The Government Can

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have laugh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0

ruveyn

Taste good? Well, I'm in!

"Who can take your money... take it all away and give it to some other guy."
Direct transfer payments really are not a massive portion of the federal budget. Much of the money is spent either on the military or on things that are supposed to benefit society as a whole.

"Who can tax the sunrise... who can tax the trees."
WTF? Who would the government even collect "sunrise taxes" from?

"Throw away the Constitution."
Jefferson quite clearly expressed that we should not idolize the Founding Fathers or the laws and systems they established. Ours was intended to be a flexible system of government where when something doesn't suit us any more, we change it. And there's nothing particularly unconstitutional about taxes which are explicitly permitted in the Constitution. They may be higher now than they were back in the day, but that's because of a changed role for government.

"Make the Founding Fathers roll over in their grave."
See above about Jefferson. The first generation of politicians in America was no more virtuous or intelligent than any generation since. There is no particular reason to revere the laws they put in place, especially as many of their views are abhorrent to us today.

"The government takes everything we make."
That's just false on the face of it. The highest marginal tax rate in the US is what, 39% or something like that? And even that is only on the super-wealthy. The average person doesn't pay anywhere close to "everything they make" in taxes. Now, it could still be argued that taxes are higher than is desirable, but that's no reason for dishonesty.

"They're power-hungry and malicious."
I have a hard time ascribing malice to anyone, to be honest. Most people believe they are acting for the best, and for such a massive organization as the US government to act purely out of malice just seems completely infeasible. Incompetent, sure, in many cases. Malicious, no.

"Their economics are fictitious... soon we'll have to eat our dishes."
There is inconsistent implementation because of the periodic changes in ruling party, but the Democrats at least seem interested in following relatively straight-up Keynesianism. A case can be made against Keynesianism, but it is a well regarded school of economic thought for a reason. It also seems highly unlikely that we are headed for such a disastrous economic collapse as is hinted at in the song.

Also, that guy sucks at dancing.

Why do you think NASA exists? The collection of sunrise taxes, that's why!


And that is exactly why we should idolize the Founding Fathers. If we failed to do so, then we would be idolizing the Founding Fathers.


No Orwell, 39%=100% You don't want to see what 100% equals.


Orwell, come on, the government is obviously evil. If they weren't evil, then why does the government exist? The entire purpose of the government is malice. What else would you cite? The common good? Public goods? Transaction costs? Absurd!


Well, it is well regarded because Keynes and British and a Marxist. Academics love Europeans and Marxist things, obviously!

Additionally, he is just saying that dish-eating will become so popular that we will have to do it in order to keep up with the Joneses. I don't see where you get this other interpretation from.


Well, yes, but the government can mix it up with lies and make it all taste good, so all is forgiven.

I imagine sitting under bridges can become addictive. AG seems to be transforming into a troll. Perhaps this is only a full Moon phenomenon.

I still do make serious posts, Sand. It is not as if a thread that starts off with a rather absurd song by a comedian is really an ideal place for serious commentary.

In any case, I would imagine that putting out a comment about how I seem to be trolling could be taken as trolling as well.

Seriousness, as with truth and beauty, is in the mind of the beholder.

There's a difference between the occasional humorous post and habitual trolling. AG's response was fairly amusing, and frankly the thread wasn't exactly prime potential for a serious discussion. The best that can be had out of it is probably a few cheap laughs.

The goverment can ...

fill a power vaccum that corporate feudalism would otherwise occupy.

Corporate feudalism produced the computer you use. What has the government produced lately?

ruveyn

You know how much big government doe (in the form of Pentagon R&D) was dolled out in developing the electronics and components of computers and the internet?

Jobs and Wozniac managed without a penny of government money.



ruveyn

They used and built on a lot of Big-Government funded technologies, nevertheless I'd love to see a source absolving Apple's founders of accepting any corporate welfare.

Government money built giant computers that need large rooms to be in. Jobs and Wozniac figured out how to build a computer anyone could afford to buy and put on his desk.

And even then the government did not invent computers. They were invented by private individuals on their own initiative. Atsenoff developed the stored program computer in 1938, Machley and Ekhart developed a more practical machine and this privately. Government money came in to construct compters that could control artillery, which is a military application. If you really want to get historical, the first computer that could be controlled by a storage medium was the Jaquard Loom constructed in the 18th century with private capital.

Governments do not invent. Even the chain reaction was invented by Szillard and Fermi in their respective universities. Who invented the air plane. A pair of bicycle manufacturers in Dayton Ohio out of their own pocket. Who invented the liquid fuel rocket? Robert Goddard in Worcester MA, privately from his own money. Governments come in with money (looted from taxpayers) later on for particular applications. Governments hardly ever invent.

ruveyn

The html had been invented in the CERN which is govnerment funded, and the internet bases had been built by the govnerment too.
As for Astenoff, does is was wealthy to the point of paying tax back then...

Very cute video. Cute discussion. And, very cute trolling (if that is what it is called).

I wonder if the singer is gay?