Right...and by far and large it's rational. If I ask you to paypal me $100...then I'd be willing to bet $90 that you'd want to know why you should do so. Therefore, people engage in trade when the exchange makes sense to both parties. And they continue to trade if it turns out that the exchange was mutually beneficial.
Right now you and I are engaging in trade. You're giving me your time/perspective and I'm giving you my time/perspective. Therefore, we can use economics to understand people's behavior in this thread. Some people found value in exchanging their perspectives/time with me...while others did not. When people have the freedom to choose who they exchange with...we maximize value.
If you notice that your child doesn't look both ways before crossing the street...you'll behave authoritatively in order to modify your child's behavior. But if you behave too authoritatively then you'll stifle your child's individuality. And if you see a parent beating their kid in a store? Do you step in and behave authoritatively?
Democracy provides all of us the opportunity to step in and behave authoritatively. But we should never allow politics to answer economic questions. If voters want drugs to be illegal...then so be it. I disagree but maybe I'm wrong. How much money should be spent on the drug war? That's an economic question which is why it can only be accurately answered by each and every taxpayer considering the opportunity costs.
A lot of people want to get money out of politics. So given that there's already plenty of money in politics...it should be self-evident that many of the same behaviors apply. My argument is that if you take money out of politics...then how can politicians truly gauge people's priorities? Economics is all about putting your money where your mouth is. Therefore, as a pragmatarian...my argument is that taxpayers should be able to put their taxes where their mouths are. This is how we can help ensure that society's limited resources are being used for maximum benefit.
Ron Paul attracts
vulgar libertarians like none other. But
libertarian economics is the foundation of pragmatarianism. And it's not like there are a lot of libertarian forums to choose from...so beggars can't be choosers. So I do my part to try and help vulgar libertarians learn the economic arguments for libertarianism. Most don't respond so well...as you can tell from my reputation.
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