Disqus - Latest Comments for pimlico

Re: Why we need to talk about reparations

pimlico — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:16:09 -0000

"To be sure, every ethnic group that's not called white has experienced suffering in American life."

Wow. Just, wow. Mr. Liu, did you even read what you wrote? If you want to be taken seriously, you really ought to retract that sentence.

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:14:54 -0000

"However, regulated markets can still be free markets, provided that property and the means of production are privately held, the price system is left free, etc."

I see, so regulated markets CAN be free markets.

Thanks, Greg. This has been a fascinating discussion...

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:14:44 -0000

I made an assumption that since you believe there should be some regulation in the marketplace (preventing competition for providing the service of the protection of private property, for example) that you didn't support free markets. I apologize if I've made a poor assumption; if so, please explain what appears (to me, anyhow) to be a contradiction (regulated markets = free markets?).
Please, don't write a whole blog post on your entire political philosophy; just answering the two questions will be enough, thanks.
Believe it or not, I'm trying to get these answers out of you so that I can actually understand your perspective on this blog post you wrote above. I'm not interested in arguing the merits of any particular belief and I'm certainly not interested in personal attacks. I'm not sure why you have to resort to implying that I may be insane or that I sound like an idiot. I think I've been pretty civil; I haven't launched any personal attacks on you. Maybe you need to calm down a little.

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:54:09 -0000

Oh and by the way, consensus doesn't equal truth. Nor does the authority or general respect of some individual grant him with some special power for expressing only truth. Truth exists on its own merits and I couldn't care less if someone thinks I'm an idiot if I happened to disagree with Mises or Einstein or whomever.

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:47:20 -0000

Have I said that you weren't a "real libertarian"? Have I accused you of anything? No. So what's the point of your stoner analogy?
Please, I'm interested in YOUR answer to the question, not Mises or Hayek. Please, stop deflecting and just answer my questions from my last post. They aren't difficult.

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:44:18 -0000

Who cares what Mises, Hayek, etc.. supported or didn't support? Thankfully I have the confidence to think for myself and not rely on the conclusions of dead authors.
Greg, I'm still waiting to read what you think is free about your market with a monopoly and why you consider yourself a libertarian. All you do is avoid direct answers to my questions. For god's sake, you can't even define liberty!

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:49:26 -0000

Greg, do you honestly not see your contradictions? You want a *monopoly* to provide a collection of services... A monopoly that will use force to prevent any competition. How exactly is that a free market?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:26:50 -0000

Oh, I'm sorry. You were referring to a market monopoly then? Not a coercive monopoly on the use of force?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:06:55 -0000

"Governments require a monopoly on legitimate force to do all the wonderful things they do."

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:00:08 -0000

So let me get this straight: you don't support free markets, you don't have any fundamental moral principle to determine whether or not the use of force is justified, and you can't define "liberty"...

Why the heck do you consider yourself a libertarian? This is mind-boggling.

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:34:29 -0000

I see. So, what exactly do you think "liberty" means? Or is that also something that you also can't define, but "know it when [you] see it"?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:13:11 -0000

Interesting. So, as a libertarian, what fundamental principle do you use to determine if the use of force is legitimate?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:00:06 -0000

re: Oh, and why would you "remove coercion from the equation"? That's what makes government work so well!

You can't be serious. Is this a joke?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:59:03 -0000

What you've listed are services. If these services are provided in a truly free market, then what exactly are you calling government? Is anyone that provides a service, in your mind, a government? Would you call the company, 'Brinks', a government, since it provides security and protection?

Re: Rockwell, Boaz, and Mises

pimlico — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:25:47 -0000

Exactly what is libertarian about government? Is this a semantic issue? Once we remove coercion from the equation, then services like protection and arbitration fall into the realm of business in the marketplace. Why call those businesses 'government(s)' at that point, unless you are still accepting some level of aggression?