This moved to the top of my list for new favorite post on the entire interweb....mic drop so big it traveled down a mountain and shattered into a million pieces, but you probably know I'm already in agreement because I'm here...I'm here for the freedom!
I get it. Kind of in a similar situation. The trouble with Ss is there are far more I'd like to add as paying subscriptions than I can afford. Poverty of riches?
Oh yes, for sure. And also just far more that I would like to read. I feel like I am failing my friends by not reading all their excellent stuff. But writing and answering comments is an all-day thing for me.
But more people will come to Ss from outside—non-writers—and that will help increase readership.
I guess I'm one of those "outsiders," though I do write a little. I'm enjoying Ss like I used to enjoy reading editorial columnists like Mike Royko, Wes Pruden, etc. I've always tried to sample from other's thoughts who are honest brokers, not ideologues spouting dogma. There are plenty here with blinders permanently fixed, but I'm finding lots more who are willing to call things as they see it.
Don't forget another important fear: "I will no longer be able to go on free-riding!" The government sells the fantasy: "YOU will get benefits paid for by THEM, which you are somehow morally entitled to. Don't watch the money being sucked out of your pocket for the benefit of insiders; just keep your eye on the token goodies shoveled out to you." So even when the government is a net drain on their wealth (true for all normal people), many still fear a loss of whatever benefits the gov does condescend to give them. As others, and probably you, have said, it's akin to an abusive relationship, where the abused partner fears the unknown and the loss of the few scraps of security the relationship gives.
Seven levels of justice just about nails it. Equal justice for all is impossible. True justice can only be administered (if ever) on a case by case basis. The government brochure, any government brochure is akin to the Communist Manifesto. They have the power and we get to use the brochure to eat or burn for heat.
When I was in the USSR in '91, and I visited my friends at Kalinin University, I noticed all the wooden toilet seats in the men's rooms (I didn't check the ladies') were gone. I asked my friends and they say they'd all been taken by people back to their homes to burn for heat.
Everything you cited all exists BECAUSE OF OUR CURRENT SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT, and the centuries old existence of an Elite class we never see nor are even aware of worldwide.
We have been so indoctrinated for so long we don't even realize it.
Well we can clearly see what the entrenched system DOESN'T want.
They don't want smart, informed, questioning, empowered people.
This is why all the censorship, propaganda. It's why they're so afraid of the campus protests and work so hard to discredit. It was campus protests that led the way to ending Vietnam in the 70's. They risk losing their quorum when people begin looking in other directions.
I think the revolution happens when we stop paying attention and making them important and forge our own way. They are not as powerful as we believe they are.
Everyone seems to believe that by making a bad thing illegal it will go away or by government intervening in a systemic problem the problem will go away. In reality, government intervention usually makes the thing worse.
And you know what S. Holmes said about spelling out the obvious: Omne ignotem, pro magnifico. Or, more precisely, how Watson translated it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTqpkIKaehg
"Violent crimes rose 39 percent in Washington, D.C., last year, including a 67 percent jump in robberies. Homicides increased a stunning 35 percent. Property crime rose 24 percent, with 3,756 motor vehicle thefts in 2022 becoming 6,829 in 2023. The city's 911 system struggled to handle 1.77 million calls, more per capita than anywhere else in the country."
Washington DC. Isn't that the place where they make things illegal? Shouldn't it be the safest place in America?
In your list of the seven tiers of police security, you could add that police have no obligation to protect an individual citizen: their mandate is to protect the community at large. Courts have ruled consistently that police cannot be held responsible for failing to arrive in time to stop a specific crime. It's all in a depressing book called "Dial 911 and Die."
Yes, I agree with that. John Stossel did a TV special years ago comparing privatized services to the government version. As you would expect, it was no contest. But that was 25 years ago. So why are we still suffering under this lousy system? Not enough people believe it can be changed.
I wonder—does imagination play out on a pareto distribution curve? Most people having none, and a few people having tons?
Or maybe it's a bell curve/normal distribution—lots of people in the middle with an average amount, a few at the top with a ton and at the bottom with absolutely none?
I don't know. But either way, a lot of people lack it.
