Comments for American Socialism for the Rich

Comment on Liberty and Abortion by Austin Hook

Austin Hook — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:09:19 +0000

Those of us who believe in a spectrum of consciousness can also be against abortion, in this way: Human life is so important that it behooves us to take a stand even to the very frontiers as to what a human life means. It’s the classical slippery slope problem. Still I have a graduated attitude to abortion.
1) Personally I oppose it at any stage.
2) However there are many things that cannot successfully be legislated against. Probably very early abortion is one of them. If abortion is made illegal at all levels there will be too much underground abortion activity, and much danger to the health of the potential mother. We fool ourselves to think that it is always sufficient to pass a law against something. There are many things that are unethical that we do more harm than good if we try to legislate against. We often to a terrible disservice to society to just pass laws against things. We must be more flexible. Criminalizing doctors and women must be considered a great harm as well.
3) Therefor, in law, we have to be more forgiving. We may have to legally allow some opportunity for early abortion, at the same time as opposing it ethically. However, that means, for due respect to human life, we have a tremendous burden on all of us to make sure that support services and encouragement for potential mothers is overwhelmingly positive. To be negligent in this area, both ordinary advocates for the sanctity of human life, as well as body-soul dualists or those with other religious reasons for absolute opposition to abortion, are virtually as guilty as those who perform abortions, if they do not also advocate and work for maximum positive social support for potential mothers. This will also prevent abortions, and that is the real and only measure of success. The “crime” of not being maximally supportive to mothers is as widespread as any actual abortion activity. This perspective illuminates the way forward.

Comment on Liberty and Abortion by ASR Settlement Claim

ASR Settlement Claim — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:36:47 +0000

Given these fundamentally different perspectives on the nature of the universe, it is easy to see how libertarians often talk past each other on the abortion issue.

Comment on Liberty and Abortion by Hunter Melville

Hunter Melville — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:14:52 +0000

Great post, Matt. I’d like to add this concept to the debate. Modern science could now clone a new you from one of your cells, given enough time and money. So what I want to know is, if I bite this hangnail in front of me, is it murder, since I destroyed a potential new person? Or is it suicide? One more argument for vegetarianism, I suppose.

Comment on A Possible Way Out of the Burlington Telecom Debacle: Mutualization by The Burlington Telecom Debacle, Part Deux: An Update and the Prospects for Mutualization | American Socialism for the Rich

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:35:32 +0000

[...] state of affairs confirms that the idea of mutualizing Burlington Telecom might indeed be a viable option. Instead of selling a stake in the utility to a private equity firm [...]

Comment on Political Decentralism, the Civil War, and the Significance of John Brown by David Wells

David Wells — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:53:15 +0000

I would encourage you to expand your tag index words list immensely, because more people should be enabled to discover and access this EXCELLENT analysis of history, and realize that neither states’ rights nor slavery were individually the sole cause of the civil war. As with most things, there are no simplistic single ingredients (or “reasons”) for a cake becoming a cake, it becomes that way because of mixing MANY multiple complex ingredients (causes or causal items) and then “baking” it at a higher than normal temperature (heated arguments/debates). Thus, the transformation of a country, and a government, doesn’t happen instantaneously, and it usually lags in time way far behind the unmistakeable appearance of the need for it to happen; but, change (change in public behavior and social mores) none the less – take time. However, – through the persistance of the people, change does come. John Brown, like many throughout history, was merely a futurist, “ahead of his time”, so to speak, and SAD to say. In the mass, humans are, for the most part, a very stupid and lazy lot; and prone to belief in fairy princesses and imagined fantasylands, rather than reality, – but when reality becomes painful enough that it no longer can be denied, humans finally come to terms of admittance that reality exists, and deal with its unpleasantries and pain.

For one to admit that one is an economic slave subservient to the elite rich via the enforcement of the Internal Revenue Service federal government agency and its prison (justice?) system, is a far cry from escaping such a thought by buying a new pair of sneakers that light up and have coil springs in their heels, or buying tickets to attend the latest sporting event and having a beer. As long as the crowds are amused with the clowns and their costumes, the masses will do anything the “piper” rich have them do. Welfare and uneployment are not given out of charity and the kindness of the ruling class, they are instituted to bring social order so that the elite rich won’t have to deal with another civil war and rebellion, or worse yet, loose thier heads by severance from their bodies. Yet, (sigh) name me another place on the planet earth where a kid from a slightly above average income family, can grow up to become the richest man on earth, from hacking away for hours on a university computer system, — or – another couple of kids can found and establish a corporation out of a garage, that eventually grows to be larger in net value than any other corporation in the world, even the Exxon corporation, and call it Apple! We “the people” live in very strange and “fantasy like” times. We (most of us) may be economic slaves in the United States as citizens, but even the poorest have a place nearby that has toilet paper hanging on the wall of a bathroom for their free use – and even queens and kings didn’t have that 200 years ago. When else in the history of man did anyone pay a person to fly in outerspace above the atmosphere or mow a grass outfield on a baseball diamond?

Comment on Political Decentralism, the Civil War, and the Significance of John Brown by Johnny K.

Johnny K. — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:42:15 +0000

Very interesting. It’s kind of funny how the Emancipation is always used to imply that the Civil War had to happen, although you show that this clearly isn’t the case.

Comment on The Health Care Debate and the Suppression of Lodge Practice by You're probably a Teabagger if.... - Page 53

You're probably a Teabagger if.... - Page 53 — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:10:01 +0000

[...] interference via lobbyists is what's wrong with healthcare in this country. Read and learn. The Health Care Debate and the Suppression of Lodge Practice | American Socialism for the Rich How Government Solved It's because of government interference. Employer provided insurance was [...]

Comment on Patronage Refund! or Why Everyone in Burlington Should Be a Member of City Market. by Food Co-ops and Resilient Communities | American Socialism for the Rich

Food Co-ops and Resilient Communities | American Socialism for the Rich — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:05:19 +0000

[...] that can, in good times, fully and efficiently access the fruits of the global economy (in fact, my food co-op is the cheapest place to get groceries in Burlington), while providing the organizational capacity for community resilience in times of collapse, a [...]

Comment on In Which We Interview Chief Luke Willard by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:00:21 +0000

Sorry I am so late on speaking. you should do your research on Luke Williard. hE DOES only things for his benifit himself. If Nancy was alve see would tell you.

Comment on Crypo-Currencies: A Proving Ground for Theories of Optimal Monetary Systems by donjoe

donjoe — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:57:23 +0000

This seems to be a better proposal, for a more robust and meaningful form of digital currency: http://digitalcoin.info/Digital_Coin_Draft_Proposal_Grignon_Aug16_2009.pdf