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60 Minutes: Inside the Collapse, Part 2
^ ^ Netrunner, there are some things about your example I don't understand. Why bring up an example that could turn out a hundred different ways depending on the contract in question? Do you mean whether you should have a right to make the tenants pay? How would you enforce it? Payment of common areas is up to the parties in question I guess?

Then there is the other specific example of current corporate culture, which is arguable very different from theoretical Capitalism, and succeeds largely because of political cronyism and going beyond voluntary action into coercion by government proxy (lobbying for legislative influence, bailouts, exclusive contracts etc).

I'd say that as soon as you do that, we're no longer talking about capitalism, but something akin to fascism (i.e. heavy governmental-industrial integration and protection of mutual interests by any means necessary).

And how can you be tired of the coercion argument ? It's totally central, and is one of the reasons why half of the US population keeps voting against your ideology. Shouldn't that be reason enough to understand it?

^rougy, I did say that it's not a pretty thing.
And does your description of the evils of a market correction imply that you were for the bailout?


written by Crake  | 14 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds ago | CH
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For he IS the Kwisatz Haderach!
Bi-la kaifa.


written by Crake  | 15 hours 50 minutes 37 seconds ago | CH
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How Lego is made. inside factory tour
"This machine spits out 15.000 heads an hour" I so want to work at LEGO.


written by Crake  | 1 day 16 hours 22 minutes ago | CH
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Fmr. US General: Gays in Dutch Military Allowed Genocide
@ 8:35, they switch places? *head explodes*


written by Crake  | 1 day 16 hours 37 minutes ago | CH
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60 Minutes: Inside the Collapse, Part 2
Well, rougy, any ideology that has a 'monopoly' is mandatory, same goes for the Social Contract idea where people 'agree' to pay taxes in order to get a safety net of welfare.
You're right that it's not really a choice if there is only one choice.

I hope you'll agree though, that there is an aspect of voluntariness in Capitalism, in that the individuals choose between competing providers of goods & services, or even choose to set up shop themselves.

Of course, I'm not defending the actions of the wall street people who (among others) caused the crisis, in my opinion they should not have been bailed out... I can see the politicians' reluctance to do so though, since a big market correction is not a pretty thing. The crisis is being used to attack the foundations of Capitalism though, which I don't think were at fault.
Like Michael Lewis explains, they basically forgot that they cooked the books (and ratings agencies and so on), and fell for their own con. That's stupidity, which is a danger in any system.

And Netrunner: Capitalists can feel morally outraged about taxation, because no matter how little they worked for the money, taking it by coercion is more despicable still, and in addition leads to ill effects like corrupt politicians and counterproductive incentives.

Also, I may be over-analyzing here, but when you say: "...convincing them that they got something of equal value out of the transaction." i actually disagree slightly.
If i have $15 in my pocket, and the seller has a CD that i like, i make an exchange because, to me, the CD is worth MORE than $15. Otherwise I'd keep my money instead. The possibility of mutually benefiting from a transaction is something you don't often hear about from the liberal side of the debate, to put it mildly.


written by Crake  | 1 day 17 hours 23 minutes ago | CH
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60 Minutes: Inside the Collapse, Part 2
"assymetries between buyers an sellers" is the basis for having an economy in the first place, though

I think I can see what you think should be rewarded: "hard work, intelligence, talent and perseverance". However, the only thing that Capitalism rewards is how useful or valued your product or service is to someone else.

This is judged entirely subjectively, thus allowing for weird examples like insanely expensive collectible comic books.
In my opinion, a system that rewards the values you mentioned (which are labour-focused), does not guarantee that any value is actually produced.

Take a hyperbolic example: Einstein might spend 100 hours working on making a single pizza, but all his talent, hard work, intelligence and perseverance won't change the fact that it ends up an inedible, simultaneously soggy and charred mess.
Should he be guaranteed pay for the pizza? No! He should look at this strengths and weaknesses, and figure out where he can be the most useful to the people around him (or, to put it a more critical way: how he can create the appearance of usefulness in their minds, so they'll give him money - either way, they'll be happy and he'll get paid).


written by Crake  | 2 days 19 hours 16 minutes ago | CH
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Lorry doesn't see car stuck to bumper.
^maybe that's what the first guy did tried


written by Crake  | 3 days 13 hours 28 minutes ago | CH
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60 Minutes: Inside the Collapse, Part 2
^Voldemort quote. Nice

I agree that fairness it often an abused term when it comes to real-life issues (such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict).

I'm not sure that's the issue here, though. I think Lewis is working from the basic assumption of Capitalism everywhere: It's voluntary, therefore it is fair (this is where the pirate comparison becomes problematic).

If I win the lottery, I don't deserve the winnings. Same goes if I sell a mint condition comic book for tens of thousands of dollars. I don't have to worry about the buyer's reason for paying that price, it may be because he's a sucker, or because he really sees that much value in it (or because he knows he can resell it for even more later, which is probably the usual case).

So, there is a disconnect between buyer and seller, that allows for a lack of compassion for mistakes, I guess, but it's on a solid moral footing (voluntary, presumably rational actors) , so it's hard to change.

nor should it be changed, but that's just my own Capitalist opinion


written by Crake  | 3 days 18 hours 53 minutes ago | CH
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60 Minutes: Inside the Collapse, Part 2
^ I'd actually like to know what is meant by 'deserving it', expressed clearly.
I think that endeavour would uncover some interesting assumptions about value.

I'm only being slightly cheeky, and mostly serious; I actually think it's an interesting question.


written by Crake  | 4 days 15 hours 41 minutes ago | CH
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Unforgettable - They know everything about you
*promote


written by Crake  | 5 days 15 hours 23 minutes ago | CH
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Deus Ex:Human Revolution Teaser
mmm, promethean


written by Crake  | 6 days 4 hours 43 minutes ago | CH
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Design Outside the Box - life becomes a game?
Guess I'll be designing uplinked stuffed toys then? or get that job at LEGO I've always wanted... I can live with that.

Also, this will only work until people become immune to psychological hacking... By buying the Norton NLP package?

[edit] also, Videosift should be fine in the future then? lovingly crafted Pavlovian bondage engine that it is.


written by Crake  | 6 days 5 hours 6 minutes ago | CH
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A typical day in the life of Throbbin
^but who will believe you?


written by Crake  | 1 week ago | CH
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Händel: He was despised (Messiah, HWV 56)
Cool scenography. Tempo's a bit slow though.


written by Crake  | 1 week 1 day ago | CH
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Snail Opera
*promoteissimo


written by Crake  | 1 week 1 day ago | CH
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