Posted on 04/14/2005 11:31:08 AM PDT by AntiGuv
You're certainly right about the internet, and it does fall into what you previously defined as acceptable. As for the larger point, I probably should not debate it too vigorously, but I'll say this: while I appreciate your argument, I respectfully disagree. Common action is impossible without some "taking from another's pocket," which is, in a very real sense, the basis of civilization.
I'm not a "the bigger the better" type of guy when it comes to government, but I also believe that public funding of the sciences has proven itself very useful in the advancement of economic productivity, standards of living and our understanding of the world around us.
As Bastiat put it: "Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place."
You see, one statement is true, and another is false.
Freedom means that common action is voluntary. It is definitely not impossible to take common action via volitional organizing. You can go ahead and "just disagree" what you don't comprehend into non-entity all day long, but that don't fly right here buddy.
If you want to understand something about the roots of your misperception, I would suggest that you listen to Professor Ralph Raico's The Struggle for Liberty, Lecture 3 here. I don't agree with all of his politics, but if you want to learn something about what I and David Horowitz, and many other Conservatives see as an unhealthy manifestation of liberalism (which you might not be surprised that I can't but help it LIEbealism (seriously)), as opposed to the liberalism that produced the West, then I suggest that you check it out.
I understand that we think in different terms, and that if I suggested that you do not belong here because this website is dedicated to Conservative activism and achieving Conservative objectives, you might feel that I'm being totalitarian. I don't know. But there are millions of websites dedicated to their own purposes, and to suggest that there may be no criteria that can be set by any of them for any reason regarding participation therein, is true tyranny. Do you see how some have been trained to think in terms that are so illogical? Now, I merely say this to bring up the issue of the way people react to certain statements. They read into them certain tones. I just want to be clear that I don't mean to be "mean" to you, and that I understand how my post can be interpreted, to be strident, maybe too strident.
You seem like a nice person, so you must not take this as personal criticism, or a desire to "flame" you. I just want to be clear. Sometimes that means making no comprimise with someone about the truth. If you like, feel free to private message me. If you do, I will be careful not to insult you or Go Postal. Well, in any case, take it easy, Live. Maybe you can send me some references on the benefits that you speak of so that I can study them and see whether in them it is taken into account the cummulative effect that the govt. approach has on economic productivity and innovation. I've actually read Chomsky and other far out leftists before, you might be surprised at what I have stomached before.
You needn't worry that I take your approach as "mean," and in fact you've been perfectly polite. You have a rational approach that leads you to a specific conclusion, and I certainly can't take offense to it, particularly considering the fact that I am an interloper here.
As far as the argument goes, I think I will just drop it, since, as you point out, (and as the mission statement of this website points out), this is not a liberal-debating club. Have a good day.
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