No doubt we've all heard the phrase/admonition (widely attributed to J P Morgan ... and Benjamin Franklin) that "Time is money." However, the truth of the matter is that "Money is time."
When the mere thief ... or the taxman ... takes your wealth, or merely your money, he is taking your time. Which is to say, he is taking a part of your life from you.
Seriously, though I hate it when people talk of IQ as if it is the Holy Grail of what's valuable in life. I admit to being a smart guy and that is a good thing but it isn't the good thing. For example, Mother Teresa may have had a lower IQ than I do. Does that make me better than her? Not at all. In fact, she was far better than I am because she was a saint while I am very much a sinner. We are judged by what we do, not how smart we are or how much money we make.
Maybe I'll read the rest of his article when I have a greater attention span.
Victor, that some level of governmnet is necessary does not at all mitigate the fact that government is an evil; nore does it even begin to mitigate the fact that government's sole method of funding itself is indistinguishable from a Mafia protection racket -- "Give us your money and do what we tell you to do or we'll kill you."
No, I am trying to clarify a central conservative idea, and try to understand what it means and how it might be applied. Is it open to obvious counterexample?
Sorry for the confusion. I'm not always in the business of advocacy. Sometimes I want to see how an idea can be made clearer.
Conservatism seem to revolve around three central ideas. This is one of the ideas. The second is the idea of taking threats to our country seriously and being pro-active in dealing with them, as Reagan was during the Cold War and as Bush was when we launched a War on Terror that sent us into Iraq. This, I suspect, doesn't mix terribly well with economic conservatism, since war is expensive, and the money for guns and tanks probably can't be got from bake sales.
And then there is social conservatism, the use of the government attempting to uphold traditional values, leading to anti-abortion/gay marriage positions.
9 comments:
No doubt we've all heard the phrase/admonition (widely attributed to J P Morgan ... and Benjamin Franklin) that "Time is money." However, the truth of the matter is that "Money is time."
When the mere thief ... or the taxman ... takes your wealth, or merely your money, he is taking your time. Which is to say, he is taking a part of your life from you.
OK, I take it we are going to need roads and schools. How do we get these without theft?
OK, I take it we are going to need roads and schools. How do we get these without theft?
The statist poverty of imagination. How are we going to grow and distribute food if government doesn't do it?
Down with Statism!
Seriously, though I hate it when people talk of IQ as if it is the Holy Grail of what's valuable in life. I admit to being a smart guy and that is a good thing but it isn't the good thing. For example, Mother Teresa may have had a lower IQ than I do. Does that make me better than her? Not at all. In fact, she was far better than I am because she was a saint while I am very much a sinner. We are judged by what we do, not how smart we are or how much money we make.
Maybe I'll read the rest of his article when I have a greater attention span.
Victor, that some level of governmnet is necessary does not at all mitigate the fact that government is an evil; nore does it even begin to mitigate the fact that government's sole method of funding itself is indistinguishable from a Mafia protection racket -- "Give us your money and do what we tell you to do or we'll kill you."
Victor,
Nevermind Palin, roads to Publik Skewl are roads to nowhere.
Spoken like a true-blue "liberal," Anonymouse: unthinking bilge.
Dr. Reppert,
I thought I heard that you voted Obama.
What's this now?
Or was that original piece of grape vintage unreliable?
No, I am trying to clarify a central conservative idea, and try to understand what it means and how it might be applied. Is it open to obvious counterexample?
Sorry for the confusion. I'm not always in the business of advocacy. Sometimes I want to see how an idea can be made clearer.
Conservatism seem to revolve around three central ideas. This is one of the ideas. The second is the idea of taking threats to our country seriously and being pro-active in dealing with them, as Reagan was during the Cold War and as Bush was when we launched a War on Terror that sent us into Iraq. This, I suspect, doesn't mix terribly well with economic conservatism, since war is expensive, and the money for guns and tanks probably can't be got from bake sales.
And then there is social conservatism, the use of the government attempting to uphold traditional values, leading to anti-abortion/gay marriage positions.
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