[MD] Value and the Individual

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Platt]
Perhaps you can show me where Pirsig adds "regulated" to "free market."

[Arlo]
Pirsig provides the context for understanding why people demanded 
regulation following the low-quality experiences that had during a 
wholly unregulated market. But if you think Pirsig wants to abolish 
wage laws, and pollution regulations, and workplace safety codes, and 
child labor regulations, and the like and return to the time when 
business turned the Chicago River into coagulated blood stew and 
miners bodies could be dropped off with an eviction notice for the 
family, then I think you're more concerned with the "age old 
exploitation of the poor" than with Quality (Dynamic or otherwise).

[Platt]
You can always become a traitor when your nation is threatened. But I 
doubt you have the balls.

[Arlo]
Excellent evasion. Nice use of "traitor" and an allusion to cowardice.

But I will reask. If the government is so evil, so inept, so 
malicious, so enslaving, so bungling, so preposterously "bad", then 
why should I fall lockstep with that government when it wants to take 
me to war?

And rephrase. If the government is so evil, so inept, so malicious, 
so enslaving, so bungling, so preposterously "bad", then why should I 
(1) believe them when they tell me "my nation is threatened", (2) 
believe that they have the solutions, and (3) are able to actually 
act out those solutions?

And again, Or why should you, if you really believe that bunk, run to 
the government for help when a motorcycle with loud pipes drives by your house?

Why would you run to such an inept, evil, corrupt, enslaving, 
deceitful, bungling, malicious organization for "help"?

[Platt]
Typical lattee liberal distortion.

[Arlo]
"Lattee liberal". Clever. Was that the squalking bite on Limbaugh today.

But let's take a look and see how "distortive" I was.

[Arlo previously]
When this happens on the community level, as it has in Finland and 
Japan, public education is fully successful.

[Platt responded]
Right, like it was in Communist Russia, Socialist Italy and Nazi Germany.

[Arlo's distortion?]
So Finland and Japan are one-step away from mass graves and genocide 
because they value education as a community?

[Arlo]
Gee. If that's a distortion, Platt, then tell me what point it was 
making OTHER than what I said? What purpose did it serve to evoke 
"Nazi Germany" in the context of showing how a country like Finland, 
that values education on the community level was successful? What 
parallel did you hope to make? For what purpose?

[Platt]
I guess those who hold Reagan in high esteem are stupid in your book.

[Arlo]
No more and no less than those who hold Carter in high esteem are 
stupid in your book. So what's your point?