[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> The statement is simply that the average american knows dick about the conditions
> that exist in other nations..<snip>
> Americans condemn Communism usually without even having read the Communist
> Manifesto;
> <snip>
> Americans condemn Communism without knowing shit about Marxist tenents,
> <snip>
> It is _precisely_ because of this ignorance that makes Anonymous' point so
> relevent.
For every American mouth-breather who calls all Democrats commie bastards, there is
another who laments 'American ignorance'. Both are trite. People the world over, as a
rule, know only what they need to know. For <some reason> it is more important for
the average German to know where Washington DC is than it is for the average American
to know where Berlin is. People are ignorant all over. Most Euros have warped and
manipulated perceptions of the US, ("it's all LA Law, and black gangs rampaging
through neighborhoods"). If one were to quantify ignorance, one would find that the
U.S. is far from having a corner on its market.
> I'd take issue with that, in a round-about way. Uncle Sam steals your coin
> because there are a shit-load of Americans out there with less-than-dick
> for resources.
Uncle Sam, or any other regime, steals money because it can. Even if the reasons were
honest, (they are not), you accurately define what is going on. It's theft. Some of
us are unwilling to exploit the unfortunate to justify thievery.
> Capitalism, with its emphasis on the profit margin can't always afford
> to give the working poor a decent wage,
You really believe that, don't you? You've made it clear that you are familiar with
Marx (and, as a result, are also familiar with his idea of the objective nature of
value. Puh.) Have you read any of the Capitalist source texts? The idea isn't about
profit, per se, it's about economic self determination, and about the subjective
nature of value. (Hint: Adam Smith, von Mises, Hayek, Friedman)
> therefore we need social programs to help the honest, working poor. And, our caring
> Uncle Sammy takes our money to see that this is the case. Fine by me (I'd rather
> live here and let Sam have some of my coin than live in say, that Red satellite you
> were talking about).
Turn off the BBC long enough to think about the mire into which your logic is sinking
here...
The vast bulk of your beloved social programs have exacerbated poverty, stolen the
souls of the people who are stupid enough to dip their snouts into the trough, cost
the rest of us a great deal of money, and cultivated class warfare. Of course, class
warfare is very *profitable* for those who exploit it as a means to justify their
salaries. If every sanctimonious asshole who would steal my money for the sake of the
"less fortunate" would simply find one person, just one, and do something to improve
that persons life, the so called problem of poverty would be eliminated. But that's
too hard. Better to hire a group of mercenary terrorists to steal other peoples money
and then dole it out...
> The name escapes me at the moment, but some Capitalist asshole/theorist
> once said something along the lines of:
> "The answer to our question (what do we do about the poor) is simple:
> nothing. We need an impoverished working class to supply cheap labor to
> our corporations. They must, after all, turn a profit."
Therefore Capitalism sucks and Americans are ignorant? Cut the words "cheap labor to
our corporations". Paste "fodder to the bloated government charity rackets" and you
will have an accurate description of the current situation.
> With some consideration, it seems obvious to me that in any socio-economic
> system that places such high importance on money <snip>
Here is a truth that you have failed to consider: Money is the measure of a persons
worth to society. It always has been. Complex systems of social and economic
engineering have attempted to deny this, and have killed 100 million people this
century alone in the process.
> I don't know what socio-economic system would work best; but I DO know
> that I will never like that which places shackles on the souls of men.
People get what they deserve. More often than not, they place the shackles upon
themselves.
Hail Sparta,
Xenophon
