest cartoon. Someone was citing The "Low Unemployment Causes Inflation" Fallacy. I noticed because it sent some traffic, according to Google Analytics.
I was in a store and got a Canadian penny in change instead of a US penny. It wasn't worth my time complaining over $0.01. I then realized "A Canadian penny is worth more than a US penny!"
It's interesting to notice "Taxation is theft!" being discussed on the Ron Paul Forum. There were a surprisingly large number of "yes" votes (more than 80%). (That thread was a poll asking "Is taxation theft?"
I wonder if Ron Paul's former supporters are coming around towards "Who needs a government anyway?" and agorism.
The difference with Ron Paul's campaign and previous ones is not Ron Paul himself. It's the Internet which has allowed people to communicate directly and bypass mainstream media censorship.
Once you realize "Taxation is theft!", that naturally leads to "All services currently performed by government could be more efficiently provided by multiple competing vendors in a free market."
This page had an interesting quote.
It’s the same with the military. No one has any trouble with the equation:Sometimes, when talking to a pro-State troll, you can literally see the short-circuit in their brain.Man + murder = evilThrow in one little inconsequential variable, however, and most people get very confusedMan + murder + green costume = ?zzttz¿¡[short circuit] um, national hero?
seanl has left a new comment on your post "The Compound Interest Paradox - a Simpler Explanat...":
Interest paid to the FED is *not* taken out of circulation. It goes to pay its operating expenses and the remainder is returned to the Treasury. Only the principal is taken out of circulation.
Usually when you think you've discovered something simple and obvious that a lot of smart people seem to have missed, it's because you're missing something.
Oh boy, more pro-State trolling. The Compound Interest Paradox seems to attract a lot of pro-State trolling.
The Federal Reserve's books do balance. Surplus interest is returned to the Treasury. However, the books of "society as a whole" do not balance.
I haven't seen any convincing counter-arguments to my analysis of the Compound Interest Paradox. If you disagree, that's your problem.
You might say "That's odd. If the Compound Interest Paradox were true, then wouldn't some economist have written about it?" Regrettably, the Matrix is a serious problem. I am asserting that (almost) all State-licensed economists are brainwashed pro-State trolls. At first, that sounds unlikely. It's more believable when you also consider:
- The "chemical imbalance" theory of mental illness is a fraud. I know this to be true from my direct personal experience. If I'm right, then shouldn't some State-licensed psychiatrist have noticed? The flaw is that all psychiatry research is funded directly or directly by pharmaceutical corporations.
- Taxation is theft. This is obvious once you think about it. If it's true, then shouldn't some economics professor or politics professor have mentioned it by now?
- Inflation is theft. This is an argument against the Federal Reserve that's unrelated to the Compound Interest Paradox. The Compound Interest Paradox means that fiat debt-based money is more evil than mere constant uniform inflation. Why hasn't a mainstream economist said "Inflation is theft!"
- State licensing requirements for doctors are damaging. With all the talk of healthcare reform, isn't it odd that this issue is never mentioned?
It's really sad that the State-licensed guardians of science are frauds. That's a serious problem.
Via peer review, any State-licensed scientist who starts to suspect the truth is driven from the academic field by his peers. When I dropped out of Math grad school, one of my former professors lamented "It's the best people who drop out of the profession to pursue other things." That's the entire point of the peer review process.
fritz has left a new comment on your post "I Got a New Wage Slave Job!":
I am glad to hear it FSK..Good job with the job. I hope this one ends up being a good fit.
It seems nice. It's not super-awesome, but it's good enough for now.
Mathias has left a new comment on your post "I Got a New Wage Slave Job!":
Congratulations on finding work. I hope things go well for you, but I also hope you keep writing (even if at a restricted publishing schedule).
Financial freedom is a step towards overall freedom. Sometime sacrifices have to be made in gaining that goal. Stay entrepreneurial, even if it's just looking for opportunities.