I appreciate your clear analysis of this phenomena. Maybe it's because my background is communications and sales, I've long been attuned to the difference between how the burger looks in ads vs. its visual appeal on one's plate. So often, people argue that if the reality doesn't match the marketing, it's all trash.
Another vector of this idea is when the marketing is about "this" but the product is about "that." The clearest example is when people assert: "Communism/Socialism is doesn't work!" I say they confuse the marketing pitch for its true purposes, i.e.: enabling a small elite to utterly dominate vast populations. (BTW, I accept current Western practices of Capitalism enable the same, but to degrees that are less toxic to the populous, IMHO.)
Thank you, sir. Am I really so peculiar that when people talk about stuff, I listen to what they're saying, but also consider what else is in their mind? To me, that's just basic, and has been essential to my professional and marital success! (Remember the video, "It's NOT about the nail!"? And that's to say nothing of making sense of the broader world and events. Keep up the good work. I've enjoyed your take on things.
It lands differently, depending on one's perspective. But I most of think of it as highlighting how people can go on and on about something, but what they really want is something quite different.
I don't want to sound simplistic or stupid, but honestly, how is it possible for anarchy (rules without rulers) to be worse than what we have? We are at the mercy of the state every which way we turn. I'm in a particular foul mood today because I paid my automobile insurance for another year. My husband and I are retired and one or both of our vehicles is in the front yard about 99.9% of the time, but I have to fork over $1100 per year for the privilege of driving on crappy roads. (I had to do lots of work to get that price!). Insurance... What a racket!
Great post, by the way. I'm just a curmudgeon today.
I agree with the accolades for this post but I especially like the fact that you showed no fear in displaying the rainbow! I refuse to let the gays have it all to themselves.
I think it a mistake to even bother answering each objection raised to anarchy other than what you did here in pointing out that everything they see as a result of anarchy already exists under the state. The beauty of anarchy to me is freedom to just be. To think and speak without censorship. To keep the money I earn and have that money retain its value. To be able to choose what I put in my body, To have complete control over my medical care. No other system allows this.
It all goes back to local governing. I’m so sick of the communist takeover of our country I believe we don’t need the federal government at all! The states can handle themselves. First we have to get rid of any communists in state and local governments. At the state and local levels we the people have an advantage. We can monitor those people closely and they know it. They’re more apt to represent us honestly. If they don’t, they’re out! Also they have to live under the same laws too!
All of those would be improvements, to be sure. I am a market anarchist, so I would wish to go further, but I would rather live in the world that you describer than most others!
If you mean by market anarchist, a true free market, I agree! In regard to the federal government, in the beginning representatives of the people met a few times a year to vote on issues and then returned to their states to live and work at their regular jobs. If we need a federal government, let’s go back to the original framework. Trim the fat, give a small stipend or none at all to the representatives meeting a few times a year. Let’s see how many rush to run for office under those conditions! I would assume it would be those who really want to make a difference for their constituents and the country as a whole!
I mean no involuntary governance whatsoever. Not just a completely free market providing shoes and haircuts and dentistry and bubble gum, but a completely free market for the provision of justice, security, adjudication of disputes, and roads. Private agencies taking over all functions we normally associate with government.
It’s not that I don’t care about the many issues of the country or the world, it’s that last week I wrote about the 3 million Americans who one way or another, die in a hospital each year and hardly anyone even bothered to read it.
It's tough when we're in the 100s of subs. It gets easier when we get into the 1000s. I am looking forward to one day being in the 10000s, though that is more than a little ways off. Keep at it!
Was your piece about iatrogenic death, or all the deaths, including old people, etc.?
It was about how no one bothers to talk and have discussions about the inevitable end of their own life. And people end up arguing in a hospital at 3 a.m over what to do next. Hard to hear anything with so much noise. I’m a long-time trauma ICU nurse. Thanks for making my day.
Right! You’re welcome. Same people are crying that people in other countries are dying; while others are mad that those people are crying about those people dying.
Meanwhile most of the people in those 2 groups have not bothered to fill out an advanced directive, even though we’re all going to die—eventually.
So that’s why I loved your post so much and usually say I identify as a Libertarian, even though it makes my kids crazy. And wouldn’t ever
use your space to promote my own work and link my own article, like a lot of people do. 😜
Thanks again. Truly great writing that resonated highly with me.
