I haven't read "Atlas Shrugged," but I agree the premise

Sand Dunes wrote:

RunningDerp wrote:

I’m sure there are “leftists” who don’t understand the burden that regulations put on a business. And I’m sure there are “rightists” who don’t understand the burden that lack of regulations put on consumers.

Thankfully, I think most people fall somewhere in between, and know the obvious truth that there is a need for regulations but that there can also be unnecessary regulations.

The irony of it all is that these big evil 1% and corporations that you leftist despised are the ones that benefit the most from regulations, taxation and licensing laws. Just think for a moment, who has the resources and time to go through all this red tape and lobby for loopholes in new laws and regulations? Hint: it's not the small mom and pa shop.

And those big 1% evil corporations who have no compunction destroying people’s lives to increase their bottom line, they’re the ones who have the money to convince one of the two political parties in this country to have an uncritical allegiance to a “deregulation” ideology. And, of course, Republicans eat it up because they’re told too, not realizing that those corporations who have long since paid for and bought the Republican party will happily destroy your children’s future if it increases the profits for this quarter.

Big business is for more regulations to keep out competition.

Also, this is why I'm opposed to government and politics, and why I'm a anarchist.

Last thing, from my point of views there is no difference between the democrats and Republicans. In fact, I dislike republicans more than democrats, because people falsely believe republicans are pro free market.

P.s. just so you know I use too think just like you did. Than I looked into it and realized the policies that I advocated for did the opposite of what I thought they did.

In fact, I dislike republicans more than democrats, because people falsely believe republicans are pro free market.

P.s. just so you know I use too think just like you did. Than I looked into it and realized the policies that I advocated for did the opposite of what I thought they did.

I actually call myself a Republican, though like you I have a strong dislike for both parties. So many things wrong with each of them. Democrats answer to everything is to raise taxes or create a new tax, and they basically just appear nowadays to be antibusiness in general (i.e. they come of as portraying all business as evil) . Republicans give too much influence to the Religious Right (and their backwards views on homosexuality and gay marriage), and they all too happily sacrifice science at the altar of big business (i.e. it’s one thing to be against imposing regulations on a business due to climate change, but it is an entirely different thing to juat outright deny the global scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change). And of course neither party cares *at all* about fiscal reponsibility.

Basically, there’s things I hate about both parties, but I would rather call myself a republican than democrat because my overarching political ideology is freedom, and that is in theory what the Republican party stands for (though the reality is obviously different, e.g., trying to disallow two grown men or women from marrying one another).

Yoffwe wrote:

You're looking at the picture wrong. They havent produced any wealth. Theyve found a way to hoard a large amount of the societies resources for themselves.

No, you imbecile. They have generated things of real value, that society needed at the time, and that is why they accumulated wealth. If Bill Gates hadn't invented Windows, the whole digital economy etc. would have been delayed. Obviously somebody/some other company would have invented something similar because the market needed it, but even if it was only a year later, that's one year we're behind in one of the pillars of the modern tech world.

It's also good that geniuses like him and Elon Musk are allowed to accumulate such massive wealth and hence power to change the world. It shouldn't be left to politicians who are slaves to the demos.

Well, all I want is to be left alone to voluntarily interact with people. From my point of view if some business owner is screwing over, his employees they are free to leave or form a union and go on strike. And, now and days with the internet and social media it is all to easy to get public support to boycott some business. I believe the regulation we need is the invisible hand of the market.

I am extremely opposed to the warfare/welfare/police state that we have. And, I agree with you that republicans cater too much too the religious.

As far as climate change is concern I believe it is overblown. I use too be a believer, but as time marches on and nothing happend doubt started to grow. Than I realized scientist are very corrupted. That is they will lie/fudge with the data to make it look worse than it really is in order to get more funding.

I agree with you on how both parties are fiscally irresponsible.

Just for future references:

I'm pro:

Liberty, as Thomas Jefferson said, "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small degree of it."

Freedom of choice, including what I put in my body, what and how much I work for.

Lassiez-faire capitalism

Property rights

Natural rights, that is are rights are inalienable, not gifts from the state.

I'm anti:

War/ military industrial complex

Police state, the founding fathers warned us about a standing army

Nanny state

War on everything (drug, poverty, education etc)

The state/government

Central banks

Crony capitalism

As you can tell I'm a pretty hardcore (or as I think of it as being logically consistent Libertarian) Libertarian.

Ad hominem attacks. Classy.

Sure you pick musk and gates. No one ever picks trump or rupert murdoch or any of the other bastards.

I never said 'being a millionaire is wrong and bad'. I said they should pay their fair share still. Buffett and Gates agree.

Dunes, in your view what departments of government are essential? Not in some imagined idealogical perfect example, but today, right now, what would you reduce the US government down to?

Coevett wrote:

If Bill Gates hadn't invented Windows,

Da fuq you just say?