HabitableZone

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Re: I noticed the gentle merging of "GOP" and "corporals of industry" again.
TB — (archived)

My philosophy says that you aren't going to get rid of human failings, such as greed, corruption, and power-lust, so the trick is to try to make sure nobody at all gets too much power over anybody else. This is an ongoing process, never stable, and often a painful one. Our founding was an attempt to do just that. It wasn't the first, and it won't be the last.

It is critical to understand that a free and competitive society is not about creating perfect people or eliminating crime and corruption. It's about keeping things decentralized, and using self-interest to stabilize the system instead of destabilize it. To limit the damage that can be done.

There are damn few private monopolies in our history that were not enforced, or even created, by government influence and government restraint of trade. The previous examples of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stand out here. Monopolies created by the government with powers and privileges unavailable to others. The results speak for themselves.

Maybe there aren't guns pointed at people's heads, but that's not the right metaphor. If you don't want ants, stop pouring honey all over the ground.

Another prevailing philosophy seems to be that if we just give enough raw political power to the people we like, they'll keep the people we don't like from doing bad things, and everything will be great. The list of "good guys" and "bad guys" varies, of course, with the person, which is only one of the many flaws of that idea.

I think, given the record of history, my view is more realistic.

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