PolicyMic

James E. Miller Government derives its income from force and coercion. Business gets its from voluntary market participants. They will never be one in the same as economization, the use of scarce resources, can never be used as efficiently by the government than b...

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James E. Miller You are right, it was Irving. But you are wrong about LewRockwell, it's the most visited libertarian website in the world. It has syndicated columnists and well respected economists who write for it regularly, one of which I cited. I never ...

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James E. Miller You are confused on your history Zach. Those who helped William Kristol launch the National Review weren't former liberals, they were former communists. http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north180.html I didn't confuse the two ideologies...

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James E. Miller Great article! What's ironic is that neo-conservatism, and even to an extent social conservatism, has its roots in trotskyism. The warhawks and gay haters aren't the limited government warriors they pretend to be, they want government tha...

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James E. Miller Yes! We actually agree Susan! Now will you still hold the same belief if Obama strikes Iran preemptively? I really hope he doesn't but judging by other actions, I have little faith in him holding back.

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James E. Miller But what blowback does that intervention bring John? Look at what we did in South America, Iran, Iraq, even training Al-Qeada. Sure, those might not be your idea of cheap intervention, but picking friends and enemies always creates unforeseen circu...

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James E. Miller Introducing new factors is not changing the argument, I still hold both positions. Again, I will believe the cuts when I see them. Sure, defense budgets can pass but they are often supplemented later with appropriation bills. What does the lef...

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James E. Miller John, just please succintly state what you support. Despite the massive spending and blowback it creates, you suppor the U.S.'s role as a global policeman that picks and intervenes into which ever conflicts it sees fit. For if the Pentagon rea...

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James E. Miller Um, the article never confirmed what country they were from. Where have you proven the cuts have occurred? Show me the Pentagon's budget and prove its fixed in spending I am bringing up other factors, I didn't change the subject. Th...

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James E. Miller Here is your proof John: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/30/western-troops-on-ground-libya Again, I will believe these cuts when I see them. Talk is talk. So because a dictator invites us, everything is great? Museveni violently sup...

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James E. Miller 1. Is that a cut in the growth of defense spending? I am genuinely asking because I have heard that military spending will still increase at a rate higher than the proposed cuts. Again, I will believe the cuts when I see them anyway. 2. So sending...

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James E. Miller Obama is cutting the growth of spending in the military budget, there are no real cuts. I only believe real cuts are coming when I see them. If what you said about Obama were true, I would praise him. But I doubt the cuts in spending are coming,...

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James E. Miller Um, and how exactly is raising taxes not pillaging what's left of the economy? Do you truly believe that government officials are capable of the same type of economiziation individuals are who only derive their income from consentual transactio...

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James E. Miller This article "debate" was marketed as a type of Obama vs. Romney vs. Paul. I thought with three authors, there would be a different supporter of each. Instead, it's an Obama vs. Romney affair. Why don't they just run on the sam...

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James E. Miller This "debate" is based on incredibly small differences between the candidates. There are two choices: either the warmongering, Wall Street loving candidates of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney or the peaceful and true free market candidacy of ...

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James E. Miller It's not ridiculous at all Susan. I clearly implied that you have two choices in this scenario. You dodged, as I suspect you know you can't make a decision without appearing discriminatory. So I ask you again, who would you have mow you...

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James E. Miller Simple question Susan, would you rather pay a teenage boy to mow your lawn or a 80 year old lady? If you can answer the question without discriminating based on gender, age, or disability, I will really be impressed.

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James E. Miller When I watched Stossel's special, he interviewed a few Indians and cited studies. I am sure selective bias played a role in this, but he did do a bit of homework. And he also highlighted an individual in particular in tribal land with strict p...

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James E. Miller Yes, actually I have. Was his assessment wrong? I mean, many tribal lands are very impoverished and alcoholism seems to be a problem. Stossel attributed those problems to a lack of concrete property rights. Historically, a lack of property rights...

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James E. Miller Do you really have any clue about Stossel's opinions Lawrence? I think you would agree with him on civil liberties and foreign policy. Much like how you preach about the mistake of judging one group by association, you shouldn't throw a...

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James E. Miller Young people know just as much as any age bracket; they vote for special favors from an institution that owns no resources and just transfers income from one group to another. This is the universal trend of democracy- it's not bound to just o...

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James E. Miller For someone who claims to be a Ron Paul fan to vote for Obama shows some irrational logic. Obama's "cuts" to the defense industry are merely cuts in the growth of spending. Obama has set the precedent for assassinating American citiz...

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James E. Miller Those who support central banking support a banking cartel that benefits from new money before everyone else. They essentially support outright fascism. Money is not an end for wealth creation, it is only a means. Believing that prosperity comes...

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James E. Miller Governments lie, cheat, and steal. I would never trust it with the money supply. What the hell does Argentina's peg have to do with anything? It was pegged to a fiat currency!!! Money printing solves nothing, it papers over problems. The ...

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James E. Miller How is gold not a great instrument for international finance? Everybody knows what it is! How are a great number of competing currencies that are beholden to the will of central bankers a better and more stable instrument compared to a precious meta...

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James E. Miller 2. The dollar has lost 95% of its purchasing power since 1913, gold maintains its purchasing power. The run up in the gold price was a function of dollar debasement, if you don't understand that, then I am at a loss. The gold standard market...

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James E. Miller 3. Ben this is getting ridiculous, you clearly didn't read the article to show that gold has held its purchasing power over time. It is the value of the dollar that affects its climb in price. You are confused on the obvious correlation. 4....

