tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post6943191245287518176..comments2024-03-26T04:21:43.535-05:00Comments on Free Association: Wall Street Couldn’t Have Done It AloneSheldon Richmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672237234580563637noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-9315372138136179682011-10-17T23:26:10.265-05:002011-10-17T23:26:10.265-05:00While thinking more on this whole libertarians int...While thinking more on this whole libertarians interacting with the occupiers thing, I was reminded of Austen Heller in Rand's "The Fountainhead". While the book was probably the least pro-freedom of Rand's works, the scene where Heller speaks at the same rally as Toohey certainly comes to mind. So I'm all for trying to reach them, as long as we don't adopt their terminology and repackage our ideas to suit them. When libertarians reached out to the paleocons all those years ago they did damage to the freedom message that still hurts us.dennisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-53293779164093132832011-10-08T10:25:54.670-05:002011-10-08T10:25:54.670-05:00Recently, on another site, I was in an argument wi...Recently, on another site, I was in an argument with a certain ultra-right wing person about the functions of banks.<br /><br />"The business of banks is to make money...Duhhh" is what this person said.<br /><br />Really? I thought the business of banks was to provide a series of services, including safekeeping of one's earnings and provision of finance at reasonable terms so one doesn't, you know, have to borrow from the local mafia boss or moneylender. It's when the bank itself starts acting like a mafia boss or moneylender that problems start. That's why regulatory bodies exist.<br /><br />But what happens when the regulatory bodies, and the government which controls them, start acting like a mafia boss or moneylender?<br /><br />I think the people occupying Wall Street know the answer.Bill the Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08436195659154078021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-28990376656079559962011-10-08T06:32:56.659-05:002011-10-08T06:32:56.659-05:00Or perhaps get it published in the Occupied Wall S...Or perhaps get it published in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/occupied-wall-street-journal_n_996560.html" rel="nofollow">Occupied Wall Street Journal</a>.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006904787527262772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-22422842381535526792011-10-08T06:19:39.209-05:002011-10-08T06:19:39.209-05:00It would be nice to see this next to Naomi Klein&#...It would be nice to see this next to <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/163844/occupy-wall-street-most-important-thing-world-now" rel="nofollow">Naomi Klein's piece in The Nation</a>.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006904787527262772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-67482368686231949702011-10-07T13:55:15.217-05:002011-10-07T13:55:15.217-05:00Who vindicated Wall Street?Who vindicated Wall Street?Sheldon Richmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672237234580563637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-55168518975244184142011-10-07T13:44:09.875-05:002011-10-07T13:44:09.875-05:00Even so, I wouldn't vindicate Wall St. Going a...Even so, I wouldn't vindicate Wall St. Going after the state without going after the rich in hopes of creating a stateless society would be the equivalent of trying to overthrow a monarchy simply by assassinating the king; chances are, another noble would take his place. Same thing here: get rid of the state without going after the corporate fatcats and the fatcats would just bring the state back as they have every incentive to want it back. Heck, the rich will be the first people to resist any kind of transition to statelessness (seeing as how, just like you pointed out, they're the ones who benefit the most from having a state). It's a lot more complex than just "the state created Wall St." and would take a lot more than just attacking the state to solve it.Julia Riber Pitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03006439247714055292noreply@blogger.com