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Post by SimSim on Jul 1, 2011 15:15:06 GMT -5
There is a libertarian festival every year in New Hampster Hampshire which NPR had a little coverage of this morning. It really hammers home the problems with libertarianism. US Dollars aren't accepted as currency, but gold and silver are. But not only that, different vendors except different forms of silver. But for me this is epitome of libertarian moronicness. But of course no government means no official inspection stating that George washes his hands or that he keeps his bacon cold. As I'm asking about food safety, we are interrupted by another customer, who happens to have a handgun strapped to his belt.
"We'll regulate him," he says. "If he poisons me, I won't buy his food. And he'll be done." Sure, assuming you don't get sick enough that you need to go see a doctor. That you can somehow prove it was his food, and not some other food vendor and if you can convince enough people to boycott. There's more here. www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/01/137534361/breakfast-at-libertarian-summer-camp?sc=17&f=1001 |
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Post by Thejebusfire on Jul 1, 2011 15:21:03 GMT -5
I knew someone who lost a loved one of theirs to food posioning. Apperantly he ate at resturant that served bad meat, and was dead within a few weeks.
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Post by Amaranth on Jul 1, 2011 15:35:31 GMT -5
And assuming people don't shrug and say "survival of the fittest, you blithering idiot."
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Post by Vene on Jul 1, 2011 17:08:33 GMT -5
Germany is currently having issues with an E. coli epidemic linked to organic bean sprouts. It's killed a few people. Good times are being had by all.
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Post by Smurfette Principle on Jul 1, 2011 17:30:07 GMT -5
Welcome to New Hampshire, where we take our state motto literally.
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Post by MaybeNever on Jul 1, 2011 17:35:09 GMT -5
"Not a Hamster!"
Words to live by.
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Post by Smurfette Principle on Jul 1, 2011 17:39:38 GMT -5
"Not a Hamster!" Words to live by. ;D Quiet, you! Actually, it's "Live Free Or Die." And that is why we don't have income taxes, sales taxes, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, or common sense. |
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Post by MaybeNever on Jul 1, 2011 17:44:57 GMT -5
I hear it was toughened up by early patriots, who opposed the more neutral, conciliatory motto, "Live Free or Don't".
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Post by Rat Of Steel on Jul 1, 2011 18:30:05 GMT -5
"Not a Hamster!" Words to live by. ;D Quiet, you! Actually, it's "Live Free Or Die." And that is why we don't have income taxes, sales taxes, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, or common sense. Well, the lack of helmet or seat-belt laws, I can support (when you're only putting your own life at risk, the law should step in rarely, if at all). Lack of income taxes, ditto (less taxation of a thing tends to encourage the growth of it). No sales tax....ehh, not so much (not only do governments need at least some tax revenue, but taxes on the purchase of things other than, say, basic food staples, would encourage consumers to spend more wisely). Lack of common sense is, of course, all kinds of wrong; the real sticking point is that even reasonable people disagree regularly concerning just what constitutes common sense regarding law-making. |
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Post by SimSim on Jul 1, 2011 18:36:19 GMT -5
Just because there isn't sales tax doesn't mean things aren't taxed. I live in a state without sales tax and some items, alcohol in particular, are essentially taxed behind the scenes. I pay more for a 6 pack here than I do in states with sales tax. It might be a similar thing is done in NH.
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Post by Smurfette Principle on Jul 1, 2011 18:38:53 GMT -5
Just because there isn't sales tax doesn't mean things aren't taxed. I live in a state without sales tax and some items, alcohol in particular, are essentially taxed behind the scenes. I pay more for a 6 pack here than I do in states with sales tax. It might be a similar thing is done in NH. We have vice taxes, but not above the national average. Recently a bill went through that would lower the tax on cigarettes, but I don't know if it went through. |
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Post by Vene on Jul 1, 2011 18:57:01 GMT -5
;D Quiet, you! Actually, it's "Live Free Or Die." And that is why we don't have income taxes, sales taxes, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, or common sense. Well, the lack of helmet or seat-belt laws, I can support (when you're only putting your own life at risk, the law should step in rarely, if at all. There's a problem with this, the idea that your actions don't effect other people. The government has a vested interest in keeping you alive, it has invested time and money into you (often a good example is public schools). And a society as a whole has an interest in keeping its citizens alive, a dead populace doesn't a good society make. There is also that with things like seat belts and helmets is people will often survive a crash long enough to make it to a hospital and doing so means the society is spending its resources to keep you alive now instead of doing the much simpler preventative act. And since the injuries are more severe the societal cost is greater and it is also less likely the victim will survive so the efforts trying to keep them alive are more likely to be futile. Oh, and bodies fly and that corpse-to-be can do a lot of damage to people/their property. Not to mention that the idea that not wearing a seat belt makes you more free is asinine. It has no negative ramifications for you, as an individual. |
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Post by scotsgit on Jul 1, 2011 19:00:27 GMT -5
I know someone else who died because of food poisoning. They served some past-sell-by meat and the libertarian who decided to hell with food regulations and bought it anyway. Then came back and shot the vendor. So he died of food poisoning, just not his OWN. (Disclaimer: I am in no way attempting to make fun of Jebusfire or her friends affected by a senseless tragedy. I was merely making a very tasteless joke.) I've had salmonella poisoning, it's horrendous; you have to wash in cold water because even lukewarm water turns your stomach inside out. I went through it for a whole winter, left me near death and unable to do my course because you can't sit in a lecture theatre when you have to run out every 5 minutes to the toilet.  |
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Post by MaybeNever on Jul 1, 2011 19:01:15 GMT -5
I know someone else who died because of food poisoning. They served some past-sell-by meat and the libertarian who decided to hell with food regulations and bought it anyway. Then came back and shot the vendor. So he died of food poisoning, just not his OWN. (Disclaimer: I am in no way attempting to make fun of Jebusfire or her friends affected by a senseless tragedy. I was merely making a very tasteless joke.) I've had salmonella poisoning, it's horrendous; you have to wash in cold water because even lukewarm water turns your stomach inside out. I went through it for a whole winter, left me near death and unable to do my course because you can't sit in a lecture theatre when you have to run out every 5 minutes to the toilet. Probably because of socialism. |
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Post by scotsgit on Jul 1, 2011 19:03:14 GMT -5
I've had salmonella poisoning, it's horrendous; you have to wash in cold water because even lukewarm water turns your stomach inside out. I went through it for a whole winter, left me near death and unable to do my course because you can't sit in a lecture theatre when you have to run out every 5 minutes to the toilet. Probably because of socialism. Well, according to US libertarians, I do live in a socialist country.... |
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