I might cut back my posting rate. Don't start complaining if I start skipping days. I still have enough queued drafts for 2-3 weeks.
Financial freedom and physical freedom is a prerequisite to greater freedom. It sucks that I'm supporting the State via taxes, but it's my best option right now.
So far, I'm making only $5/month via AdBrite on this blog. I'm looking to expand to other things.
Master Doh-San has left a new comment on your post "I Got a New Wage Slave Job!":
Actually, they don't have cubicles. I'm sharing an office with another guy.
Good for you! Now get out there and start prairie-dogging! :-)
Sasha has left a new comment on your post "I Got a New Wage Slave Job!":
Congratulations, FSK! I hope this "wage slave" job gives you money and satisfaction.
It's good enough for now. I'd like to have blogging or other agorism-related activities being enough to support myself, but that's at least 2-3 years away.
gilliganscorner has left a new comment on your post "I Got a New Wage Slave Job!":
Glad to hear it FSK!We'll see how it goes. It's going well so far.
Realtor from Toronto has left a new comment on your post "Obama's Health Care Plan and The Matrix":
Whenever I see a blogger ID like "Realtor from Toronto", my reaction is "Great, a spammer!" The comment had enough content to pass my anti-spam filter.
Obama's speeches seemed to be well aimed at the start. Remember his speech from Berlin? My best guess is he was trying to repeat the success of the Kennedy speech.
Actually, I don't remember that. I don't keep track of such things.
Whoever wrote that speech with the two pills for him simply made a mistake and didn't pay attention when watching Matrix and simply confused the red with the blue.
That's a pretty big mistake, if they're going for "The Matrix" analogy.
The movie is well known mainly by the generation that's between 20 and 30 years of age and I'd say he was trying aim at them.
Thanks to the author for a sensible reading.
It still seems like a huge error for a speechwriter to make.
The main point is that statists are always offering blue pills, and not red ones.
Mathias has left a new comment on your post "Should Michael Vick be Allowed to Return to the NF...":
I'm usually in complete agreement with you FSK, but I disagree with your likening the God of Christianity to the State.
I am an Anarchist and an Agorist. I'm also a Christian. I believe that my only authority is God.
I willingly (voluntarily) acknowledge that authority. I do what God commands because I love Him and believe that He loves me and has my best interest in mind.
I do not love the State and the State does not love me. The State does not have my best interest in mind. The State is not forgiving or even just.
Likening the God of Christianity to the State is a mistake. I can recommend more Christian Anarchist reading, if you are interested.
Otherwise, I completely agree with your analysis of Vick's situation.
Well, we just disagree on this one. If "Christianity is the One True Religion!" is one of your axioms, then I can't convince you.
If you take a literal strict interpretation of Christianity, then anarchism is a reasonable conclusion. It's possible to have a stupid belief like Christianity, but still behave intelligently otherwise.
I'm not interested in "Christian Anarchist" reading. I see it sometimes, and find it annoying.
Given the other aspects of the Matrix, "Christianity is one huge lie!" is pretty believable.
I made a longer post in my draft queue comparing the God of Christianity to the State.
fritz has left a new comment on your post "Should Michael Vick be Allowed to Return to the NF...":
If you want to see just how consciously evolved a person is. Just observe what they do for fun.
Any mature conscious person would not participate in dog fighting. The senseless maiming of sentient beings is not considered entertainment.
This is just another attempt of government to legislate morality. Instead of raise consciousness levels within its citizenry. The raise in consciousness would eliminate animal abuse but also the government itself.
There are two separate points that you must not confuse.
- Dogfighting is disgusting and offensive.
- Dogfighting is not a crime.
If a private police agency decides that its customers must agree to *NOT* practice dogfighting, then that's another matter. I still don't see how that ban would be enforceable without a government.
Mathias has left a new comment on your post ""Cap and Trade" Fnord":
Good article. I agree about cap and trade. It is a new energy tax that will be difficult to avoid.
