General Idea of the Revolution in the 21st Century
Patri Friedman at Catallarchy blog raises some interesting questions on the ethical dilemma involved in libertarians accepting money from the government.
As I commented there (without properly crediting Proudhon for the idea):
Due to my son’s 3 month premature arrival, I recently applied for Social Security, which may give me some cash because of his long hospital stay.
As I commented there (without properly crediting Proudhon for the idea):
Here’s the way I look at it, Patri: to the extent that government engages in activities that would be legitimate if carried out through voluntary association and mutual aid, it is crowding out the alternatives. And its taxing system reduces your purchasing power for such voluntary alternatives. So long as a major part of the necessary activities of society are carried out through the state, there’s no shame in making use of them; all the while, of course, we try to destatize them as much as possible, shift their funding to a voluntary cost basis, and devolve them into the social body. Since the state preempts channels of voluntary cooperation, our strategy should be to seize the state’s functions and change their character, not to penalize ourselves by paying for them twice.
posted by Kevin Carson | 11:48 AM
5 Comments:
Maybe there is a definition difference, but over on The Christian Prophet blog the Holy Spirit has very favorable things to say about capitalism today.
My attitude has always been one of pragmatism. As an anarchist I am operating behind enemy lines all the time and need to use every resource available against the enemy. Refusing a useful tool like extra cash because it is from a tainted source is like being in a fire-fight and refusing to take cover behind a tank because you disapprove of the military industrial complex. Every penny you take from the state is a penny you can use for your liberty and a penny they can't use to oppress you.
Kevin,
I am replying here to my earlier declaration of independence where I stated an observation concerning the efficiency of posting on this blog. The fact is that my viewpoint does not communicate with the readership here and that observation can be tested more or less.
Case in point:
Debt money based upon a centrally controlled source, a centrally controlled supply, and a money that is subject to vary in cost and value at the whims and dictates of central bankers is money that carries certain liabilities assumed by those who use debt money.
Reading the above sentence places the mirror of responsibility firmly in front of the face of the user of debt money. A reader has a choice; understand the sentence or fail to understand the sentence. If the reader chooses not to understand the sentence, then, I prove my point. This board is not lucrative to my communication efforts. If the reader does choose to understand the sentence, then, the reader will either understand it fully with all the implications involved in that understanding or they will not understand fully.
At that point the reader is again presented with another choice; ask questions because the reader wishes to more thoroughly understand the sentence or close that door shut quickly.
Take the religious perspective for example. When a religious person imagines that moment in time when God or Saint Peter (whoever) tallies up the final judgment, then, the question of what is and is not the person’s responsibility will be inspected. Using debt money, central Bank money, Capitalist money (enforced interest), and any form of financial transaction that feeds aggressive violence of any sort will be on the list of responsibilities. This: “will be on the list of responsibilities” is the mirror. Slam that door shut; deal with that later. There is no other way. The world is the way it is and it is not my responsibility; leading to false anarchism or anarchy. Kill or be killed - me against all enemies.
So I can still read this board and see the folly. I can comment like fishing for dialog with rotten bait. My bait is not rotten; it just doesn’t have that allure like gold and enforced interest earning central bank money along with the hidden (unspeakable) responsibilities.
Well…I’ve been looking in the mirror since before my debt money paid for those Tanks that rolled over innocent children in Waco Texas. The mirror was on prime time global (centrally controlled) television. As of a few weeks ago that mirror looking has helped me see something very significant; there is a better way.
Credit money or energy money allows the individual to sever the financial link between their own actions and the actions of those who depend upon compliance to the God of Debt money. Again; the preceding sentence leaves much room for the reader to choose ignorance. This is fine as each person can only handle so much at a time. The facts remain provable. A paper trail exists. Saint Peter may have copies; tax returns, interest payments, an ammo bill, CS gas bill, etc.
Debt money can be replaced and the step by step process is a simple one. Each step severs the link. Each new independently owned energy money generator provides the user with personally generated credit. The flow of cash, and corresponding responsibility, reverses.
Above is time and energy spent here rather than at my own web forum. Time and energy spent here rather than finding my own first independently owned and operated energy money generator. The proof of value remains to be seen.
There is no way for me to know how better to communicate than through accurate mutual dialog. Watching the numbers or lack of number of readers does not offer much information. What exactly is abstruse? One kilowatt made from the Sun is much better than one dollar of currency. The kilowatt reverses the debt flow. The dollar transfers value (inflation) the longer you hold onto it. The kilowatt goes out to others for them to decide how to use it and money of any kind returns; preferably to use quickly to take another step toward energy independence.
The first Solar panel (or wind turbine or combination complete with a hydrogen generator), once paid for in full, generates money credit all by itself automatically; like self mining gold and an automatic oil refinery compete with its own oil well (that doesn’t run out).
All philosophy aside the matter is purely scientific. If there is no productive energy produced then there is no life. If productive energy is produced independently then dependence is eliminated.
The only angle of view that fails to prove the hypothesis is a viewpoint mired in falsehood; so far. This blog, so far, does not offer confirmation or refutation. I simply expressed that accurate observation. Perhaps a better source of dialog exists; a place to test the hypotheses with experimentation accurately.
In fact, this blog is no different than the Austrian Forum. In fact, this blog is less able to generate the dialog required for testing purposes than the Orwell forum (now stalled).
People are reading the hypothesis of Energy theory. Some are testing it themselves. Some, I think, are taking a peek in the mirror and they look away.
Dear Joe,
WHAT??
Awaiting your reply,
MB
MB,
WATT!!
This could take awhile,
Joe
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