Global trade creates jobs & wealth. It's government "regulations/intervention" (force) that hampers economic prosperity.
For a further understanding of this I highly recommend you look into the economic idea of "comparitive advantage". Here are a couple of short videos explaining the truth of the matter:
"While I understand the occasional need to punish a bad government through trade sanctions..."
Please elaborate on how you "understand the occasional need" for the people calling themselves the U.S. government "to punish [initiate force] a bad government through trade sanctions [an act of war]".
Your statement is quite disturbing and I can only hope you may at some point understand that the initiation of force is immoral, no matter what label is placed on the individual initiating said force.
It's so sad to constantly see the results of compulsory government schooling destroying logical/rational/critical thinking as well as destroying the understanding of objective cause & effect.
Barnes & Noble people....please head on over to http://www.mises.org/ and learn yourself out of your economic ignorance. A great place to start is Henry Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson" (free PDF download).
What do you expect from people who claim to own you?
Until we stop allowing the people calling themselves "government" to steal from us (taxation - which claims that they own a percentage of the combination of our time & labor, therefore owning us, AKA serfdom) they will continue to believe they own us.
True freedom comes from owning one's self (self-ownership) and all that extends from said axiom.
Want freedom? Then start acting like a free man/woman!
Please don't advocate the use of the State, which is funded through theft/coercion ("taxation"). Advocating State action is to advocate further theft/coercion or in simpler terms, violence.
There are ways to work this out without resorting to the violence of the State.
The answer is voluntary exchange and respect for inherent property rights (via self ownership).
I'm sorry to bear the bad news, but Attorney Genitals don't give a damn about consumers unless they have an interest in intervening (normally to obtain more power).
This is the result of coercive governance.
To expect the protection of our property rights by granting a government the monopoly privilege to ignore said property rights (theft/force) is absolute insanity.
Is it something that will give the leviathan that is the current state of coercive government in the USSA?
Then they will push for a law.
This is why there's always so much government backing over environmental issues and "saving the children". Will it give the people calling themselves government more power? Then the government people are behind it 110%...using the money they stole from you to take away ever more of the freedom you have left.
I believe Tacitus said it best: "The more corrupt the State, the more it legislates."
...that politicians don't play by rules of logic, morality, or truth.
All they care about is power & control. They will say & do anything to meet their ends.
So of course Stephanie Moore will claim the anti-SOPA campaign was "misinformation" when in reality "misinformation" is exactly what RIAA/MPAA/pro-SOPA has & will continue to engage in.
When you create a government that is a monopoly on the use of force within a geographic area & allow them to be funded through theft/coercion, it will always attract sociopaths/pscyhopaths to its ranks that will do ANYTHING to keep that power.
Then stop allowing people who call themselves "government" from stealing from individuals ("taxation") as well as stop allowing government people from make arbitrary rules ("regulations"/"license"/"patents"/"copyright") backed by coercion, force, and the threat of being put in a cage (jail).
The use of force or fraud to take from others without voluntary consent is wrong no matter if it's done by one person acting alone or if it's done by so called "officials" in fine hats.
Copyright = Censorship backed by the State's monopoly on the use of force. Being that the State only exists through theft/coercion, it is inherently immoral & must be abolished.
The only legitimate society is one that is based on voluntary exchange with respect for property rights as paramount.
The schooling system is not failing, it's doing exactly what it was designed to do.
"The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality."
~ H.L. Mencken ~
The information contained within the linked video is extremely important context to understanding the reality of compulsory schooling and all that results from such a policy.
Re: Re: Re: Legitimate versions? Try getting a cable subscription!
"Face it. Most of the things for sale are on sale for a subscription. You want a cookie, you've got to buy a box. You want to drive on a road, the government taxes you for all of them. You want to read a magazine article, you've got to get a subscription."
You're comparing apples to oranges to bananas.
- A cookie is in the physical world & is scarce. When purchased it is a voluntary exchange.
- Government owned roads are also in the physical world & are scarce, however, they are funded through theft & coercion. Not a voluntary exchange.
- A magazine article could be in the physical world of scarcity or in the digital world of non-scarcity. A voluntary exchange if the publisher decides to charge for access.