However, there are ways to avoid it. I ride a bicycle to work most days (no gasoline tax). Agorists and other Do-It-Yourself people across the country are making alcohol stills to make their own energy. Even if the still is legal with a permit, it places the power of distribution back into ordinary people's hands. Energy taxes are less (or non-existent, if you choose).
http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/
It's been a noticeably cooler summer in most of the United States this year. I made the observation that "global warming" had to be renamed "climate change".
Really? I didn't notice the change from "global warming" to "climate change". Just because the USA had a cool summer so far, doesn't meant that global warming isn't occurring. I dispute that it's caused by carbon dioxide and that a vast increase in State power is the solution.
The problem with growing your own alcohol for fuel is that it's illegal, but that's not a problem if you're a good agorist.
Even if you don't use energy yourself, you still pay the cost whenever you buy something. You'd need a 100% agorist counter-economy before you could completely avoid the new energy tax.
The guys I was talking to agreed that "climate change" was a better name for it, but then made sure to back up the accepted assumption that the earth was warming up. They wouldn't be caught dead disagreeing with a Politically Correct stance. I just smiled. I had introduced doubt in their minds. I won't push my luck by making myself obnoxious.
That's an interesting aspect of pro-State brainwashing. If you doubt the now-orthodox viewpoint regarding "Carbon dioxide is bad!", then you're denounced as a bad person. By itself, that is humongous evidence that some funny business is occurring.
It's interesting how "Carbon dioxide causes global warming!" went from a lunatic fringe theory to accepted State propaganda in a short period of time. They way it was introduced was "Intelligent people know that carbon dioxide causes global warming!" Then, people who support the new propaganda think they're smarter than everyone else.
George Donnelly has left a new comment on your post ""Cap and Trade" Fnord":
"For this reason, my reaction is "Great! Let's wreck the economy even more!" If there's anything that Congress and the President can do to accelerate the collapse of the economic and political system, I'm in favor of it!"
Exactly. Nicely done.
Whenever I see stupid laws discussed, my reaction is simultaneously "Oh no! More stealing!" and "Great! Let's accelerate the collapse!"
rom has left a new comment on your post "State Licensing Requirements Externalize Monopoly ...":
Here in the UK I said to a police woman that her job leeched on taxes, and cops look for crime and exaggerate it so that they can justify their jobs and increase police numbers.
She replied: "we pay taxes as well".
I said: "yes but the police do not produce anything, they simply consume the public goods".
I suppose she could have retorted that the police allow the rest of society to produce goods by reducing and preventing crime.
I would have replied: The police claim their numbers need increasing because there is more crime so they are not reducing crime.
They enforce a corrupt statist system which robs everyone and create crime through state theft and police actions.
I've made this point before. If you're a direct or indirect State employee, you pay a negative taxation rate.
Suppose a policeman gets paid $70k and pays income taxes of $30k (or whatever it is). It is wrong to say "The policeman paid $30k in taxes." A better statement is "The policeman stole $40k via the State." If you receive a State subsidy, but then pay taxes on your stolen booty, your overall taxation rate is negative.
For example, suppose that the law were changed "Policemen get paid $40k, but owe zero taxes." That's be logically equivalent to "Policemen get paid $70k, but then owe income taxes on their wages."
Police are the most evil aspect of the State. It is the police who use violence to impose the will of other State bureacrats. Without the police obeying his orders, a judge would just be a crazy guy in a robe.
fritz has left a new comment on your post "Henry Louis Gates Fnord":
Both of these men should be sentenced to the full extent of the law. I suggest a full battery of class beginning with.........How to get along with others 101....And maybe critical thinking and basic etiquette just to name a few.
It seems as if neither man has the potential for rehabilitation but should be allowed the chance.
I'm more interested in "These people should not be allowed to steal from me via taxes." rather than "These people belong in jail."
