CCTelander
06-13-2010, 03:38 PM
Good advice.
Who Benefits
by Jim Davidson
Special to The Libertarian Enterprise
"Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Roscio Amerino
The famous Lucius Cassius, whom the Roman people used to regard as a very honest and wise judge, was in the habit of asking, time and again, 'To whose benefit?'
Thus writes Marcus Tullius Cicero in his famous "Pro Roscio Amerino." Roscius of Ameria was a notoriously-accused patricide, and Cicero's speech was in his defence. Roscius was almost certainly innocent of the crime, and the accusation was notorious because it was part of the dictator Sulla's "enemies list" project. Cicero's speech is considered an essential document of Roman history. You should read it.
A conversation on Travis Eby's page about agorism prompted me to think about this question. Who benefits? In particular, who benefits from you being in a condition of learned helplessness?
You say you aren't? But I suspect that you really are. Do you grow your own food? Do you have food at home sufficient to feed yourself for a year? Do you have your own water well? Do you have your own weapons? Can you and your family defend your homestead from all comers? I suspect that the answer is no, in a very great many cases.
"No," you say, "I can't do all that, but I have no need. Division of labour works great. The economy is just fine. The people who put chlorine and fluoride and possibly other poisons in my drinking water are excellent folks who send me a monthly bill which is paid by automatic deduction from my bank account. Really, I don't even glance at it."
Yes, division of labour works, but who benefits? Specialisation works to make it possible for you to apply only a particular set of skills while deriving sufficient economic surplus to let you pay rent, buy water, shop for groceries and sundries, and pay really a huge amount in taxes—sales taxes, inventory taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, income taxes, withholding taxes, excise taxes, import taxes, export licence fees, etc., etc., ad nauseum, ad infinitum.
The rest can be found here:
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle574-20100613-07.html
Enjoy.
Who Benefits
by Jim Davidson
Special to The Libertarian Enterprise
"Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Roscio Amerino
The famous Lucius Cassius, whom the Roman people used to regard as a very honest and wise judge, was in the habit of asking, time and again, 'To whose benefit?'
Thus writes Marcus Tullius Cicero in his famous "Pro Roscio Amerino." Roscius of Ameria was a notoriously-accused patricide, and Cicero's speech was in his defence. Roscius was almost certainly innocent of the crime, and the accusation was notorious because it was part of the dictator Sulla's "enemies list" project. Cicero's speech is considered an essential document of Roman history. You should read it.
A conversation on Travis Eby's page about agorism prompted me to think about this question. Who benefits? In particular, who benefits from you being in a condition of learned helplessness?
You say you aren't? But I suspect that you really are. Do you grow your own food? Do you have food at home sufficient to feed yourself for a year? Do you have your own water well? Do you have your own weapons? Can you and your family defend your homestead from all comers? I suspect that the answer is no, in a very great many cases.
"No," you say, "I can't do all that, but I have no need. Division of labour works great. The economy is just fine. The people who put chlorine and fluoride and possibly other poisons in my drinking water are excellent folks who send me a monthly bill which is paid by automatic deduction from my bank account. Really, I don't even glance at it."
Yes, division of labour works, but who benefits? Specialisation works to make it possible for you to apply only a particular set of skills while deriving sufficient economic surplus to let you pay rent, buy water, shop for groceries and sundries, and pay really a huge amount in taxes—sales taxes, inventory taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, income taxes, withholding taxes, excise taxes, import taxes, export licence fees, etc., etc., ad nauseum, ad infinitum.
The rest can be found here:
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle574-20100613-07.html
Enjoy.