"The economy has evolved this way because it's more efficient. Sometimes things evolve to support the pay-per-view model-- Apple's iTunes is a good example-- but often they don't. It's just too inefficient."
You could legitimately make the efficiency argument if the exchange in question were purely voluntary. However, government intervention/force permeates so much of the current economic state of affairs, it's next to impossible to find a market not molested by the violence of the State.
People are going to copy things like "Game of Thrones" no matter what the situation. So it would make the most economic sense for HBO to create various services with more value than .torrent's to entice people to purchase through competition (rather than resorting to State violence via "the law").
Persuade through voluntary means and all will benefit.
Continue implementing State violence through the censorship that is "intellectual property" and all will suffer.
So HBO co-president Eric Kessler believes that cutting the cord is "a fad"?
That maybe could have been a legitimate argument a few years ago, but today with Netflix/Hulu/VODO/"other avenues"...Mr. Kessler is ridiculously out of touch with reality.
When force & violence is your hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Politicians only want ever more power & control. The idea that a voluntary & consensual market is solving the problem is antithetical to their purpose as a politician in the fascistic state that is the U.S. today.
This is why we must not use the political system in an attempt to affect change.
We must instead live the principles of freedom & liberty via the non-aggression principle, respect of property rights, and self-ownership.
We must not associate with those who advocate State force against us (i.e. public schools / taxation / voting ...etc).
The court system & the black robed men that claim authority within it, are inherently biased to the State. They are paid by the State via stolen money ("taxes") and people somehow expect these black robed men to be objective?
Until we allow competition in a free market of courts, arbitration systems, and dispute resolution organizations, we will not even come close to having real justice.
Of course they're wasting stolen money ("taxes") that is obtained by the threat of force/violence.
With a mafia (people calling themselves "government") enforced monopoly, they don't have to respond to market forces as they still receive the stolen money either way.
Just like any other government program, when they don't do a good job they actually get more stolen money ("the TSA is inefficient because it's not receiving enough funding" they'll say) which is the exact opposite of how a free market operates (where if you fail to meet customer needs, you fail & go out of business) and thus setting up an incentive for government programs to be as inefficient as possible.
The core issue here is the people who call themselves "government" having a monopoly on force. Complex social issues cannot be solved by force/violence in the long run, it only makes it worse.
Solution: The non-aggression principle (the initiation of force is immoral / self-defense is valid) & respect for property rights / self-ownership [i.e. Voluntaryism]
One of the reasons I can't watch mainstream news these days is that people like this Randall Stephenson of AT&T can just state bald faced lies and the press laps it up, so long as it falls within the Statist quo.
"In actual life the fact that our inadequate knowledge of the available commodities or services is made up for by our experience with the persons or firms supplying them — that competition is in a large measure competition for reputation or good will — is one of the most important facts which enables us to solve our daily problems." ~ F.A. Hayek ~
Of course the most successful mafia (the people who call themselves the US Government) wants backdoors into all communications technology.
How else are they going to continue to escalate their police state?
Violence begets violence. This government is funded through the initiation of force (or threat thereof). If you believe you are free & own yourself, try not paying income taxes.
Things will only continue to deteriorate unless we replace State coercion with individual voluntary exchange.
"Man must have the right of choice, even to choose wrong, if he shall ever learn to choose right." ~ Josiah C. Wedgwood ~
On the post: Blizzard Blocking Iranian WoW Players Due To US Sanctions
Re: Re: Really America
For a further understanding of this I highly recommend you look into the economic idea of "comparitive advantage". Here are a couple of short videos explaining the truth of the matter:
"Trade Is Made of Win," Part 1: Wealth Creation
http://youtu.be/y0gGyeA-8C4
"Trade Is Made of Win," Part 2: Cooperation
http://youtu.be/7yOHjRThM_o
"Trade Is Made of Win," Part 3: Conservation
http://youtu.be/qdcQLWGaJoM
On the post: Blizzard Blocking Iranian WoW Players Due To US Sanctions
Disturbing Statement...
