Intellectual Fraud
Economics is the study of human action; history is the written or verbal record of human action. Therefore, today’s philosophical and political debates far from being unique have already been clarified by the historical record. The philosophical debate has long ceased to exist. What we are witnessing in the present is the denial of historical fact and truth by the collectivist's side of the argument. The debate is over intellectual honesty.
Recently as gas prices spiked, we saw the spectacle of Congressional inquiries, Governor’s of states [most notably of Wisconsin] grilling oil executives, and the demagogic outcry for price controls and a windfall profit tax. It was an exhibition of historical ignorance or intellectual dishonesty by the political participants and those who cheered from the sidelines. We have thousands of years of history to show us the ensuing result of price controls [a windfall profit tax is another form of price control. As recent as thirty years ago we imposed the folly of price controls on gasoline and what were the results which are conveniently absent from the arguments of the other side? It was long gas lines; if gas was even available. The ability to receive fuel on any given day was not based on price; but was determined whether your license plate ended in an even or odd number. The freedom to travel was tied to the umbilical cord of those numbers. A two day trip would now take three days; since on one of the days you were not eligible to fill-up. The incomes of sales people was no longer dependent upon their product or abilities; but instead depended on the day of the week and the numbers located at the rear of the car. Also noticeably absent is the recollection of mass unemployment among petroleum workers.
The point of this is not to rehash the debate over gas and price controls; the point is, given the historical evidence, why such a discussion would even take place. It is tantamount to revisiting the debate whether the earth is flat or not. The only reason it would take place is due to the ignorance or intellectual dishonesty of one side. At any given moment resources are scarce and can be allocated either through the workings of the free market or by collective decree. This is a truth which has been in existence since the beginning of human time. We do not need to guess the results of each path for history foretells the consequences of each method; just as the theorems and formulas of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians guide our space-age mathematical calculations of today. Karl Marx and his followers only had to flip back through a few pages of history to see the recorded outcomes of communism. The pilgrims and the settlers at Jamestown had already attempted this experiment and the results were starvation and death. The results of Europe’s and Asia’s experiment with communism were no different, except the numbers who starved and died were in far greater numbers.
The result of allocation by government decree is always the same. Today we debate government allocation of health care and education and almost every facet of life as if we expect to formulate a result different than the past. Government allocation of healthcare will give results similar to government allocation of gas thirty years ago. Patients will face long waits for treatment; if treatment is even available. Whether you live or die could well be decided by the last digit on your license plate. But we do not need to speculate, Canada and Europe have already provided the evidence of such experimentation see story. A friend of mine who is working in London told me last night on this very subject that compared to this country, the British health care system is Medieval. Bluntly, you are afraid of becoming ill!
Government allocation of education is no different, though it may not result in death per se of the person but of their intellect. . Why would we expect any different results from government controlled education then from other such experiments? We have already been given the answer through the history of Sparta, Nazi Germany, Eastern Europe, and Cuba. These were not systems which provided intellectual enlightenment; they were cultures reminiscent of the “dark ages”.
As stated previously, the debate today is over the denial of truth. Today’s educational apologists continue to deny time and again data which shows the decline of student achievement and the costs for such a system. Their logic is void of facts or they provide data which is outdated or a distorted account of the historical record; for it should be obvious that facts and historical evidence unwind their twisted yarn of logic. It is a logic borne of ignorance or that of one found in a pathogenic liar who wishes to mask the thirst for power and personal gain.
spiritofpublicas @ OnTheBorderLine
Recently as gas prices spiked, we saw the spectacle of Congressional inquiries, Governor’s of states [most notably of Wisconsin] grilling oil executives, and the demagogic outcry for price controls and a windfall profit tax. It was an exhibition of historical ignorance or intellectual dishonesty by the political participants and those who cheered from the sidelines. We have thousands of years of history to show us the ensuing result of price controls [a windfall profit tax is another form of price control. As recent as thirty years ago we imposed the folly of price controls on gasoline and what were the results which are conveniently absent from the arguments of the other side? It was long gas lines; if gas was even available. The ability to receive fuel on any given day was not based on price; but was determined whether your license plate ended in an even or odd number. The freedom to travel was tied to the umbilical cord of those numbers. A two day trip would now take three days; since on one of the days you were not eligible to fill-up. The incomes of sales people was no longer dependent upon their product or abilities; but instead depended on the day of the week and the numbers located at the rear of the car. Also noticeably absent is the recollection of mass unemployment among petroleum workers.
The point of this is not to rehash the debate over gas and price controls; the point is, given the historical evidence, why such a discussion would even take place. It is tantamount to revisiting the debate whether the earth is flat or not. The only reason it would take place is due to the ignorance or intellectual dishonesty of one side. At any given moment resources are scarce and can be allocated either through the workings of the free market or by collective decree. This is a truth which has been in existence since the beginning of human time. We do not need to guess the results of each path for history foretells the consequences of each method; just as the theorems and formulas of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians guide our space-age mathematical calculations of today. Karl Marx and his followers only had to flip back through a few pages of history to see the recorded outcomes of communism. The pilgrims and the settlers at Jamestown had already attempted this experiment and the results were starvation and death. The results of Europe’s and Asia’s experiment with communism were no different, except the numbers who starved and died were in far greater numbers.
The result of allocation by government decree is always the same. Today we debate government allocation of health care and education and almost every facet of life as if we expect to formulate a result different than the past. Government allocation of healthcare will give results similar to government allocation of gas thirty years ago. Patients will face long waits for treatment; if treatment is even available. Whether you live or die could well be decided by the last digit on your license plate. But we do not need to speculate, Canada and Europe have already provided the evidence of such experimentation see story. A friend of mine who is working in London told me last night on this very subject that compared to this country, the British health care system is Medieval. Bluntly, you are afraid of becoming ill!
Government allocation of education is no different, though it may not result in death per se of the person but of their intellect. . Why would we expect any different results from government controlled education then from other such experiments? We have already been given the answer through the history of Sparta, Nazi Germany, Eastern Europe, and Cuba. These were not systems which provided intellectual enlightenment; they were cultures reminiscent of the “dark ages”.
As stated previously, the debate today is over the denial of truth. Today’s educational apologists continue to deny time and again data which shows the decline of student achievement and the costs for such a system. Their logic is void of facts or they provide data which is outdated or a distorted account of the historical record; for it should be obvious that facts and historical evidence unwind their twisted yarn of logic. It is a logic borne of ignorance or that of one found in a pathogenic liar who wishes to mask the thirst for power and personal gain.
spiritofpublicas @ OnTheBorderLine
posted by Anonymous @ 1:00 PM
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