Scott has left a new comment on your post "Henry Louis Gates Fnord":
This is one of your most insightful articles, examining two brainwashed people. Good work.
That's the main point of this dispute. *BOTH* parties were behaving like jerks.
They even mentioned that on The Daily Show. It was a great career move for Henry Louis Gates to get arrested for a while policeman for something stupid.
arbynadeau has left a new comment on your post "Henry Louis Gates Fnord":
Great post, FSK -- the only logical take on this whole issue I have seen. Both individuals in this case were perfect examples of the putrid ineptitude of the state.
I agree completely with your assessment of the vast majority of college courses. After a year in community college I decided that the classes offered at these institutions are pointless -- other than the fact that I learned a good lesson about state indoctrination! My economics and political science classes were a joke -- bleh! The pro-state, mind numbing brainwashing classes offered at these schools are sickening.
If you had studied Math and Computers, you might have learned something useful. Even for those, you could have learned more buying a book and reading through it yourself.
It's very interesting/depressing to realize that a State school is just a brainwashing center. If you had challenged your professors' pro-State trolling, they probably would have failed you.
At least you're able to recognize the truth, so there's some progress.
Regrettably, if you want a wage slave job, you need that piece of paper saying "college graduate". I spent most of my time in college studying Math and Computers, so I was learning things that were actually useful. In retrospect, I could have learned as well or better just buying good books and reading through them, saving the costly tuition. However, I would have had a hard time getting a wage slave job without the college degree.
"Start my own agorist school" is one of my agorist business ideas. I'm sort of doing that with my blog, but I'm only earning $5/month so far.
fritz has left a new comment on your post "Obama Nominated a Statist to the Supreme Court":
I have always wondered if parasites know they are parasites. Or if there is some parasite paradigm that they live by and feel justified. Maybe they just haven't examined their lives yet.
That's a tough one. Some parasites are just plain stupid. Some are doing it on purpose. As a practical matter, it's irrelevant. Judge people by their actions and not their internal motivations.
Of course, someone intelligent with good intentions might be easier to convince. It depends on how badly they've been pro-State brainwashed.
In the state constitution of new Hampshire which I live. And roughly 9 others, there is written the right of rebellion. And not only is it a right but a Duty if citizens of these states.
If you aren't thinking "Time to revolt!", you aren't paying attention.
When the state or federal government operates outside the constitution. And becomes hostile towards the people and infringes upon their citizens natural rights. The citizens are encouraged to seek all avenues of redress. Once all attempts to correct these situations are attempted and fail. It is not only the citizens right but it is our duty to rebel under the New Hampshire state constitution.
I wonder if this day will arrive soon enough!!!!!!!!!!
I predict it will take approximately 20 years for the State to collapse. In the past year or two, I'm noticing progress.
not an economist has left a new comment on your post "What Exactly is Obama's Healthcare Reform Proposal...":
"Under "universal healthcare", all medical costs are paid by the State. All doctors are direct State employees. It is illegal to purchase health care directly from a doctor."
Lets be clear - there is universal health care in the UK BUT it is not illegal to have private health insurance.
Really? I was confused about the definition of universal healthcare. I didn't know that private insurance corporations were allowed in the UK. Are they allowed in Canada?
That's one problem. There's no clearcut definition. I always thought that "universal healthcare" meant "You may only buy medical care through the State."
The proposal in the USA is "Being uninsured is illegal. If you have no insurance, you're required to enroll in the State plan."
fritz has left a new comment on your post "Obama's Health Care Plan and The Matrix":
There is 1 major factor about American medicine that most all Americans fail to understand.
Drugs have no healing power at all. Drugs only mask symptoms and Don't promote a cure. Doctors are drug sales people (albeit legal). Their prime dictum is to make their patents feel better and sell drugs.
I've said this repeatedly. The best example is that the "chemical imbalance" theory of mental illness is a fraud.
