{"id":44655,"date":"2017-10-21T14:14:33","date_gmt":"2017-10-21T20:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=44655"},"modified":"2017-10-21T21:35:43","modified_gmt":"2017-10-22T03:35:43","slug":"some-thoughts-on-socialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/10\/some-thoughts-on-socialism.html","title":{"rendered":"Some thoughts on socialism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Von<\/a>
Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Wikimedia Commons public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Some quotations from one of the greatest economists \u2014 and, certainly, one of the greatest economists of the free market \u2014 of the twentieth century, Ludwig von Mises (whom, alas, I never met):<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever wants peace among nations must seek to limit the state and its influence most strictly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe champions of socialism call themselves progressives, but they recommend a system which is characterized by rigid observance of routine and by a resistance to every kind of improvement. They call themselves liberals, but they are intent upon abolishing liberty. They call themselves democrats, but they yearn for dictatorship. They call themselves revolutionaries, but they want to make the government omnipotent. They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Every man but one a subordinate clerk in a bureau.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs a rule, capitalism is blamed for the undesired effects of a policy directed\u00a0at its elimination. The man who sips his morning coffee does not say, \u201cCapitalism has brought this beverage to my breakfast table.\u201d But when he reads in the papers that the government of Brazil has ordered part of the coffee crop destroyed, he does not say, \u201cThat is government for you\u201d; he exclaims, \u201cThat is capitalism for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a nice, short little video that was, I think, brought to my attention by Doug Ealy:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHow\u2019s Socialism Doing in Venezuela?: \u00a0When \u2018#<\/span>FeelTheBern\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0refers to hunger pains.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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Note Hugo Chavez\u2019s use of the slogan \u201cHope and Change\u201d \u2014 well before Barack Obama\u2019s use of it.<\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a follow-up, in some ways, to my post \u201cIn some respects, the Mormon lifestyle may not be so bad AFTER all\u201d<\/a> from earlier this morning:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHollywood Confirms Plans To Continue Saying Conservatives Hate Women\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPuerto Rico Issues Travel Ban on Malignant Narcissists\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It looks \u2014 see \u201cOf politics, personality disorders, and me\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 as if neither President Trump nor I will be visiting Puerto Rico anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cBoy Scouts To Allow Old Men Into Cub Scouts Program\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m far from an uncritically enthusiastic fan of California\u2019s perpetual governor, Jerry Brown, but there are and always have been things that I like about him. \u00a0And I\u2019m very pleased about his stance in this matter, which I think can almost fairly be described as heroic:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJerry Brown Vetoes a Bill to Curtail Religious Liberty, and the Left Reacts\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Brown Protects First Amendment Rights of Religious Organizations by Vetoing AB 569\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s sobering to realize that there was only one person \u2014 Jerry Brown \u2014 standing in the breach to thwart\u00a0the California legislature\u2019s imposition of what seems to me flagrant tyranny.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I lament what has happened to my beloved home state.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Posted from Carmel, Indiana<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Some quotations from one of the greatest economists \u2014 and, certainly, one of the greatest economists of the free market \u2014 of the twentieth century, Ludwig von Mises (whom, alas, I never met): \u00a0 \u201cThe worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.\u201d \u00a0 \u201cWhoever wants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSome thoughts on socialism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"      Some quotations from one of the greatest economists -- and, certainly, one of the greatest economists of the free market -- of the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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