Well let’s see- it makes me crazy that I have to say identify as, rather than define myself as, anything .
Makes them crazy that I use the word crazy in the literal sense to mean, “extremely enthusiastic” rather than one with a deranged, mental illness . And apparently libertarian means different things to different people. Rather annoying consequences of having actual conversations with my kids who I think adore me. Lol
This moved to the top of my list for new favorite post on the entire interweb....mic drop so big it traveled down a mountain and shattered into a million pieces, but you probably know I'm already in agreement because I'm here...I'm here for the freedom!
Wow—thank you, Angela.
And thank you for being here! Please tell all your friends and get me more subscribers before my wife tells me I need to get a “real” job! 🤣🤣🤣
ha ha ha ha, nothing more real that this, I feel ya!
Cheers!
In truth, she has been extremely supportive. But I want to reward that support by making it really pay :-)
it will!!!
❤️
The horror!!
LOL. I work at this 10 hrs a day and love it. I am called to do it. But I do have to make it pay 🤣
I get it. Kind of in a similar situation. The trouble with Ss is there are far more I'd like to add as paying subscriptions than I can afford. Poverty of riches?
Oh yes, for sure. And also just far more that I would like to read. I feel like I am failing my friends by not reading all their excellent stuff. But writing and answering comments is an all-day thing for me.
But more people will come to Ss from outside—non-writers—and that will help increase readership.
I guess I'm one of those "outsiders," though I do write a little. I'm enjoying Ss like I used to enjoy reading editorial columnists like Mike Royko, Wes Pruden, etc. I've always tried to sample from other's thoughts who are honest brokers, not ideologues spouting dogma. There are plenty here with blinders permanently fixed, but I'm finding lots more who are willing to call things as they see it.
I agree with Angela.
🔥❤️🤗
Don't forget another important fear: "I will no longer be able to go on free-riding!" The government sells the fantasy: "YOU will get benefits paid for by THEM, which you are somehow morally entitled to. Don't watch the money being sucked out of your pocket for the benefit of insiders; just keep your eye on the token goodies shoveled out to you." So even when the government is a net drain on their wealth (true for all normal people), many still fear a loss of whatever benefits the gov does condescend to give them. As others, and probably you, have said, it's akin to an abusive relationship, where the abused partner fears the unknown and the loss of the few scraps of security the relationship gives.
Man, that is such a good point. Sharing.
Bravo! You can't see me, but I'm standing up in my living room giving you a standing ovation! ❤️
Yay!❤️❤️🔥
Seven levels of justice just about nails it. Equal justice for all is impossible. True justice can only be administered (if ever) on a case by case basis. The government brochure, any government brochure is akin to the Communist Manifesto. They have the power and we get to use the brochure to eat or burn for heat.
Well said.
When I was in the USSR in '91, and I visited my friends at Kalinin University, I noticed all the wooden toilet seats in the men's rooms (I didn't check the ladies') were gone. I asked my friends and they say they'd all been taken by people back to their homes to burn for heat.
Everything you cited all exists BECAUSE OF OUR CURRENT SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT, and the centuries old existence of an Elite class we never see nor are even aware of worldwide.
We have been so indoctrinated for so long we don't even realize it.
Keep spreading the word. Evolution is coming!
Indeed!
Evolution and Revolution.
Ah, but what kind of revolution?
Well we can clearly see what the entrenched system DOESN'T want.
They don't want smart, informed, questioning, empowered people.
This is why all the censorship, propaganda. It's why they're so afraid of the campus protests and work so hard to discredit. It was campus protests that led the way to ending Vietnam in the 70's. They risk losing their quorum when people begin looking in other directions.
I think the revolution happens when we stop paying attention and making them important and forge our own way. They are not as powerful as we believe they are.
Their power only exists because we believe it exists.
EXACTLY 100%
Good on you for spelling out the obvious.
Everyone seems to believe that by making a bad thing illegal it will go away or by government intervening in a systemic problem the problem will go away. In reality, government intervention usually makes the thing worse.
100 percent.
