I’m sure the victims of employment at the TVA were devastated by the oppression. Only the efficient guards at the TVA deathcamps prevented this gem of a poem, penned by an unfortunate soul trapped in the clutches of the TVA, and many like it from surfacing until today:
“I have a job and am making money
My neighbor Ted does not have a job
And makes no money
I wish I were Ted
Satan razorblade RAtM”
You didn’t address the “everybody loves dams” argument.
I so have you there.
But I only attack things on a case by case basis, not because they’re all the same thing in a metaphysical way. The TVA does not equal the Patriot Act, or Stalinism, or anything else. It was a program started in the Great Depression to hire people to do things for the Tennessee Valley that was flooding, and sucked. It lasted as long as it could, before eggheads could get their hands on it, but the Tennessee Valley is saved, the Union remains, and everybody’s happy.
Especially me…since I love dams so damn much.
Quoted for hilarity.
“When he broke the seal, I heard a voice speaking unto me saying, ‘Come and see’.”
A warning to yourself and all others. In that place, I seriously discuss these things with the notable member “philosopher”, and to some extent “Darth Vengen.” They are not the only members, but they are prominent ones (especially philosopher, who knows others in turn who show tendancies that would mean they would likewise be interested). If one wishes to enter to make fun of “the movement” or spout a steady stream of discourteous bullshit, it is an easy matter for administration to remove such scoffers, and provide a more condusive atmosphere for political discussion. If one speaks their true thoughts, they have nothing to be fearful of. That is all.
Or we could just ignore your foolish forum for fools and never post there ever.
And then hippos.
Also chips.
I’m sure also that the people who work at the Justice Department would be more than happy to have jobs patrolling the Internet and erasing everything you print that is even mildly critical of the state’s actions. Or perhaps forcibly destroying any and every printing press in the United States.
On the other hand, the fact that those people would be happy is irrelevant when you consider that their jobs exist only because the state is in the business of violating the freedom of its citizens. The TVA is no different.
Which brings me to…
This is both weak and disingenuous. If you have any interest in the maintenance of liberty - and I’m not at all convinced that you do, so if I’m wrong, please both correct me and never again describe yourself as a liberal - you are intellectually and morally obligated to care about any and all restrictions of liberty. Maybe you think the TVA is not a restriction of liberty, or at least not an important one, but that’s a different story and a case I’ve never seen you make. Nor am I convinced that you can make the case, in that state-controlled means of production is one of the least liberal states of affairs I can imagine. Of course, it worked for the Soviets and the Nazis, so maybe I’m wrong.
Yes.
I don’t know much about Libertarianism (except for the fundamental philosophies, definition of rights, the Nolan Chart, history, and knowledge of some traditional Libertarian literature), so I’m wondering if the government would be in charge of the military, or if that too would be a private venture.
I’m going to take a stab at “private venture” being the answer. If this is the case, I’m sensing some major problems in foreign relations and defensive capabilities…
Well, it depends on which particular strand of libertarian thought you’re talking about (or ascribing to) at the specific moment. Libertarianism, like liberalism, socialism, fascism, and any other political theory you can think of, is not a uniform body of thought. Some libertarian thinkers, like Ayn Rand or Robert Nozick, advocate a sort of minimalist state in which defense, police, and courts are provided by the state. So they would say “no” to private defense forces. Others who are decidedly more radical think defense should be provided privately. These people tend to think that the problems you sense exist entirely in your imagination. You (and I) disagree with those folks, as do a lot of other libertarians.
Politics is one of the few things in this world where, no matter what view you hold or what opinions you have, you are WRONG.
like religion
Actually, that’s true of most things. And by true, I mean YOU’RE WRONG.
And now, 'splain to me how fucking dams take away people’s rights. Last I checked, dams were inanimate lumps of rock or concrete. The people who built them didn’t go around jailing people who talked trash about dams. FDR didn’t end his radio addresses by asking people to turn in their un-damerican neighbors. Where exactly in the process of people making waterworks and getting paid for it did rights get dragged into it?
Dams take away my right to flood residential areas with water so I can have a new place to fish.
The Dams were built by the government, instead of by private businesses.
Then Jews were herded into ovens, millions were forced into re-education camps, and bolt cutters were used on various dangling appendages of dissenters.
Or…maybe just dams were built, and nothing, in reality, was evil about the whole enterprise.