Cafe Hayek - Latest Comments in How Dare She

Re: How Dare She

I_am_a_lead_pencil — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:13:29 -0000

gappy said:

“Preventative information programs that are not coercitive can be good. Informing about the benefits of safety belts and motorcycle helmets can be very helpful, and it's better than forcing.”

How are any preventative "information programs" not coercive if they are undertaken by government?

A gunman may command that you: "don't eat that doughnut" or he may command that you "give me money to fund information programs." Either way, there is a gun at your head....and "forcing" has taken place. We may prefer one form of "forcing" better than the other - but lets not forget that they are BOTH coercion.

Re: How Dare She

Gil — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:11:42 -0000

Not to mention 'every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction'. Every time you push non-Libertarian folk into the Socialist camp you go closer the anarcho-Capitalist camp. }>:)

Re: How Dare She

vidyohs — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:15:01 -0000

Good one brotio!

I think the un-ion is a particle of dark matter that governmentium likes to pretend has no influnce.

Re: How Dare She

brotio — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:09:28 -0000

LMAO @ Governmentium!

I'm curious if the same particle can be a mo-ron and a pe-on at the same time? Would that form a un-ion?

Re: How Dare She

vidyohs — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:25:30 -0000

Here is a new discovery that explains it all. Pay attention muirduck and Gilduck.

Politics explained.

NEW HEAVIEST ELEMENT DISCOVERED

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the

heaviest element known to science. Its existence was proven during the

hurricane, gasoline, war and other issues of the last year or two.

The new element has been named **Governmentium**

*Governmentium (Gv)* has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy

neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called mo-rons, which

are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called pe-ons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be

detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into

contact. A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that

would normally take less than a second, to take over four days to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of four years. It does not decay,

however, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of

the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact,

Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, as each

reorganization will cause more mo-rons to become neutrons, forming

iso-dopes.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium -- an element which radiates just as much energy as Governmentium because,though it has only half as many pe-ons, it has twice as many mo-rons.

Re: How Dare She

Dompedro — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:36:30 -0000

My condolences.

Re: How Dare She

Methinks — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:27:07 -0000

Kevin & FL, I agree with both of you.

Python, don't you mean that Hillary will charge healthy citizens $10.2K and fatties $10K because the healthy citizens owe the fatties? They are rich with health, after all and more able to work. It's important to redistribute wealth to keep things even.

Re: How Dare She

Python — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:48:52 -0000

What Hillary meant was that she is going to charge fit citizens $10k a year for health insurance, and fat citizens $10.2k a year.

That way the fatties will be compelled to make better decisions.

Re: How Dare She

The Dirty Mac — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:03:33 -0000

Don, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss.

Re: How Dare She

Kevin S. — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:56:58 -0000

Methinks-I think their argument goes something like "Good thing we have that education program/law, otherwise even more people would be fatter...use more drugs...die in crashes, etc."

Re: How Dare She

FreedomLover — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:47:02 -0000

methinks - I wouldn't have a problem with people's behavior if I didn't have to pay for their medical care. Let the obese idiots keel over and die for all I care. I just don't want to pay for them.

Re: How Dare She

mick — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:12:41 -0000

My deepest condolences for your loss.

Re: How Dare She

Methinks — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:53:23 -0000

gappy, the problem is that wearing a seatbelt is not a big behavioural change while changing eating habits is. How much money has been spent to "educate" the public about healthy eating? Yet, we're still getting fatter. The problem is that even if a government program doesn't work, the government never cuts funding to it. In fact, it's likely the government will throw more money into it. Consider D.A.R.E. - the anti-drug program. The program has done nothing to stem drug use among school-aged children, yet it's still funded because it's "popular" among bureaucrats. Music and sports programs, on the other hand, have been shown to reduce drug use among participating kids (mainly by distracting them and building self-esteem). Those programs have been cut. I just don't think that government can spend money wisely on anything - even information programs.

Re: How Dare She

save_the_rustbelt — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:49:01 -0000

Don, sympathies on the death of your mother.

I have been married to a nurse for three plus decades, so I already hear enough about what is healthy.

Obviously not smoking and losing weight is important, but I already have a fitness coach.

"Hillary will get my potato chips when she pries them from my dead cold hand."

Re: How Dare She

gappy — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:32:41 -0000

It's safe to assume that Clinton is a firm believer in the myth of state paternalism, and she assumes that everyone should quit smoking, and lead a "healthy" lifestyle. However, if I take her words at face value, I am a bit conflicted on this one. Preventative information programs that are not coercitive can be good. Informing about the benefits of safety belts and motorcycle helmets can be very helpful, and it's better than forcing. I am not advocating a priori that diffusing information repays for its costs, but would not rule it out a priori.

Re: How Dare She

Methinks — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:20:07 -0000

go look up "conspiracy" in the dictionary, Gil. Then, go look up "law". Try to work it out on your own, if you can.

Re: How Dare She

vidyohs — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:03:58 -0000

"If you protect a man from folly, you will find you have a nation of fools." William Penn

"I will protect each man from folly, and if elected I will lead a nation of fools." Hillary Clinton

Ahhh, such a world it is, that she should not be aware that FDR has already laid that burden on presidents.

Re: How Dare She

Gil — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:27:16 -0000

Or should that read 'no conspiracies' only Soviet facts?

Re: How Dare She

vidyohs — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:24:45 -0000

I too offer my condolences, Don.

Re: How Dare She

Methinks — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:57:09 -0000

Didn't take too long before the Soviet-conspiracies came out of the woodwork did it?

There are no soviet conspiracies. Are you so brain-dead that you don't know the difference between conspiracy and law?

Re: How Dare She

tiger — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:26:54 -0000

Very sorry about your mom Don. Hang in there-we'll all vote in November to keep egalitarian socialists from digging through your underwear drawer.

Re: How Dare She

M. Hodak — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:56:48 -0000

Don,

My condolences.

Re: How Dare She

brotio — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:38:12 -0000

Gil,

So you're the one telling us that bending over won't be so bad, because the government has the best grease.

We're probably not getting out of this statist quandary any time soon. At least not until things get worse than they are right now. We realize that you socialists LIKE our money and feel entitled to it, and that at this point in time you outnumber us.

So, we'll keep talking, keep warning that socialism eventually self-destructs (and hoping that Americans will learn this by observation instead of following France blindly into the abyss), and keep teaching our children that theft is wrong whether done by outright thieves, or by agents of the state acting for the Gils and Murthaducks who don't have the guts to hold the guns themselves.

Hopefully our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will still be being taught these things, so that when the new-and-improved socialist utopia collapses AGAIN, they'll be ready.

You and Murthaduck and your progeny will be like the baby robins whose parents became catfood: sitting there with your mouths open waiting, waiting, waiting... starving because nobody taught you how to fend for yourselves.

Re: How Dare She

Gil — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:03:35 -0000

Heh heh heh. Didn't take too long before the Soviet-conspiracies came out of the woodwork did it? Actually one good question muirgeo posed is how are poor lil Libertarians going to get out of their statist quandary - find their own place, live with the contradictions, overthrow the oppressive regime?

Re: How Dare She

FreedomLover — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:09:34 -0000

Sam:

That's just so uplifting.

*snark*