And you know what S. Holmes said about spelling out the obvious: Omne ignotem, pro magnifico. Or, more precisely, how Watson translated it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTqpkIKaehg
After making that comment, I just read this:
"Violent crimes rose 39 percent in Washington, D.C., last year, including a 67 percent jump in robberies. Homicides increased a stunning 35 percent. Property crime rose 24 percent, with 3,756 motor vehicle thefts in 2022 becoming 6,829 in 2023. The city's 911 system struggled to handle 1.77 million calls, more per capita than anywhere else in the country."
Washington DC. Isn't that the place where they make things illegal? Shouldn't it be the safest place in America?
Unless…is it possible that making things illegal doesn't turn every city into a sunny seaside resort town?
It would seem so.
(And you get extra credit for the allusion to the Red Headed League.)
I like extra credit.
Love the images!
In your list of the seven tiers of police security, you could add that police have no obligation to protect an individual citizen: their mandate is to protect the community at large. Courts have ruled consistently that police cannot be held responsible for failing to arrive in time to stop a specific crime. It's all in a depressing book called "Dial 911 and Die."
I wanted to go into it more, but I did at least link to that reality in Tier 4.
It's hard to imagine market-based protection and aggression-insurance agencies being WORSE than that.
Right! Good info at the link.
So if we agree that market-based agencies will be BETTER than police……………🤣
Yes, I agree with that. John Stossel did a TV special years ago comparing privatized services to the government version. As you would expect, it was no contest. But that was 25 years ago. So why are we still suffering under this lousy system? Not enough people believe it can be changed.
Sadly, most people lack imagination.
I wonder—does imagination play out on a pareto distribution curve? Most people having none, and a few people having tons?
Or maybe it's a bell curve/normal distribution—lots of people in the middle with an average amount, a few at the top with a ton and at the bottom with absolutely none?
I don't know. But either way, a lot of people lack it.
I appreciate your clear analysis of this phenomena. Maybe it's because my background is communications and sales, I've long been attuned to the difference between how the burger looks in ads vs. its visual appeal on one's plate. So often, people argue that if the reality doesn't match the marketing, it's all trash.
Another vector of this idea is when the marketing is about "this" but the product is about "that." The clearest example is when people assert: "Communism/Socialism is doesn't work!" I say they confuse the marketing pitch for its true purposes, i.e.: enabling a small elite to utterly dominate vast populations. (BTW, I accept current Western practices of Capitalism enable the same, but to degrees that are less toxic to the populous, IMHO.)
That was an excellent description of one of the major problems with communism—and with the way and degree to which people fall for it.
It's not what they say it is. It's something compleeeeeetely different.
Thank you, sir. Am I really so peculiar that when people talk about stuff, I listen to what they're saying, but also consider what else is in their mind? To me, that's just basic, and has been essential to my professional and marital success! (Remember the video, "It's NOT about the nail!"? And that's to say nothing of making sense of the broader world and events. Keep up the good work. I've enjoyed your take on things.
Thank you.
I don't know the "It's NOT about the nail!" reference…
It's a classic!
https://youtu.be/-4EDhdAHrOg?si=gJjNQmf6vZGwjujy
It lands differently, depending on one's perspective. But I most of think of it as highlighting how people can go on and on about something, but what they really want is something quite different.
Ah, I did see that, and just forgot. Middle-aged brain!
Where do I know that actress from (besides my dreams)?
It’s Monica Barbaro. She was in Top Gun 2022.
More arguments that make tremendous sense and point to realities we all know are there. I’m on the road to being convinced.
Music to my ears, Karen. Every mind that is awakened becomes a new node that awakens others…
I don't want to sound simplistic or stupid, but honestly, how is it possible for anarchy (rules without rulers) to be worse than what we have? We are at the mercy of the state every which way we turn. I'm in a particular foul mood today because I paid my automobile insurance for another year. My husband and I are retired and one or both of our vehicles is in the front yard about 99.9% of the time, but I have to fork over $1100 per year for the privilege of driving on crappy roads. (I had to do lots of work to get that price!). Insurance... What a racket!
Great post, by the way. I'm just a curmudgeon today.
I feel you!
"how is it possible for anarchy (rules without rulers) to be worse than what we have?"
—I do not believe it is possible, which is why I am an anarchist.
As I wrote to another today…
States have the ability to control and print money.
