Small government was Re: [extropy-chat] EMP Attack?

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Joseph Bloch <jbloch at humanenhancement.com> wrote:
> Mike Lorrey wrote:
> 
> >Socialist/statist transhumanism will
> >clearly result in a Borg society that makes the world of Orwell seem
> >like a paradise in comparison. 
> >
> 
> I am about as far from a socialist as you'll find. Perhaps this
> doesn't 
> compute in your uber-libertarian mindset, but it is possible to think
> that government isn't the Ultimate Evil and still not be a socialist.
> It's precisely that sort of "any government is evil" mentality that 
> consigns libertarianism to the basement of political crankishness.

So you admit to being a fascist, instead?

> 
> Indeed, even in the vaunted bastion of Libertarianism that is New 
> Hampshire, the Libertarian Party candidate for President got a
> whopping 372 votes last November 
> (http://www.sos.nh.gov/general%202004/sumpreswins04.htm). If you guys
> do 
> so pathetically in your stronghold, you're obviously doing something 
> wrong. I might gently suggest that the "something wrong" is your 
> condemnation of everything and anything to do with government.

No, you are, once again, jumping to absurd conclusions based on an
inane statist attitude and a severe lack of facts. The candidate did
not get on the ballot in NH due to active interference with the ballot
petitioning process by the Democrats, as well as a 'too little, too
late' lack of support from National for a national candidacy in-state.

Our congressional candidate got over 3.5% of the vote in what is
normally our weakest congressional district. That was over 11,000
votes, on a campaign budget of under $1000.00 while being blacked out
of the media and embargoed from the debates. At the same time, the
Democrats shipped in 25,000 supporters from out of state on election
day and spent more than $20 million to flip the state from red to blue.

> 
> You don't have to be a socialist to realize that government does
> _some_ (perhaps even many) things right, even while I'm the first
> to say it doesn't do everything (even most things) right.

There is a difference between doing something right and doing it most
efficiently AND right. Little government does is done right, and that
which is, is done rather wastefully.

I look forward to you detailing exactly those things which you believe
the government does both right and more efficiently than the private
sector. I'm waiting.

> 
> 
> >What is needed right now are people intent on devolving government,
> and
> >learning how to be sovereign individuals in everything they do.
> >  
> >
> 
> Oh, sweet Reason! What we need are people intent on figuring out how
> to bring about our aims with a fully-functioning government in place 
> (whether that means using government, getting around government, or 
> hiding from government), not people looking to some pie-in-the-sky 
> fantasy about some libertarian utopia. Government is NOT going away! 
> Realize that! All your lovely philosphy is dust on the ground
> compared 
> to the reality of the entire world being controlled by governments of
> one sort or another. IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.

So long as there are people with your complacent/complicit/collusive
attitude, I suppose not. Those of us who still look forward to it have
other plans.

> 
> I have NO patience for this sort of fantasy, especially when it gets
> in the way of real, substantive progress. If you're still going on
> with 
> some Quixotic crusade to "bring down the system" which is doomed to 
> failure, rather than trying to achieve realistic goals in the real
> world 
> environment in which we find ourselves, then you are doing much more 
> harm than good and should get out of the way of people who are
> setting realistic goals that might actually get DONE.

If you think I'm not trying these things, you obviously have not been
paying much attention and just have no idea what you are talking about.
I still believe that the US federal government is going to become
either an absolute dictatorship, followed by a revolution, or collapse
like the USSR, within 4-10 years.

> 
> Apologies to all (well, all except Mike) if I seem somewhat strident.
> But I've had enough from both socialists and libertarians pursuing 
> pie-in-the-sky fantasies at the expense of truly realizable
> real-world goals.
> 
> It's about RESULTS, people! Not just words!

Ah, so your thing is "making the trains run on time"? Heil der fuhrer!



Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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