http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092503602.html On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 8:14 AM, Eric Cope wrote: > Why is it we turn to the government to "protect" us from ourselves? If any > organization knows the power of transparency, its this one. We know why we > want open source software. So we can audit a piece of code any time we want > to ensure its doing what we think its doing. If we rely on the government to > protect us from evil corporations, why don't we rely on government to > protect us from evil software? I know my answer (governments are > historically ineffective at everything other than law-enacting and tax > spending, but not law enforcing and tax saving). Why don't we push for open > accounting practices from our businesses? When we open an account at a bank, > why don't we know their investment strategy? Why don't we know how much > capital they keep to ensure timely withdrawals? Why do we think the FDIC > placard is more valuable than independent third party analysis? The > government has shown time and again it can't be trusted with our money or > our respect (at least mine), yet we keep turning to it for help. The > definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting > different outcomes. Doesn't this behavior sound like insanity? > > > On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 3:58 AM, Joshua Zeidner wrote: > >> On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:40 PM, Craig White >> wrote: >> > On Sun, 2008-09-28 at 23:08 -0700, Joshua Zeidner wrote: >> >> On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 10:58 PM, Lisa Kachold < >> lisakachold@obnosis.com> wrote: >> > >> >> > >> >> > But that is a famous Ron Paul quote that can't be backed with fact: >> "When >> >> > we borrow a billion dollars every day simply to run the government, >> and when >> >> > the Federal Reserve increases the money supply by trillions of >> dollars in >> >> > just 15 years, we hardly can expect our dollars to increase in >> value." >> >> >> >> This isn't some kind of Ron Paul heresy, its based on the real >> numbers. >> >> >> >> I find it surprising that Americans have not pledged their >> >> allegiance to this person who has been claiming that this was going to >> >> happen all along. The resistance is typically on Ron Paul's attitude >> >> towards particular social issues... jmz >> > ---- >> > particular social issues are important too >> >> sure... and a major part of the problem is that our basic cultural >> sensibilities have gone haywire. >> >> what Dr. Paul suggests is not to get govt involved. Let people pay >> for their own lack of vision and judgment. That allows the wise to >> profit and the ignorant to experience evolution first hand. >> >> -jmz >> >> > >> > Ron Paul is a polarizing figure and that totally marginalizes any points >> > that he makes. >> > >> > I think if you look back, you will find this scenario was predicted by >> > many on the right and left (Krugman comes to mind) so I have no problem >> > dismissing Ron Paul for the kook that he is. I think that the saying is >> > that even a broken clock has the right time twice each day. >> > >> > As for the debt...that's the logical consequences of cutting taxes and >> > not cutting expenditures, for fighting wars without raising the revenues >> > to fight them and just endlessly printing paper money because they can. >> > I don't think we need Ron Paul to point out the wrongfulness of that >> > logic...I think McCain understood it when he opposed the Bush tax cuts >> > without a reduction in spending but evidently the way to get the >> > Republican nomination is to do exactly what he knows intrinsically >> > doesn't work. For that (and probably some other reasons), I could never >> > vote for McCain. >> > >> > Craig >> > >> > --------------------------------------------------- >> > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us >> > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: >> > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World >> War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." --Albert Einstein >> >> - http://www.joshuazeidner.com/ >> --------------------------------------------------- >> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: >> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >> > >