I am not an anarchist
December 29th, 2007While anarchy looks good on paper, the world is simply too overpopulated to have anarchy. Under anarchy, a lot of us, possibly myself included, would want to go back to hunter/gathering. The world just has too many people and not enough resources to do that.
So, we need government, whether you like it or not. However, we currently have too much government.
I want the government off our asses and to respect the Constitution. One thing I can’t stand about the Left is it keeps bitching on and on about separation of church and state in the Constitution, but has no respect for the 2nd Amendment. I’m also tired of hearing people saying certain Rights should be privileges.
One thing I can’t stand about the Right is their War on Drugs, which is a gross violation of the 4th Amendment. If someone wants to do drugs and is in their own home and not operating a motor vehicle, by all means, let them. It’s nobody’s business but theirs. I’d legalize them, and TAX them. It’s just disgusting how much tax revenue is lost by having drugs like marijuana and cocaine illegal.
Also, I’m for legalizing prostitution. Of course, I wouldn’t want someone running a brothel next to a school. Prostitution is a victimless crime. If your neighbor goes and has a prostitute, it doesn’t affect you. As far as I’m concerned, I could care less. I do care that that’s tax money wasted, and by having prostitution illegal, you have a higher risk of both violent crime and disease. Where prostitution is legal in Nevada and certain parts of Europe, they regularly check prostitutes for disease.
I like our government. This may surprise you, but we’ve benefited from the government. I would have never gone to college if it wasn’t for our government. That’s another reason I pay my taxes with pride and NEVER cheat my taxes. I’m thankful we have a government.
Government gives us good roads. I’ve been to enough countries to know we have pretty good roads. We also have a good sewage system, good water, good food, and good postal delivery.
I’m glad government weeds out bad immigrants too. I don’t want an open door policy. I don’t want illegal immigrants, America-haters, nor terrorists. We do a good job at weeding out bad immigrants, but frankly, that aspect of the government is grossly underfunded and we get too many criminals that are illegals that are clogging up our jail system. This is something I’m willing to spend more on.
I’m glad we have a military. I’d love to have Osama bin Laden’s head on a pike. However, he’s not in Iraq. I’m glad we’re in Afghanistan, but every time you ask our President why we’re in Iraq too, you get a different answer. If that’s the case, let’s pull out of Iraq so we could focus on what we need to do - which is to catch and/or kill all of bin Laden’s people.
So I’m not an anarchist. I believe in government, only less than we have now.
Zomb, do you personally choose the antispam words? Just wondering. Mine was werewolf.
Again, we agree. It’s a shame that in the Parliamentary system, we get politics instead of government.
I know that it also happens elsewhere, but it’s darn close to 100% of the time here.
Bridget - Yes, I did.
Yeah, I prefer our system to a Parliament.
Prostitution is NOT a “victimless crime”! What about the spouses of the married men that go see hookers and give a disease to their wife?????
I have nothing against Brothels, where the hookers get tested and the men looked over, no kissing and FULL protection. I do not think MARRIED men or Married women should be allowed in brothels. Tax it, make rates HIGH and NO GREED from the brothel owners that try to make slaves of the women that work for them.
I love your view point on politics, I agree with some of it and not necessarily disagree with the rest, but just not see it as important to me. I definitely agree that legalising prostitution is a good idea, because it will protect the girls and the clients and making it illegal obviously did not stop it.
In the UK, I hate the National Health Service, I pay 11% of my salary to them, and I am never ill, but when I wanted treatment for my terrible acne, the doctor gave a freaking useless cream that I could get over the counter anyway, so that pissed me off big time. And I also have to pay them 11% off my bonuses and commissions and I don’t see them working overtime! Sorry, I’m ranting. After thought, I hate paying tax except maybe my council tax because that’s the one picking up my trash and maintaining my street and ensuring the cops patrol my area.
A message for Joyce
Prostitution is not for married man to cheat on their wives. There are a lot of sad, lonely men out there who will not have a chance to get laid any other way. Also, legalising prostitution does not over-ride the wedding vows, it only means that it will be a safe practice, instead of a dark alley one. A husband who cheats will cheat regardless of the legality or illegality of the act. However, legalising it, means that he will take protection that he might not have done illegally.