Please elaborate on how you "understand the occasional need" for the people calling themselves the U.S. government "to punish [initiate force] a bad government through trade sanctions [an act of war]".
Your statement is quite disturbing and I can only hope you may at some point understand that the initiation of force is immoral, no matter what label is placed on the individual initiating said force.
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Lack of 'Cause & Effect'....
Barnes & Noble people....please head on over to http://www.mises.org/ and learn yourself out of your economic ignorance. A great place to start is Henry Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson" (free PDF download).
On the post: Obama Administration: $1.5 Million For Sharing 24 Songs Is Perfectly Reasonable
What do you expect...?
Until we stop allowing the people calling themselves "government" to steal from us (taxation - which claims that they own a percentage of the combination of our time & labor, therefore owning us, AKA serfdom) they will continue to believe they own us.
True freedom comes from owning one's self (self-ownership) and all that extends from said axiom.
Want freedom? Then start acting like a free man/woman!
On the post: Sprint Changes 'Unlimited' Broadband To 5 Gigs... While Still Advertising Unlimited Broadband
Re: Re:
There are ways to work this out without resorting to the violence of the State.
The answer is voluntary exchange and respect for inherent property rights (via self ownership).
On the post: Sprint Changes 'Unlimited' Broadband To 5 Gigs... While Still Advertising Unlimited Broadband
Re: AG's
This is the result of coercive governance.
To expect the protection of our property rights by granting a government the monopoly privilege to ignore said property rights (theft/force) is absolute insanity.
On the post: Chelsea Clinton: We Must Protect The Children On The Internet
More Power for Coercive Government?
Then they will push for a law.
This is why there's always so much government backing over environmental issues and "saving the children". Will it give the people calling themselves government more power? Then the government people are behind it 110%...using the money they stole from you to take away ever more of the freedom you have left.
I believe Tacitus said it best:
"The more corrupt the State, the more it legislates."
On the post: Congressional Staffers Still Can't Come To Terms With What Happened Over SOPA
Don't forget...
All they care about is power & control. They will say & do anything to meet their ends.
So of course Stephanie Moore will claim the anti-SOPA campaign was "misinformation" when in reality "misinformation" is exactly what RIAA/MPAA/pro-SOPA has & will continue to engage in.
When you create a government that is a monopoly on the use of force within a geographic area & allow them to be funded through theft/coercion, it will always attract sociopaths/pscyhopaths to its ranks that will do ANYTHING to keep that power.
On the post: Want More Jobs? Get Rid Of The Patent Trolls
Want More Jobs...?
The use of force or fraud to take from others without voluntary consent is wrong no matter if it's done by one person acting alone or if it's done by so called "officials" in fine hats.
Wants more jobs....FREEDOM is the ANSWER. [see The Philosophy of Liberty]
On the post: Economist: Copyright Is An Antiquated Relic That Has No Place In The Digital Age
copyright = censorship
The only legitimate society is one that is based on voluntary exchange with respect for property rights as paramount.
On the post: EMI Kills Off More Innovation: MP3Tunes Declares Bankruptcy Due To 'Withering' Legal Costs
Force...
"Copyright" is censorship. The initiation of force is immoral.
Try Voluntaryism instead.
On the post: Techdirt To Not Charge Readers For Content
school system designed this way...
If anyone would like to learn more about the origins & true aim of government compulsory schooling, check out:
The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend with John Taylor Gatto [Free on YouTube]
The information contained within the linked video is extremely important context to understanding the reality of compulsory schooling and all that results from such a policy.
On the post: Game Of Thrones On Track To Be Most Pirated Show Of 2012; Pirates Still Asking HBO For Legitimate Options
Re: Re: Re: Legitimate versions? Try getting a cable subscription!
You're comparing apples to oranges to bananas.
- A cookie is in the physical world & is scarce. When purchased it is a voluntary exchange.
- Government owned roads are also in the physical world & are scarce, however, they are funded through theft & coercion. Not a voluntary exchange.
- A magazine article could be in the physical world of scarcity or in the digital world of non-scarcity. A voluntary exchange if the publisher decides to charge for access.
