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Guest Editorial
Saturday, January 02, 2010 – by
Dr. Tibor Machan
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Posted by Dean Kavouras on 1/2/2010 8:56:21 AM
Dr. Machan speaks of rights. The only rights which exist are the ones that are granted to us by our community. Those which a person can gain and defend. The latter is the truest (though most expensive) source of rights.
We might opine that it "shouldn't" be this way, but this isn't a perfect world. We must never stop asserting the good doctor's arguments, but they will always meet with limited success because of the kind of world we live in.
Reply from the Daily Bell:
Interesting points.
Posted by Ken on 1/2/2010 9:51:15 AM
The Dr. is right of course. His diagnosis is the reason the united States founders set up a Republic verse a full fledged Democracy.
The present United States power structure understand this, which is why they harp Democracy and Freedom verse Republic and Liberty.
A pleasant read. Thank you
Reply from the Daily Bell:
Thanks for reading - and the feedback.
Posted by Bonnie Donaldson on 1/2/2010 6:57:06 PM
Feedback from Dean was spot on!! This is not a perfect world, whatever that would be, and that's a fact! We have to deal with human nature and that has been relatively unchanging since humans came on the scene.
Lovely for the rich white men who were our founding fathers and were able to set up a "Republic and Liberty versus Democracy and Freedom." Not so lovely for native tribes, minority groups, most immigrants, women, children, slaves and indentured servants! If you white Libertarian guys want to attract very many of us women, you are going to have to modify your views just a smidgen...
As for Tibor Machan, I note that his mom did not name him Joe or Pete, so I guess he has always been under a lot of pressure to perform. And the man is a consummate performer. I also note that it doesn't take a government to take away his goodies.
Any human with a good sized automatic rifle can do the job. I submit that it is actually government that causes us to be able to have property rights in the first place. If not for government and militaries, we would be overrun.
Sure, governments get too big and powers get abused. But powers get abused even when there is no government at all. If the good professor wishes to not pay any taxes, he can go to outback Alaska, the Amazon, New Guinea, a deserted island, or any number of places where there still are no governments.
I also seethe at the notion that the prisoner is always in jail just because his actions put him there and for no other reasons. Ask the few hundred people who have been taken off death row for crimes they did not commit, and only saved due to Innocence Project.
Our jails and prisons are full of people, many of whom are guilty as sin and many who are not. When prosecutors wish to make political capital, sometimes crimes are "solved" in the most "convenient" way. Life is not fair and Machan will pay taxes, go to jail, or live in the outback somewhere.
I wanted to let you know that I finally found "the elusive Higgs Boson". He lives in a really remote area and I had to walk for 3 days, return trip. Bessie and Higgs were astounded when I told them that, if Higgs did not show himself in town pretty soon, modern science was going to come to an end.
They don't much cotton to science anyway. Higgs said, "Dadburnit, I never heard anything so silly in all my days." And Bessie says that they may never bother to leave the woods anymore at all. I did my best to convince the Bosons but, if the Particle Collider can't find them, it's not my responsibility.
My Cro-Magnon family is going to have fun in 2010, that's our resolution! You O'Sapiens can do whatever you want.
Reply from the Daily Bell:
How tall was Higgs?
Posted by Bonnie Donaldson on 1/2/2010 7:46:45 PM
It also occurs to me that Professor Machan collects paychecks from several universities that are beholden to various State and local, as well as the Federal governments. With few exceptions, colleges and universities are supported directly and indirectly by taxpayers. Without government student loans, few students would enroll. Without the highway systems and other infrastructure, few colleges would exist. Prior to the World War 2 G.I. Bill, only the privileged elites went to college. The Land Grant systems, research and other grants, and loan programs has made it possible for Mr. Machan to be a Philosopher instead of a ditch-digger.
Professor Machan should stop being a hypocrite and also stop biting the hand that feeds him. More than many people like to admit, we're all in this together!!
Reply from the Daily Bell:
Mr. Machan, in our opinion, is allowed to make philosophical points without ad hominem attacks being brought to bear.
Posted by Bonnie Donaldson on 1/2/2010 8:03:02 PM
How tall is Higgs Boson?
He's not all that tall but he's built as big as a defensive linesman. His closest neighbors are Hilda and Ne Anderthal. They are all pretty inbred out there since no new blood ever comes into that area. I nearly got shot before they finally recognized I was a Magnon and not an O'Sapien. All of them were against letting Sally and Hom O'Sapien move into the region. And I guess they were right.
Reply from the Daily Bell:
OK, thanks.
Posted by Perg on 1/2/2010 9:40:34 PM
Dr. Tibor Machan makes a very simple and clear description of the disintegrating liberty's that we enjoy, Taxes are a fundamental injustice and the people don't put a fight against them, so I don't expect much of a fight to protect our other liberties. It is a feudal state we live in any one that can't see that is blind.
Reply from the Daily Bell:
In the land of blind, the one-eyed man is King?
Posted by Trevor Dupuy on 1/4/2010 6:00:08 PM
The Constitution is the law of our land that We The People created and agreed to abide by. The 16th Amendment authorizing an income tax means that the majority of We The People agreed to allow the government to limit our right to our income. If we want to withdraw that limitation, there is a way We The People can repeal that law.
We must recognize however, that the government We the People have authorized must have the means to operate. To do this within the scope of the original intention of our Founders, we must replace the income tax with another source of revenue, but only to pay for those functions authorized by We The People through Constitutionally enumerated powers as originally stipulated in the Constitution, Article 1, Sections 8 and 9.
Congress was originally given the power to lay and collect taxes (Section 8), but could do so only in proportion to the census (Section 9). I would suggest that power could best be effected with some form of consumption tax such as the "Fair Tax". Such a tax could be collected and managed by the States (thus eliminating the IRS) in 50 seperate escrow accounts to pay only for Constitutionally authorized actions. The States, by a 2/3ds majority would have final determination as to what actions are deemed to be constitutionally authorized and how much would be disbursed to the federal government.
Such an action could be facilitated by the simultaneous repeal of the 17th Amendment where Senators would be selected by the States to help insure Congress doesn't exceed its Constitutional bounds.
Reply from the Daily Bell:
Thanks for the feedback.
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We look forward to reading your feedback. All comments are automatically posted. However, please note that any posts containing harassment, vulgarity, personal attacks or those which are deemed to be of a violent nature are not welcomed and will either not appear or be removed.
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