States have granted themselves the authority to invent laws.
States have the ability to control people, and no one is allowed to refuse.
States enslave and conscript, and no one is allowed to refuse.
States have a history of victimization on a global scale.
Now, remove all those things. How would [a small number of elites] have an EASIER time victimizing people in the absence of those things?
I agree with the accolades for this post but I especially like the fact that you showed no fear in displaying the rainbow! I refuse to let the gays have it all to themselves.
Heck yes!
Speaking of which sometimes I sing show-tunes in the kitchen, and my wife looks at me funny…
I think we would find that Tier 6 and Tier 7 are closely linked, and if we were to make a list it would look a lot like Epstein's client list.
Definitely some overlap at least!!
Great article. The second AI pic, guy in the blue coat looks like Zuckerberg to me.
Thanks :-)
It's like AI knows that he is just the sort to have such a pathetic and false dream.
I think it a mistake to even bother answering each objection raised to anarchy other than what you did here in pointing out that everything they see as a result of anarchy already exists under the state. The beauty of anarchy to me is freedom to just be. To think and speak without censorship. To keep the money I earn and have that money retain its value. To be able to choose what I put in my body, To have complete control over my medical care. No other system allows this.
Some people like simple statements. Others like point-by-point stuff. So I try to provide both :-)
But yes, you give a lovely description of some of the best aspects!
This is sweet. It’s so cute.
The men with the guns will understand.
Women have guns.
It all goes back to local governing. I’m so sick of the communist takeover of our country I believe we don’t need the federal government at all! The states can handle themselves. First we have to get rid of any communists in state and local governments. At the state and local levels we the people have an advantage. We can monitor those people closely and they know it. They’re more apt to represent us honestly. If they don’t, they’re out! Also they have to live under the same laws too!
All of those would be improvements, to be sure. I am a market anarchist, so I would wish to go further, but I would rather live in the world that you describer than most others!
If you mean by market anarchist, a true free market, I agree! In regard to the federal government, in the beginning representatives of the people met a few times a year to vote on issues and then returned to their states to live and work at their regular jobs. If we need a federal government, let’s go back to the original framework. Trim the fat, give a small stipend or none at all to the representatives meeting a few times a year. Let’s see how many rush to run for office under those conditions! I would assume it would be those who really want to make a difference for their constituents and the country as a whole!
I mean no involuntary governance whatsoever. Not just a completely free market providing shoes and haircuts and dentistry and bubble gum, but a completely free market for the provision of justice, security, adjudication of disputes, and roads. Private agencies taking over all functions we normally associate with government.
Great and thought provoking 👏🏻
It’s not that I don’t care about the many issues of the country or the world, it’s that last week I wrote about the 3 million Americans who one way or another, die in a hospital each year and hardly anyone even bothered to read it.
Thanks!
It's tough when we're in the 100s of subs. It gets easier when we get into the 1000s. I am looking forward to one day being in the 10000s, though that is more than a little ways off. Keep at it!
Was your piece about iatrogenic death, or all the deaths, including old people, etc.?
It was about how no one bothers to talk and have discussions about the inevitable end of their own life. And people end up arguing in a hospital at 3 a.m over what to do next. Hard to hear anything with so much noise. I’m a long-time trauma ICU nurse. Thanks for making my day.
It is a good reminder. Thank you!
Right! You’re welcome. Same people are crying that people in other countries are dying; while others are mad that those people are crying about those people dying.
Meanwhile most of the people in those 2 groups have not bothered to fill out an advanced directive, even though we’re all going to die—eventually.
So that’s why I loved your post so much and usually say I identify as a Libertarian, even though it makes my kids crazy. And wouldn’t ever
use your space to promote my own work and link my own article, like a lot of people do. 😜
Thanks again. Truly great writing that resonated highly with me.
You can link to your stuff!
And why does that make your kids crazy?
Well let’s see- it makes me crazy that I have to say identify as, rather than define myself as, anything .
Makes them crazy that I use the word crazy in the literal sense to mean, “extremely enthusiastic” rather than one with a deranged, mental illness . And apparently libertarian means different things to different people. Rather annoying consequences of having actual conversations with my kids who I think adore me. Lol