I will say that necessary surgery and vital procedures are extremely valuable. And maybe antibiotics at critical times.
The problem with antibiotics is that, over time, you're just breeding antibiotic-resistance bacteria. After being nearly completely eradicated, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is emerging.
The only systems that provide actual healing of the patent are , natural medicine, Chinese medicine, and Ayurveda.
There may be other types of medicine that haven't been discovered yet. You can't tell, due to State restriction of medical research. Drug company executives make a lot of money selling drugs. They can always profitably lobby to block reform.
Past that, medical Doctors just sell drugs to make money and provide huge profits for the pharmaceutic industry.Unfortunately, there's no magic pill that cures pro-State brainwashing. It's hard, and everyone has to do it individually for themselves.
If people could only take the red pill ( which would be extremely over priced and and put money in the pharmaceutic industries hands). They would realize how we have been manipulated.
Maybe we could go to the acupuncturist and get the red needle instead.
CorkyAgain has left a new comment on your post "Obama's Health Care Plan and The Matrix":
It's a form of "Stateholm Syndrome", where the victim defends their master.That's a symptom of massive pro-State brainwashing. They don't think about my point logically. Their brain shuts down and they get hostile.
You've touched on something interesting here: the way so many people nowadays substitute anger for a reasoned defense of their position.
In many cases it's as you say. They've been brainwashed and your questioning threatens to expose the falsehoods at the bottom of their "reality". They've been conditioned to avoid any close examination of those falsehoods. They know, subconsciously, that if they go there, they're going to get shocked.
But in many other cases, something more conscious and deliberate is going on. They've only been simulating the behavior of educated, thoughtful people -- as a way to get ahead or gain the respect of the circles in which they run. They haven't actually worked out for themselves the logic of the positions they espouse, but they have learned how to mimic the language and behavior of those who have. When you question someone like this, they probably see it as threatening to expose them as the frauds that they are. So, to avoid having to deal directly with your question, and thereby demonstrate their competence (or lack of it), they attack *you*.If someone has the parasitic personality type, then they're just emulating the behavior of an intelligent person without the content to back it up. If you evaluate a parasite solely based on their body language, then they seem intelligent. It's a problem because the vast majority of people have been brainwashed to be susceptible to parasite tactics.
If someone has the "abused productive" personality type, then they're afraid of the stress of recognizing the truth.
Plus, whenever someone mentions a bit of truth accidentally in their life, the pro-State trolls around you *IMMEDIATELY* crack down.
At best, you're "too negative" or "not a team player". At worst, you're a "racist", a "hater" or some other kind of "-phobic".
Sometimes, you're just "paranoid" or "a conspiracy nut".
I've noticed that "not a team player" usually means "How dare you not let me abuse you!"
I'm not a "conspiracy theorist". I'm a conspiracy factist.
In their minds, this ad hominem response is justified, because they see your impertinent question as an attack on themselves, not their ideas. It doesn't matter how you phrased your questions, or how well you backed them up with facts and argumentation. The only thing that matters (to them) is their own insecurity and their need to avoid exposure. They must and will do everything they can to contain and control the situation. They cannot risk letting the chips fall where they may.
In such instances, I just respond to ad hominem with ad hominem. I don't mind saying "You are an idiot and a fool." I'm not lying when I say that.
Debating fools is a waste of time. That's why I decided to get my own blog. This way, I can work on my ideas without being continually interrupted by pro-State trolls.
I wrote a more detailed post on this subject and put it in my draft queue.
Doug Digger Eberhardt has left a new comment on your post "Is it a Good Idea to Buy Gold in an IRA?":
There's some good information in what you write. There's also some other things you might consider that I'd like to point out (I don't care if you post, as I don't want to step on your toes, but just give you and your readers some good information).
I don't mind people making a comment, as long as it's mostly on-topic. That's the whole point of having a blog! This comment doesn't qualify as spam, but I disagree with some of your points.