Joyce - Whether legal or not, men (and women) will get prostitutes. I’d rather it be legal, taxed, and regulated than illegal.
Men who get prostitutes tend to be single and lonely, not married. If a married man gets a prostitute, the marriage is usually doomed anyways.
Helen - Always feel free to disagree with anything I say. I’d hate it if everyone in the world was just like me. I also believe I have much to learn, so not everything I believe is set in stone, other than my love of the Bill of Rights.
I am very much against socialized medicine for that very reason. I prefer my health coverage, which I’m paying for (with my employer paying 2/3rds). I have a doctor I really like. I have a drug store I really like that supplies what I need. There’s so much complaining about American health care, but I actually like it. Plus, my chiropractor is excellent, and formerly had a good acupuncturist.
Happy New Year!
That would be good for the girls if they could legalize that and filter out who they did that with too. there you go. Great post. Interesting views.
Slayer, great post and I completely agree. The War on Drugs has been a huge failure and everytime the Master Ferret Bush speaks about Iraq I feel ill. As mush as people whine about the system its been pretty good about doing it job as along as the rules are obeyed. Its only when those who won’t play by the rules does things go askew. As far as the worries about legalizing prostitution are concerned men and women will cheat no matter what if something with the marriage is bad. It far better to secure your marriage by treating each other with respect and love than treating your spouse some other way like a bank or trophy.
The NHS was one of the best things that ever happened to this country. I would happily pay double.
Happy New Year ZS!
Miladysa - Funny. I guess you two disagree strongly on that issue. Personally, I’d rather pay for my health care directly. I like ours how it is, unlike Michael Moore.
Beach - Agreed on all points. The thing with prostitution is if a spouse goes to a prostitute, there are much deeper issues in that marriage.
Tweety - Thanks. My concern has always been with the girls and their safety.
United - Thanks. You too!
I don’t think anarchy even looks good on paper. You’re right; we sadly require law & order…within reason.
I’m all for legalizing and taxing the hell out of prostitution and recreational drugs. The mind-boggling amounts of time, effort, and money spent on busting home grow ops and arresting prosties who will just be back on the streets a day later could do sooo much more to benefit our communities. Legalized, regulated prostitution would also, hopefully, be safer for the women.
Don’t be scared of socialized healthcare! I have a doctor I like, a good pharmacist, a good dentist, and all the rest too. Possibly our biggest gripe about the system is that we lost a lot of Canadian docs to the States ’cause they could make more money down there, and sometimes waiting/line lists are too long (depending on where you are). Even if we paid double, I’d be happy in the knowledge that people are getting the care they need regardless of their income.
SME - It would be safer for the women. Prostitutes in legalized counties in America don’t get beaten up and raped. It’s regulated, taxed, and the prostitutes are regularly for diseases.
You just said the reason I’m scared of socialized healthcare. Doctors make more money in a non-socialized system. Not every doctor is an altruistic saint. Money is also incentive, as it should be.
And we do have care for those without insurance. That’s what county hospitals are for. I’ve been to county and paid for their services by check back when I didn’t have health care.
The other thing is some communities have what’s called “emergency care clinics” where you go, you get seen, and you write a check or pay by credit card. They had one in Northern California where I was living and the costs were usually $75-100 per visit, drugs included. Those doctors were wonderful.
Nobody is without care in America, despite what Michael Moore wants you to believe. Half my life, I was without health care and got along just fine.
Oh, I know Micheal Moore is full of it in “Sicko” (as usual). But I also know that Americans in poorer and relatively isolated areas, like my family, don’t have access to affordable insurance, emergency clinics, or county hospitals. In order to qualify for Medicare, they can’t have much in the way of savings (not even for their children’s educations), nor own much of anything besides a home and a vehicle or two. My dad has to settle for whatever hearing aids they’re willing to pay for (the cheapest ones imaginable, natch), and it’s just too damn bad when they malfunction and break continuously.
