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Quote of the Day: On Our Betters in Government
The Law by Frédéric Bastiat is a short, searing work praising free markets and condemning the socialism that was wrecking his nation of France. One of my favorite quotes about politicians who aim to control the citizens:
The claims of these organizers of humanity raise another question which I have often asked them and which, so far as I know, they have never answered: If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind? The organizers maintain that society, when left undirected, rushes headlong to its inevitable destruction because the instincts of the people are so perverse. The legislators claim to stop this suicidal course and to give it a saner direction. Apparently, then, the legislators and the organizers have received from Heaven an intelligence and virtue that place them beyond and above mankind; if so, let them show their titles to this superiority.
Bastiat asked this question in 1850. We’re still waiting for an answer.
Published in General
I’m not sure I’d call currency manipulation “capitalism.” Or hedge fund management, for that matter.
This is an interesting subject. People have no idea. I haven’t heard him lately but Charles Ortel is an expert.
Clinton Foundation?
The Federal Reserve System is the capstone of the progressive movement. Coupled with the abominable income tax levy the people don’t stand a chance.
Charels Ortel just tears those guys apart in interviews. One wonders how unsupervised these scams are. I know a lot of the family ones are just rackets to pay fat salaries to the kids while they otherwise do some good.
I completely agree with this.
Possibly the one issue is, by having the reserve currency and central bank discretion, we get to have a lot more geopolitical power. Better us than them, maybe. It’s certainly not being managed very well. Our kooky politicians are proof.
Maybe leftist elites are convinced they are superior to the rest of us mainly because they have figured out how to remain wealthy while getting away with the incongruity of how that doesn’t mesh with the socialist values they want to impose on everyone else?
When Dennis Hastert (I believe) spoke in opposition to the Citizen Legislature Amendment (term limits for Congress) back in 1994 (the Contract with America year) by saying that we don’t need ordinary people in Congress, we need giants, I thought it was obvious that the game was up, Congress would never vote against its members status.
IMO, the last serious effort was when individual states tried to limit ballot access for multiple incumbents; SCOTUS sided with the Federal government on the basis that Congress is the final arbiter of its membership. I always thought that meant they could refuse to seat anyone, not that they got to pick who could run.
Nothing will change unless we have a Convention of States under Article V of the Constitution, proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress.
A new broom sweeps clean.
JMO, this is a function of the existence of central banks and central bank discretion, but I’m not saying that isn’t a good idea.
If the only thing central banks did was back up the financial system in a punitive way, that would be perfect, but that is not the reality. They are geopolitical weapons and they basically indulge political largess. When it quits working you get nutty politicians in office.
All non-profits have to make a “profit”, otherwise they cannot fulfill their missions. The definition of “profit” for non-profits is defined by the IRS, and shady “charitable” organizations (the Clinton Foundation) take advantage of it . . .
I saw it, but my wife won’t let me buy it . . .
I wish. I have become cynical about the likelihood that people would follow the new rules any better than now.
All governments based on human authority are flawed. Only a government whose authority comes from G-d has any ultimate legitimacy.
Aristotle held that there are five forms of government, which occur in cyclical fashion: aristocracy, timocracy (rule of land owners), oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. It is apparent that the US is headed in the direction of tyranny, should the Left manage to keep its power (over media, universities, and corporations) for much longer, to say nothing of winning and maintaining majorities in both houses of Congress, a distinct possibility.
King David always carried a Torah scroll with him. It was to show the people that everything he did had the stamp of divine authority and was in accordance with divine law. In the end of days, G-d will rule and only then will all nations be at peace.
We all do?
I’ve worked at one, in a fundraising office. I have a pretty good idea of the disconnect around this, but they did pay more than 50K per year. The fundraisers had targets and were expected to meet them, which is no different from any for-profit organization I’ve ever worked for.
But this was really more about snowflakes wanting to work in non-profits because greed is bad, or something. Reality for them is a like a partially unfrozen cod, slapped across their too-early-to-be-bejowled faces.
So beside being the font of all knowledge, she’s modest! You’re a lucky man.
Oh heck yeah. You should hear her brag about how modest she is . . .
Yes, as they share SJW anti-capitalist greed memes from their Macbook Pro while sipping a $5 cup of coffee at Starbucks.