[MD] Commie Talk and USA bashing?

[Platt Holden]

> Platt:
> An "apologist" is someone who argues to defend an ideology.
> 
> woods:
>     What free market apologists don't have a concept of dynamic quality? 
> Do 
> you mean somebody in particular?  Do you mean something more?  

I had in mind Milton Friedman, William Buckley, Henry Hazlitt,
F.A. Hayek, Ayn Rand and others who argue for the free market. 
 
> Platt:
> I'm with you on self-reliance, like Pirsig said, " . . . by individuals 
> making Quality decisions, and that's all."
> I'm sure we'll all be interested in your conclusions about ways to 
> facilitate exchanges of goods and services through some means other than
> a
> monetary system. 
> 
> 
> woods:
>     Barter.  Gift giving.  I'm not saying rid the monetary system.  And by
> saying these other ways of 
> exchanging goods and services, I'm merely mentioning other ways.  But back
> to 
> the monetary system.  I'm not an economist, but from what I understand 
> it would help if we did have money that was backed by gold and silver or
> other metals.  
> A system that has inherent limitations so profit and excessiveness doesn't
> get out of 
> hand - that may lead into inflation.  Did you hear how the credit-swap
> (insurance taken 
> out on security mortgage loans) is at 40-60 trillion dollars?  Who in the
> world 
> has 40-60 trillion dollars to give to people as insurance if security
> mortgage loans fail, which by 
> the way they are failing?  That's a bit excessive.  Money's being made out
> of thin air.  

Agree.

>     Now... about self-reliance.  I like the sales tax only plan.  I could
> explore this 
> more, and I would like to see other people explore this more.  It frees
> people from 
> being subjugated by mandatory/dictatorial taxes.  If you want to buy
> something, then you pay a 
> tax.  If you don't have the money, or you don't want to buy something,
> then you don't pay a tax.  
> You save and then once you buy something you pay the tax.  This allows
> people to live off the 
> land without HAVING to get a job for somebody else to get your money. 
> Yes, you can own your own 
> business and not HAVE to get a job working for somebody else, but you are
> locked into a lifestyle that 
> you have to make money.  If you want to put your focus on work back at the
> house on the farm, hunting, 
> or what have you, then you can.  Then if you want to buy something and
> haven't saved enough 
> money for it yet (you might have some money saved from your previous job
> in which you 
> worked for money or selling something for money that you've
> entrepreneured), then you can pick 
> up a job somewhere and get money.  Again, these are ideas that could be
> explored more.
> 
> What do you think?

Agree. By living off the land I presume you mean that you own the land, 
i.e., you believe in private property. 

Platt