Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Wealth Redistribution and a Moral Imperative

Slims · 10-27-2008, 01:45 PM

Ok, I wasn't going to get involved in this discussion, and I still don't intent to write a windy post, but something is bugging me:

Several times already the term "Anarcho-Capitalist" has been used to describe people on this board who espouse the opinion that they can make better decisions about how to spend their money than the government can.

A LOT of people just want to be left alone and not harrassed. They want to seek or their fortunes and happiness as best they are able without interference from others telling them what they can do and how they have to spend their money.

That's not Anarcho Capitalism, it's simply Capitalism. I am sick and tired of the 'renaming game' where people attach negative labels to every position they do not agree with while artificially nice and lofty titles to their ideals.

I have been to the Dunedan's house many times, and I can vouch for the indescribable level of poverty....and laziness in his neighborhood. I can also attest that he works very, very hard for not a whole lot of money because his family is too proud to live off the efforts of others. They run a full farm, with a small firearms business in the house. He gets up early, works all day and rarely has time to come into town for a piece of Pizza. He is living the way he wants to, and because he wants to be responsible for his own well being and financial situation he is making hard decisions and going without many things which many people take for granted. How many of the people on this board who espouse wealth redistribution and 'equality' are voluntarily 'sharing' all the money they make over the poverty limit with people living below it? Anyone? Then why on earth would you tell me I have to give up my money if you are not willing to set the example?

On Saturday, I went to the barber shop to get a haircut (one of those choices which allow me to remain employed...maintaining a presentable appearance) and I noticed a man begging for money (not begging for a job, or even food, but money). He seemed pretty spry, so I talked to him briefly, and he told me that he wasn't handicapped in any way, and he seemed coherent enough. He also told me he lived in a trailer, so he had access to a shower. I asked him why he was begging and he told me he couldn't find a job. I asked him why he was filthy when he had a place to live where he could wash them before looking for a job. He didn't have an answer. Then I asked him whether he had tried Able Bodied Labor which is a day labor place located only a few doors down and he also said no. I was astonished, not only was this guy perfectly capable of working, he was begging outside a day labor facility which would give him a means to make an honest buck or two. But instead we should make sure people like this one are at or above the poverty line?

After Katrina, there were jobs aplenty in New Orleans. Factory owners were offering free housing and double or triple pay for anyone to come work for them. Fast food restaurants were offereing signing bonuses of several thousand dollars. Construction companies were hiring as many people as they could find due to the enormity of the clean up process. Migrant workers were flooding to New Orleans en masse because they knew there were plenty of good jobs available. However, thousands of people were content to sit on their asses in their FEMA trailers/hotels across the country complaining about their poor fate and that they would support themselves....if only they could find jobs.

Where has the idea of personal responsibility gone? When Donald Trump was asked on some TV show what he would do if he suddently found himself on the street with no money, he replied somethign to the effect of: "I would find the nearest multi-level marketing company and would get to work"

10-27-2008, 01:45 PM	#128 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	Ok, I wasn't going to get involved in this discussion, and I still don't intent to write a windy post, but something is bugging me: Several times already the term "Anarcho-Capitalist" has been used to describe people on this board who espouse the opinion that they can make better decisions about how to spend their money than the government can. A LOT of people just want to be left alone and not harrassed. They want to seek or their fortunes and happiness as best they are able without interference from others telling them what they can do and how they have to spend their money. That's not Anarcho Capitalism, it's simply Capitalism. I am sick and tired of the 'renaming game' where people attach negative labels to every position they do not agree with while artificially nice and lofty titles to their ideals. I have been to the Dunedan's house many times, and I can vouch for the indescribable level of poverty....and laziness in his neighborhood. I can also attest that he works very, very hard for not a whole lot of money because his family is too proud to live off the efforts of others. They run a full farm, with a small firearms business in the house. He gets up early, works all day and rarely has time to come into town for a piece of Pizza. He is living the way he wants to, and because he wants to be responsible for his own well being and financial situation he is making hard decisions and going without many things which many people take for granted. How many of the people on this board who espouse wealth redistribution and 'equality' are voluntarily 'sharing' all the money they make over the poverty limit with people living below it? Anyone? Then why on earth would you tell me I have to give up my money if you are not willing to set the example? On Saturday, I went to the barber shop to get a haircut (one of those choices which allow me to remain employed...maintaining a presentable appearance) and I noticed a man begging for money (not begging for a job, or even food, but money). He seemed pretty spry, so I talked to him briefly, and he told me that he wasn't handicapped in any way, and he seemed coherent enough. He also told me he lived in a trailer, so he had access to a shower. I asked him why he was begging and he told me he couldn't find a job. I asked him why he was filthy when he had a place to live where he could wash them before looking for a job. He didn't have an answer. Then I asked him whether he had tried Able Bodied Labor which is a day labor place located only a few doors down and he also said no. I was astonished, not only was this guy perfectly capable of working, he was begging outside a day labor facility which would give him a means to make an honest buck or two. But instead we should make sure people like this one are at or above the poverty line? After Katrina, there were jobs aplenty in New Orleans. Factory owners were offering free housing and double or triple pay for anyone to come work for them. Fast food restaurants were offereing signing bonuses of several thousand dollars. Construction companies were hiring as many people as they could find due to the enormity of the clean up process. Migrant workers were flooding to New Orleans en masse because they knew there were plenty of good jobs available. However, thousands of people were content to sit on their asses in their FEMA trailers/hotels across the country complaining about their poor fate and that they would support themselves....if only they could find jobs. Where has the idea of personal responsibility gone? When Donald Trump was asked on some TV show what he would do if he suddently found himself on the street with no money, he replied somethign to the effect of: "I would find the nearest multi-level marketing company and would get to work" __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence Last edited by Slims; 10-27-2008 at 01:50 PM..