There are also misconceptions about socialized health care in Canada; yes, we get basic services, but still have to pay for prescriptions, hospital stays, ambulance trips, etc. Fortunately, insurance coverage is a lot more affordable and easier to obtain than in the States. Our doctors are paid extremely well (they can retire to the States in style if they wish), and many remain here because they love their country and want to have their families here. That’s a powerful incentive, too.
I agree with everything you’ve said here except: “Nobody is without care in America…”! SME pretty much already said what I wanted, with only 1 mistake: she meant MNCARE, not Medicare.
I’d like to add that I DO know people without health care. All of northern MN is now in the SMDC healthcare network. SMDC owns ALL of our clinics. Yes, we can pay them out of our own pocket if we’re uninsured. However, they expect payment, in FULL, by the end of the month. I know numerous families who have been refused health care, other than for life-threatening situations, because their bill isn’t completely paid.
Try explaining to a toddler why they can’t go to the doctor for antibiotics to treat their earache sometime. THEN tell me that “nobody is without care in America”!
SME & Tshsmom - Yikes! I’ve been in California too long then. The care here for folks without money isn’t too bad. You don’t get turned away.
But isn’t the issue more an urban vs rural issue? Rural coverage wherever you go in the world is going to be bad. I don’t think it’s necessarily a socialized vs American health care issue, is it?
I think it’s more of a minimum wage and small business issue. Sure, you have lower wages and more small businesses in rural areas, but large cities have a lot of those issues too.
If my boss were forced to pay 2/3 of her employees health insurance, as some politicians want, she’d go out of business. Ten people would be out of work, with little hope of finding a comparable job.
More and more large-scale employers, including city and state gov’ts are feeling the squeeze too. Many big businesses and gov’ts are now getting higher deductible plans with lower maximum payouts, and are charging employees a larger percentage for their coverage. It won’t be long before employers will quit offering 401k plans and paid vacations so their employees can have health insurance.
A classmate of mine works at a place that offers one of the best insurance coverages in the state. His son has been battling leukemia for 3 years. Within 6 months, his insurance coverage will max-out and his son will no longer be covered. What happens then?
Tshsmom - Good question.
See, that’s the problem with politics. Sometimes, there are no right answers. On a personal basis, I’d hate to give up my health coverage for a socialized one, because I’d lose out. Yet, I’m well aware that others will be better off with socialized medicine.
We have a lot of people in America that aren’t covered. But then, how are we going to make this work? Will we have to raise taxes? Or cut spending elsewhere? If we cut spending elsewhere, where would we cut it?
This is another thing - who is really making the big bucks in health care today? I’m reading that it’s the insurance companies and the lawyers, two groups that are like leeches making our fees higher and forcing doctors to cut their services or raise their costs.
There are people like John Edwards, the Democratic candidate, that has a net worth of $165 million. No exaggeration. You know how he got that much money? By suing hospitals. Now that the hospitals have been sued, they’d have to raise the costs to us. So, you and I are paying John Edwards $165 million. How does that make you feel?
I don’t have the answer for health care. I know there will be positives and negatives for socialized, single-payer, and what we have today. That’s another reason I wouldn’t want to be a politician because I honestly don’t know what to do on this issue.
Yeah, I don’t envy politicians on this issue. Or any issue, for that matter! All I know is that health care needs to get fixed. Instead of being treated like big business, it needs to be treated like…I dunno, a way to keep people from dying and suffering needlessly?
I came over from Scott’s blog because I liked what you had to say regarding the Rooney rant. I don’t believe in legalizing drugs as I think it sends a message to youth that drugs are okay and they are NOT, but I do believe in prostitution, which is a mixed message. I don’t believe prostitution is “okay,” but I do believe it is a victimless crime as long as it’s adults only.
Personally I don’t think it’s the governments business to send any kind of message about what’s wrong or right, other than that which trespasses on the freedoms of others. Drugs and prostitution would be cleaned up and a lot cheaper too. Smoking is a good example of a legal partaking of drugs, and society has sort of cleaned up after itself.
