tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748314449835758607.post5467683969579322717..comments2023-10-30T08:55:00.064-04:00Comments on Kodiak Pyramid: Sensible Party and First Blush at GB's Reaction to ServiceDK Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15803726073588442881noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748314449835758607.post-8662260405393558542008-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:002008-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:00Friendmanite,I loved the piece attributed to Crock...Friendmanite,<BR/><BR/>I loved the piece attributed to Crockett. It appeals to sensible people in a lot of ways. Couple of thoughts:<BR/><BR/>1) I am not entirely sure I buy that this was an actual conversation about an actual speech he gave. No offense, but the use of the word "barbeque" threw me a bit. I may be wrong, but it set off an alarm.<BR/><BR/>2) If we really practiced what we preached in terms of private individuals, either alone or in civic/religious/affinity groups did enough to help the least among us, a lot of government intervention wouldn't be necessary. That said, why should the government build a levy anywhere? River bottom land should be caveat emptor and that is it. That knocks out all the cities on the Mississippi from Minneapolis to New Orleans. Why should people in Denver have to pay money, indirectly, into the National Flood Insurance program? Maybe your answer is that they sould not have to, and if it is, I take my hat off to you for your consistency. Notwithstanding Davy's sage words, the genie is out of the bottle and we do, in fact, have transfer payments from one group to another in this country, and, largely, they are deemed to be a societal "good". See Al Powell's post on the Federal Pork Pie and which states are net takers and which are net contributors. See also the EU (God-forbid we use them as an example) but the UK paying into a system that makes Ireland a more viable trading partner and less likely to breed people willing to bomb Canary Wharf seems like a decent use of their funds, and that's not even in the same country.<BR/><BR/>All in all, I enjoyed the piece and your thoughts and hope you'll stick around, as it was thought-provoking and a solid perspective.<BR/><BR/>Thank you and welcome.Restless Nativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02706411308856326216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748314449835758607.post-70698498631960515172008-11-07T20:39:00.000-05:002008-11-07T20:39:00.000-05:00Damn good comment, friedmanite. I'd never heard th...Damn good comment, friedmanite. I'd never heard that Crockett story before, thanks for the link.Yo Gabba Gabbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00058351202348039913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748314449835758607.post-20464088456397052472008-11-07T20:11:00.000-05:002008-11-07T20:11:00.000-05:00friedmanite,Wilkommen auf der KodiakPyramid zeit (...friedmanite,<BR/><BR/>Wilkommen auf der KodiakPyramid zeit (fun times with pidgin German).<BR/><BR/>Again, and with all the pain in my heart for being redundant, I agree that the Gov't oughtn't impose charitable organizations to whom you must give your time or money. I also don't think (and I could be wrong, but I am not often mistaken) that Obama is suggesting that he is going to determine WHICH organization is going to get Little Friedmanite's time. He's just gonna make Lil' Freidie' shake his fanny for the betterment of the Upper East Side Neighborhood Coalition or, alternatively, the Wasilla Snowshovelers for The Elderly Club. Lil' Friedman is going to be "forced" to do something, but my sense is he'll get to pick it.Restless Nativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02706411308856326216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748314449835758607.post-51630624211632732882008-11-07T16:13:00.000-05:002008-11-07T16:13:00.000-05:00You can't justify some action by saying its not as...You can't justify some action by saying its not as bad as A or B. Sure slapping you in the face isn't as bad as popping your tires or pooping on your doorstep, but it still isn't ok. <BR/><BR/>Yes, giving government $$ to religious organizations or tapping our phones are abuses of government. So is mandatory community service. It comes back to a question I wish everyone would ask more often. Is this a power I want government to have? It's not the responsibility of government to decide how and for whom our children volunteer. It IS the responsibility of government to defend our country, hence why a military draft is ok (although not preferred).<BR/><BR/>This is another idea that rings true emotionally, but doesn't hold up to logic. It warms the heart to think about children coming together to help the community. The question is, is the free market for charitable organizations failing? People vote with their time and money for the causes they care about. Causes that are popular attract a lot of investment, others that are not don't. <BR/><BR/>Now, instead of people having the liberty to choose their cause, we're talking about central planning determining what causes should be supported. If those causes don't attract resources on their own merit, why should government force resources to them? Are the government planners more knowledgeable about what causes should be supported? How would you feel if government said we require you to donate x percent of your salary a year to charity, and we'll choose the charity? Whether its your money or your children's time, the choice of what causes get our resources doesn't belong to the government. (Although unfortunately government has gotten way too far into charitable decision-making - read the famous Davy Crockett speech - http://www.fee.org/library/books/notyours.asp)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com