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Old 02-21-2004, 11:16 AM   #23 (permalink)
Dostoevsky
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Location: Macon, GA
Jizz-

If the work someone wants to do (poetry in your example), doesn't create enough income for them to live off of then they should do something else. If poetry fans don't enjoy that person's work enough to buy a significant volume of it, then the aspiring poet hasn't created anything with market value and should do something else.

Under your system where everyone could do whatever they "love," even if they suck at it, we could have a society full of people not doing anything economically viable. If we didn't have any citizens doing work that creates value, then we would all be poor. If we were all poor who would pay taxes to support below average poets and artists?

Feelings and happiness are not necessarily the most important things to consider economically. People have to do work that is deemed valuable in the market in order for an economy and society to thrive and for the standard of living to increase. Welcome to the real world my friend.

Seaver-

The situation in Chine is infinitely more complicated than your one sentence reply explains. China is a socialist country that is moving more and more towards capitalism. The biggest problem they face currently is attracting capital because their government does a shitty job protecting property rights. For example, you could invest $1 million over there and the government could decide on a whim that it belongs to them, thanks for the donation. Until they move further towards capitalism and begin to protect property rights properly they will continue to be stuck in the middle of the road and won't achieve the standard of living they could under pure capitalism. You can't do both.
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Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all of man’s values, it has to be earned.


It is not advisable, James, to venture unsolicited opinions. You should spare yourself the embarrassing discovery of their exact value to your listener.


Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
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