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James E. Miller 1. An increase in the price of gold means that, under a gold standard, gold would be able to purchase more food. But of course gold is only reacting to money debasement all over the world, so you point is mute for it is the dollar that is losing val...

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James E. Miller All of your deflation scares are a function of previous inflationary policies. It is just the market trying to correct itself after being manipulated by the Fed. One final note on gold, from John Tamny: "Indeed, as Brookes calculated in his e...

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James E. Miller Let's see Ben, the annual CPI is at 3.4%. The core CPI is at 2.2%. Food is at 4.6%. Energy at 14.% http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm Producer price index is at 5.7% for the year. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm ...

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James E. Miller You ever stop to think that gold's volatility is, I don't know, a function of the erratic monetary policy of governments around the world? Sure there are short term fluctuations, that's what happens in markets. The dollar is only sli...

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James E. Miller "Also, basic economic theory is based on the rational choices of market participants. It is irrational to use personal prejudice in determining who to sell your goods to; if the price is market-driven, the transaction should take place to the be...

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James E. Miller In the 1970's, an ounce of gold bought 15 barrels of oil. Today, an ounce buys about 15-20 barrels, yeah Ben, it's real volatile. Di you even read the article I linked? Looking at the price of gold alone doesn't tell you the whole s...

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James E. Miller Thank you for agreeing with me on gold's value John. Gold has had a very stable value for decades. Ben doesn't see that.

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James E. Miller John, what are you talking about? What you said is completely right, but I never denied such an assertion. The price of anything is determined by the pure subjective value of the buyer, I never said that was wrong.

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James E. Miller This is getting tiring Ben. First you misunderstand the role gold has played in the past by falsely stating that gold doesn't hold value which is completely false. Then you say that only by forcing business and property owners to serve other cu...

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James E. Miller Yes, the government still holding gold would be a problem, but that was a function of the previous gold standard. I would rather the government sell the gold back to the private sector in some capacity. You are completely wrong on the complexity o...

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James E. Miller But forcing a shopowner to serve someone on their property is a violation of their natural liberty! How is that not obvious!? You are making up rules for the society you prefer and pretending that they are just. If you believe in the social contr...

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James E. Miller If you don't see the disadvantage of violence coercion, also known as taxation, then I can't help you. Same if you can't see the advantage of the free market's choice of money for thousands of years known as gold. You can'...

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James E. Miller What about that sellers liberty to deny your patronage? Who's property rights should be sacrosanct? The person who agrees to sell their property or the person wanting the seller forced into selling their property? Your attributing discrimin...

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James E. Miller Okay, it's tough to see sarcasm through type sometimes. You still confuse what a free market is though and how it already contains such "protections" by offering free barrier to entry. Government intervention distorts as much as it i...

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James E. Miller Well it's a good thing your fellow veterans vehemently disagree with you on Paul.

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James E. Miller How does one person asserting their authority over the land they own "hurt" someone?

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James E. Miller Are you seriously asserting that there is a difference between prejudicial treatment on association and based on known tastes? Is that a joke? You are engaged in nonsensical semantics. If I want to be in the company of others that share my beliefs...

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James E. Miller "Maximum social benefit = 100" What does that mean Ben? How are you able to quantify a human valuation? I say maximum social benefit = 37. Who is correct? Fiat currency having value is based on the fact that we are forced to pay tax...

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James E. Miller Caplan is who is wrong, he assumes all market participants have perfect information. If this is the case Benjamin, go find me data on how much the Fed will increaes the monetary base a year from now. Find what interest rates will be. Find how much...

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James E. Miller Fiat currency isn't backed by anything but political promsises. You have no clue how a real currency system works, everything you listed can be prevented under a free market gold standard. We discriminate every single day Ben. When you cho...

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James E. Miller My comment was only based off our previous discussions Lawrence, forgive me for not knowing your own personal history. I guess I was supposed to be a mind reader in some capacity. But from our earlier discussions, you are in favor of affirmative ...

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James E. Miller "Federal Reserve Notes must be accepted as legal tender from any and all businesses." Yes, and that's the problem, that we are all forced to use a currency designated by the government. Why shouldn't I be allowed to walk into ...

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James E. Miller And who are you to go around picking "acceptable reasons" for everyone? How is a business not private property? And just because the KKK has a horrid history doesn't mean the individual KKK member in my hypothetical ever committed a ...

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James E. Miller Do you have evidence of such causation? How do you know such a result was not due to other facts (increased productivity, greater capital base, adoption of stricter property rights protection) but just foreign aid?

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James E. Miller You haven't a clue what freedom is Lawrence. You think freedom comes from the barrel of the government's gun. 1- Well then you should understand the resentment many of those in Middle Eastern countries feel toward us. 2- I want the m...

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James E. Miller Oh geez Max, don't ask such pertinent questions, you put the chickenhawks in such an awkward place. It's just a shame that we can't understand why undermining the sovereignty of foreign countries, propping up dictators, ousting demo...

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James E. Miller I am glad you love how Wall Street benefits at the expense of everyone else by government decree*

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James E. Miller Feel free to answer Lawrence.

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James E. Miller 1. Of course we aren't doing that in China, I was implying that's what we are doing in the Middle East. How was that not obvious? 2. So the Fed underpins the world economy by.....blowing it up with low interest rates that create bubbles...

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James E. Miller The author would do well to understand what peace and liberty actually are. Mr. Cetina, how would you feel if Chinese forces roamed your streets, kicked down your door, searched your house, and shot your neighbors? Mr. Cetina, do you take gre...

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