First, there are ways that individuals can put 401k money into gold. They just need to speak with the plan administrator and add the certain vehicles that allow for it.
Where I've worked, the 401(k) plan was always presented on an as-is basis. There was no opportunity for individuals to pick plan options. Most mutual fund companies take a slice of the fund management fee. For this reason, most 401(k) plans don't offer gold.
My current employer has no 401(k) plan. Now that I've realized "The stock market is one big scam!", I'm not lobbying for one. It's logically equivalent for me to invest in a 401(k) plan, or to buy physical gold and silver with my after-tax income.
Second, instead of cashing your IRA out and buy gold coins, you would be better served to roll it over into a ROTH IRA where your investment grows tax deferred and withdrawals (in gold coin) are tax free http://www.irs.gov/publications/p590/ch02.html# .en_US_publink10006523
I know about that. However, you pay tax on the rollover. Further, when the financial system collapses, you may not be able to withdraw your gold from your IRA.
I don't know of any trustworthy IRA custodian, for an IRA invested in gold or silver.
Plus, gold and silver have no dividends. That's one of the big perks of an IRA, tax-deferred growth. If you take physical delivery, then you get the same tax perk as an IRA.
Even for those that don't convert, if they had a self directed IRA invested in gold through one of the custodians you mentioned, they could take their minimum required distributions in gold coin. Also, I think many will know in advance when the SHTF and withdraw their gold coins, which unlike with the ETF's where you make a great point that one can't take delivery, the one's with the gold IRA's will as the gold is set aside specifically for them.I haven't tried buying physical gold and silver yet. I don't know if counterfeiting is a serious problem. From what I've read, the answer is "Don't worry about counterfeits for small purchases."
I also take exception to buying gold rounds and bars because of the assaying issues involved. The world knows about American Eagles and other gold coins. Of course counterfeiting is a danger, so one has to know the right ones to buy.
In general, I agree with you that things will get much worse. When it comes to investing in gold, many are left to the dictate of the Gold Dealers. That's why I wrote a book to help people make the right decisions and not get ripped off.
If you care to post it, the url for the gold book is http://safelybuygold.com Yes, the book is expensive, but so are the lessons in doing things the wrong way.
Thanks and glad you are getting the word out about gold!
It sounds like a lot of money to pay, and your advice doesn't seem better than mine. My advice is "Buy from one of the big online vendors like APMEX or Kitco, take physical delivery, and you'll do fine." There's no need to get more complicated than that.
"Set up a gold/silver/FRN barter network" is on my list of agorist business ideas.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Reader Mail #104":
"In hard sciences, like Math and Computers, learning the techniques and jargon makes you a better thinker and more efficient. In soft sciences, like economics, politics, and psychiatry, learning the techniques and jargon makes you a worse thinker."
This assumes 'hard science' when it is being done by whoever leaves political,economic and social ideas outside. Is this even possible? All scientists earn a living, they hold beliefs about the political economic world, they are unlikely to bite the hand that feeds them.
In the Math and Computer Science courses I took, there didn't seem to be any political ideology.
If you take the non-honors courses, they have dreadfully watered-down content at some schools. The honors courses are still honestly taught at all the top schools.
If politics seeped into the Math and CS courses, that would be so obvious that it wouldn't fool the smart students.
Getting a job as a Math or Computer Science professor is an exercise in politics more than being a good scientist. Most of the undergraduate-level courses were pretty well taught.
You should read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, if you have not already. They supposedly create chaos and mistrust of governments so that people are dialectically driven into one world government.
It sounds like an off-by-one error. People are being driven to zero world governments, and not one world government.
1 comment:
You and Stef keep up the opinion that the progress of government expansion is leading to a stateless society. You say that it will push people to boycott the State, Stef says the state will collapse on its own. Answer this question please...after the State collapsed in the USSR, why didn't a Stateless society form? Why would a reasonable person expect a Stateless society to form after the western State collapses?
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