[ExI] Transhumanism and Politics

[Chris Hibbert]

> Imagine the US goes for Michael Moore's idea and removes all profit
> motive from all things medical.  All the medical technology stocks
> plummet, investors take the cash elsewhere.  How then does progress
> come about?

Umm.  When the stocks plummet, the money disappears.  Some investors get 
their money out, but only at the cost of others buying their stocks (at 
full or partial rates) and either the investor just before the 
announcement or the remaining investor after actually lost money that 
didn't reappear anywhere else.

Economists who lean in the libertarian direction refer to this as a 
regulatory taking.  The government doesn't end up with the value that it 
has removed from you, but it has caused you to lose the value.

Chris
-- 
It is easy to turn an aquarium into fish soup, but not so
easy to turn fish soup back into an aquarium.
-- Lech Walesa on reverting to a market economy.

Chris Hibbert
hibbert at mydruthers.com
Blog:   http://pancrit.org