As for Iraq, surely you don’t mean to just pull out and let it fall apart like it did when we did the last time. I know it’s not terribly stable right now, but that is nothing compared to what it would become. For all the bitching there is worldwide about the decision to go into Iraq, historically I think it will go down as the first spike through the heart of terrorism.
I don’t know the answer either. Like you, I think eliminating the high-cost middleman(insurance companies) would be a start. And we definitely need to clean up the legal profession.
Hey Zombie Hunter, I also liked your take on Scott’s Rooney Rant.
Have you thought of voting Libertarian? Their leadership swings somewhat anarchist in a few cases, but a lot of them are fairly moderate. From the sounds of things, you might like them. If you don’t know about those cats already, that is.
(Here in Canada our Libertarian party has fallen apart, but the USA still has a reasonably strong one. You’re from the USA, right?)
See, I’m the opposite of you. I think government looks good on paper, but in practice it’s done nothing but oppress, steal, murder, and enslave.
I’ll take anarchy and at least have the right to defend myself on equal legal footing against those who think they have the “right” to rule over me.
I’m a capitalist and a realist. I love money. Money and freedom.
Kate - And that’s why I get along with you so well (other than you’re a good friend and a really cool person and fun to drink with).
Scott - I completely get where you’re coming from though. I think we’ve had these discussions before. I think government can be a good thing, but it’s currently way too big. I’d cut it greatly and bring back the Bill of Rights, get us out of everywhere we don’t need to be, legalize drugs, legalize prostitution, cut taxes significantly, etc.
Trevor - I voted (and actually met) for Badnarik in the last election. I thought he was right on. I’m not a Libertarian, but I agree with their views on Freedom.
Tshsmom - That much we agree on.
Scott - That’s a tough one. I don’t know what I’d do. What would I do? This is something that I’m torn on. I’d probably admit we made a mistake, and try to get an international coalition in there. If we do that, it is of UTMOST importance that part of the international coalition include our Islamic allies. I’m sure you understand why I say that. Straight up realpolitik.
Beth - Drugs are NOT ok. I’m very anti-drug. But that’s the job of parents, NOT the government.
With them legalized, they are taxed and controlled. by having them legalized, you also put the drug dealers out of business too. Those people (from experience) are more often than not very bad news.
As for prostitution, one of these days, I’ll devote a whole post to it.
SME - Me neither. I don’t claim to have all the answers for everything, and this is one I simply don’t have the answer to.
I think it’s appalling that my doctor doesn’t get to make the decisions about my health care and that some bureaucrat who has ZERO medical education can nix what my doctor thinks is best. Like that poor girl in CA whose insurance company refused her an organ transplant, but that after a slew of publicity the insurance company reversed its decision, but it was too late and the girl died. That SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN in this country.
Kathleen - I’m still searching for answers. I still don’t have a strong opinion about which way to go with medicine. And agreed, something like that should NEVER happen in the United States of America.
Of course when socialized medicine comes it’ll still be some “some bureaucrat who has ZERO medical education” making these decisions. it’ll just be a government bureaucrat rather than a insurance agency one.
Socialized medicine doesn’t end scarcity, in fact it increases it. People still suffer, people still die, they just do it more equally.
Scott - That’s what I’m afraid of with socialized medicine. I have excellent coverage now, but will it suck under socialized medicine because we’ll be forced to pay for illegals?
The government is good at building roads and delivering mail. Other than that, they tend to screw things up.
People still suffer, people still die, they just do it more equally.
Well said.
I’m currently researching the Single Payer. I don’t have an opinion on it yet. I also think our system can be saved if we cut lawyer costs. the thing is, this is too complex of an issue for me to have an opinion without doing the research. I don’t want to sound like a jackass.
It’s true, you’re not an anarchist… but you are a revolutionary idealist. You don’t seem to be satisfied to just sit down and shut up, or to see yourself as too small to make a difference. You believe in Democracy when to most people it seems like a dreamy experiment gone sour. You know why? You actually pay attention to more then your fuzzy navel.
If you ever consider running for President, I might have to marry an American just so I could vote for you.
Thanks!