Re: capitalist religion (was: NANO: _Forbes_ cover story)

From: Tiberius Gracchus (
Date: Wed Jul 18 2001 - 06:23:16 MDT

On Wed, 18 Jul 2001 06:50:15 -0700, you wrote:

>Truly, but the way big companies and individuals usually get power is by
>taking control of or getting favors from the government. In fact, the
>latter is almost always the case. Companies use regulations to keep out
>competitors or to get subsidies. Individuals can do the same. It all
>requires that a regulatory state exists in the first place. If the
>government's power was limited in the extreme, then less of this predation
>would go on.

This is really the root of the Libertarian argument! But it is deeply
flawed: with no govt, the rich/ the professional
associations/corporations/lobbyists will just buy squads of goons to
get their way. Oh you say the govt will enforce law and order (as is
its task under the libertarian ideal) and will deal with the goons?
And so then the govt must have money to hire people to do this
task...and so then the rich/professional associations/corporate
lobbyists will then buy the now-powerful govt formed to stop them.
And of course whatever they do, they always grease the rails with
media propaganda....catch 22.

Why not just start out with the assumption that the rich/professional
assocation/corps, et al will attempt to have their way through
whatever means, and go from there.
This is the NATURE of the social animal: powerful individuals, and
groups of individuals will attempt to better their own lot though
whatever means. So acknowledge it and deal with it.

  Isn't that the reasonable, logical avenue? I thought
extropianism/transhumanism was all about logic....

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