Topic: Maximum role of Government? - page 35. (Read 28705 times)

Kind of like cancer cells, then?

Exactly the type of Handwaving I've come to expect from you.


Yes. That said, There's no need for that. If Taco Bell, for instance has their logo on every third paving stone, you can bet the other two will be maintained, too. That's just one option, though.


Thanks for making my point...


All education is ultimately the responsibility of the Parent.


Here, I'll grant you the point. The BBC is some good TV.


Overall, I'd trust those who are loyal only to money before those loyal only to power.


I'm not familiar with UK privatization of Utilities, and If you'd provide a link, I'd greatly appreciate it. I can tel you what "Privatization" usually means over here though: The government grants a monopoly to a private company, and then the politicians scream about how privatization doesn't work.


Their employers, of course. but ultimately, to themselves. This means that War is less likely, for one simple reason: 'You're not paying me enough to get killed.'


The individual is the economy. the Market is the sum of all voluntary human actions.

So if a corporation owned the streets and all streets and pavements were pay-as-you-drive / pay-as-you-walk, this would be better than paying taxes?

I live in the UK and wouldn't want to give up our national health service. The main thing is that I can break my leg and it won't bankrupt me, I'm automatically insured, I can take more risks, take my health for granted and not give a shit about losing my job.

School is about standardizing children; get the kids in society up to a standard level where they can compete in the market. Political and philosophical education is the responsibility of the parents, not the state.

The BBC isn't, no adverts on any TV or radio by law, no political bias either. The news is incredibly balanced compared to American news, it's rivalled only by Al Jazeera.

Politicians tend to dodge questions, but on the whole they represent their constituency. Adverts lie to you for financial gain, they aren't representing people with morals but a form of technology used to collect money.

Since our water, gas, electricity were privatized the end-user has ended up paying a lot more. I agree with this in principle, but it seemed like our government got a much better deal for the people when they were in control.

A private police force sounds ludicrous to me, police do much more than just uphold the law (if they don't, you're doing it wrong). Replacing the military with mercenaries is laughable too, who would they be loyal to?

It's important to find a balance between what's good for individuals and what's good for the economy, different political ideologies disagree on what to regulate and how, but the general consensus across the board is that regulation is needed to protect both.

Every single one of those referenced the US directly or indirectly.  You didn't have say "US" for your example to be based on the current state of the world, something I never advocated for.

And the examples I did not reference the US on?

Using the US as an example of anything that I've advocated for is just one massive strawman.  The US does almost nothing I've advocated for and does not have a functioning democracy.  Try again.

Some points:

[1]: Transportation can be run at a profit. Whats more, charging only the people who use it is more fair than charging people who do not use it. If it can not be run at a profit, then it is a waste of resources, and should not be provided.
[2]: Healthcare is wrecked in the US because of government intervention. Before the regulation stepped in, Doctors actually went to peoples houses. Profit driven healthcare can and will provide better healthcare, especially without the AMA's restrictions.
[3]: Government schooling is a joke. It doesn't teach children, it standardizes them.
[4]: Public Broadcasting is just as commercial as private. Watch an hour of PBS and see how many corporate "underwriters" you can spot.
[5]: So, what you're saying is, Politicians lie, and adverts almost lie. 'k.
[6]: Utilities do benefit from single infrastructure, but there's no reason that that single infrastructure must be a monopoly.
[7]: Police and Military are the most easily privatized. Private security firms are already in business.
[8]: Regulation often does not protect customers, but the corporations. Competition is the best protection for the consumer, and increased regulation reduces competition.

All human interactions should be free of initiatory physical violence against people or their property.

This.


Government's job is to step in and do the things that the free market either fails at (utilities, rail, police, military, etc.) or has a conflict of interest in (health care, etc.), as well as to regulate business for the protection of consumers, and to set economic policy to always strive for the happy medium between maximum business growth and maximum benefits to society.

This is based on the simple principle that people must first be alive, healthy, and secure before they can truly be free and that people must be not be in a position of inferiority if they are to make truly voluntary decisions.

On top of laws and regulations the government should control services which are useful to the population in the long term and are not commercially viable, and/or those services which should not be corrupted by commercial interests. For example investments in public transport, health-care, schooling, and even some public broadcasting (with appropriate regulation to avoid bias).

I don't mind paying taxes for these things because I think that they are basic requirements of a civilized society, politicians are maybe not the most honest people but they are certainly far less ruthless than businesspeople who are only loyal to money. Every time I see a politician on TV it's someone talking crap to save face, but every time I see an advert it is as close to a blatant lie as is legally possible.

I've made my opinion abundantly clear elsewhere, Now it's your turn!

An explanation or defense of your position would be nice, too.