"The economy has evolved this way because it's more efficient. Sometimes things evolve to support the pay-per-view model-- Apple's iTunes is a good example-- but often they don't. It's just too inefficient."
You could legitimately make the efficiency argument if the exchange in question were purely voluntary. However, government intervention/force permeates so much of the current economic state of affairs, it's next to impossible to find a market not molested by the violence of the State.
People are going to copy things like "Game of Thrones" no matter what the situation. So it would make the most economic sense for HBO to create various services with more value than .torrent's to entice people to purchase through competition (rather than resorting to State violence via "the law").
Persuade through voluntary means and all will benefit.
Continue implementing State violence through the censorship that is "intellectual property" and all will suffer.
On the post: Game Of Thrones On Track To Be Most Pirated Show Of 2012; Pirates Still Asking HBO For Legitimate Options
Cutting the Cord a Fad?!
That maybe could have been a legitimate argument a few years ago, but today with Netflix/Hulu/VODO/"other avenues"...Mr. Kessler is ridiculously out of touch with reality.
So called "piracy" is a servicing issue.
On the post: Senator Leahy Still Insisting That SOPA/PIPA Are 'Needed'
When Violence is your Hammer...
Politicians only want ever more power & control. The idea that a voluntary & consensual market is solving the problem is antithetical to their purpose as a politician in the fascistic state that is the U.S. today.
This is why we must not use the political system in an attempt to affect change.
We must instead live the principles of freedom & liberty via the non-aggression principle, respect of property rights, and self-ownership.
We must not associate with those who advocate State force against us (i.e. public schools / taxation / voting ...etc).
On the post: Federal Appeals Court Rejects Illinois' Eavesdropping Law As Likely Violating The First Amendment
Courts Represent the State...
Until we allow competition in a free market of courts, arbitration systems, and dispute resolution organizations, we will not even come close to having real justice.
For some examples of possible voluntary & consensual solutions, check out these two free to download books:
"Chaos Theory" by Robert P. Murphy
"Practical Anarchy" by Stefan Molyneux
On the post: Congress: The TSA Is Wasting Hundreds Of Millions In Taxpayer Dollars
Of course...
With a mafia (people calling themselves "government") enforced monopoly, they don't have to respond to market forces as they still receive the stolen money either way.
Just like any other government program, when they don't do a good job they actually get more stolen money ("the TSA is inefficient because it's not receiving enough funding" they'll say) which is the exact opposite of how a free market operates (where if you fail to meet customer needs, you fail & go out of business) and thus setting up an incentive for government programs to be as inefficient as possible.
The core issue here is the people who call themselves "government" having a monopoly on force. Complex social issues cannot be solved by force/violence in the long run, it only makes it worse.
Solution: The non-aggression principle (the initiation of force is immoral / self-defense is valid) & respect for property rights / self-ownership [i.e. Voluntaryism]
On the post: AT&T Argues That More Competition Is Bad For You & Leads To Higher Prices
Straight up lies...
For some truth on the matter of competition:
The Meaning of Competition - by Friedrich von Hayek
"In actual life the fact that our inadequate knowledge of the available commodities or services is made up for by our experience with the persons or firms supplying them — that competition is in a large measure competition for reputation or good will — is one of the most important facts which enables us to solve our daily problems." ~ F.A. Hayek ~
On the post: Here We Go Again: FBI Wants Backdoors To Snoop On Nearly All Internet Communications
Of course....
How else are they going to continue to escalate their police state?
Violence begets violence. This government is funded through the initiation of force (or threat thereof). If you believe you are free & own yourself, try not paying income taxes.
Things will only continue to deteriorate unless we replace State coercion with individual voluntary exchange.
"Man must have the right of choice, even to choose wrong, if he shall ever learn to choose right." ~ Josiah C. Wedgwood ~
On the post: Nobody Cares About The Fixed Costs Of Your Book, Movie, Whatever
Digital Media = No Scarcity
The price mechanism is everything, originating from the relation between subjective value and objective money prices.
For a great primer on so called "intellectual property", here are two great free to read books that I feel are extremely illuminating on the subject:
"Against Intellecetual Monopoly" by Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine
"Against Intellectual Property" by Stephan Kinsella
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