IntenseDebate - Thomas

11 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - Krugman\'s Call for a ... · 0 replies · +3 points

Funny. I thought there were "massive government programs" for the entire decade before WW2. They didn't seem to work. The war did mark the end of the New Deal though. Just a coincidence maybe.

11 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - Krugman\'s Call for a ... · 0 replies · +4 points

"throw away the undesirables," Allan? Fun Fact: John Maynard Keynes was a member of the Eugenics Society. (not Mises)

11 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - In Praise of TV\'s Paw... · 0 replies · -6 points

Protecting property rights and punishing fraud/theft is a proper role of government.

11 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - In Praise of TV\'s Paw... · 0 replies · +7 points

Lots of people don't like the fact that this plays on "the History Channel." However, there is a lot of history behind many of these items.

One particular episode featured a lottery ticket signed by George Washington. This is the first time I learned that when someone wanted to build a road, he would hold a lottery to finance it. People would voluntarily contribute with the hope getting a return on the investment. Now the government just takes the money to build roads and then charges you again to use them.

11 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - Twin Demons - Llewelly... · 0 replies · +1 points

The difference was "in technology" as you say and also in how they are paid for. Which is the point of the article.

12 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - The Vampire Economy an... · 2 replies · 0 points

I tend to read more about opposing views. Guests at my home are often troubled by the amount of books I have on Nazi's and Communists. Now that I shave my head I have a harder time convincing them about the Nazi books. :)

I've perused the Hitchen's book on Orwell at the library. I'll put Zola on my radar.

12 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - The Vampire Economy an... · 0 replies · +1 points

Ironic, isn't it? Many people claim to be on the Left yet when you explore their true beliefs they lean to the Right. I will judge him based on what he wrote. I know that 1984 was SUPPOSED to be a condemnation of the Right. My point is that what people think is the Right, is not. Namely Fascism. Point in case, you say he fought against the "right-wing fascists." Was Franco for a limited role of government? In Spain, the two sides were a hodge podge of ideologies. Franco embraced the Monarchists and Catholics which earned him sympathy around the world as the Communists burned churches and murdered nuns. That doesn't make Franco a religious man. Hemmingway also took sides against Franco but one of his companions famously turned after seeing the atrocities committed by the Communists. Excuse me, "loyalists."

I also know that H.G. Wells was a Fabian yet he wrote The Time Machine and Things To Come which are very right wing.

12 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - The Vampire Economy an... · 2 replies · 0 points

The further Left you go, the more 1984ish you get.

12 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - The Vampire Economy an... · 5 replies · 0 points

Oddly enough, when I read 1984 I had to put it down several times because it's the kind of economy that Leftists actively promote. Price controls and rationing in the name of the public interest, blaming all society's ills on phantom capitalists. It is a war economy which spawned the likes of J.K. Galbraith.

It is being told that material objects are evil. Example: the paper weight Winston bought. He found particular beauty in it because it was frivilous and served no purpose. It was not for the government to say if he found pleasure in it or not. 1984 says that possessions and purchases are a reflection and expresssion of the individual.

Note there are no multi-national corporations controlling society in 1984. Only governments for the sake of government. In 1984 it is the government that "ate higher off the hog" and had servants. There were no rich. The same with any Leftist nation. Demonize the rich and upper class so that the government can fill that role unchallenged. Mandatory tv screens in the home exist in North Korea, not America. 1984 is a condemnation of the State over the individual and an advocate of free markets. Tis.

12 years ago @ Ludwig von Mises Insti... - The Vampire Economy an... · 1 reply · +4 points

The term "Industrialism" is sometimes used by Leftists because of the negative connotations surrounding the term "Corporatism." Uber Keynesian economist J.K. Galbraith's magnus opum is called "The Industrial State." You may recall the fascist ideal is known as "The Corporate State." The ideals are the same but one name is more palatable than the other.

Galbraith was head of price controls during ww2. Afterwards he was like, "I could get used to this."

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