The reality is that Rand Paul’s beloved libertarianism can only be realized in an authoritarian oligarchy where average people lack the resources or political power to have a real say, like in Russia
Libertarianism always ends up in Plutocracy. In practice it's about the freedom for the wealthy to rule in a way that benefits themselves. Putin would be a perfect example. The Republican candidates running for POTUS in 2024 are all owned by either the Koch Networks (DeSantis & Rubio) or the Robert Mercer Stable (Trump, Cruz, & Hawley). Paul seems to lean toward the Putin camp. All are capable of crossover, depending on where the funds are coming from. Cruz, when he ran for Mercer in 2016, advocated for a return to the gold standard and a 10% flat tax. Those policies would have ended in an irreparable depression and debt crisis.
From today’s blog: [libertarians believe that] representative democracy is “mob rule” and therefore should be subordinated to the “magic of the marketplace.”
But rule by the marketplace IS mob rule — a mob of heartless rich bastards!
It’s highly doubtful that the average bubbas in the wild, instinctually voting “R” like eating, sex, and guns, give a damn about the finer points of Ayn Rand, objectivism, and libertarianism. They instantly recognize ultimate selfishness with no further prompting.
And in the heat of the hunt (think Elon Musk), they relish the challenge, only caring about satisfying their own needs and wants, no matter how craven. Anything or anyone even hinting at the slightest curtailment of their every whim and desire triggers primal fear and undying hate. Altruistic intervention for the survival of humanity and the planet escapes their retarded comprehension, lost in fits of blind ambition and rage.
So, true to form, they instinctually lash out without thinking or worrying about consequences. Lizard-brains are cold-hearted predators, deceptive by nature, who instantly recognize both allies in spirit, lying through forked tongues as easily as breathing, and natural enemies: DemocRATS! (both big-D and little-d).
So they nest together in the pits of Republicanism, wallowing in mutual hatred of liberals, hissing at anything smelling progressive that might shine light onto their squirming masses, finding solace in darkness. They only emerge in their true form every two years to strike at the heart of democracy, softening up their prey (us) with numbing venom for the eventual kill.
Some say… the collective consciousness of their reptilian subspecies is on a path of backward evolution, reverting to a more primitive shell of their original selves in the lower echelons of the animal kingdom, after having pissed off the great and powerful Overlord of the Universe for being total assholes. Makes sense.
The fraternal connection goes beyond politics; people gravitate toward their "tribe". I don't know if Senator Paul lacks a conscience, but I do know he is relentless and ruthless, as is Putin. When someone gets in their way, that person is going to SUFFER. We have all witnessed how Rand Paul and other Republican senators have persecuted Dr. Fauci for just doing his job. They know damn well this puts Dr. Fauci and his family in danger.
Rand Paul, Putin, and many Republicans have a real need to have a punching bag, and they are always "punching down". Sometimes they misjudge just how that will go, and they get punched back.
These are broken people who think nothing of their duty to the people of their country or of breaking their oath of office.
Isn't anyone seeing the Paradox? "Every (man!) for himself" is the same thing as "Every (man, woman and child) subservient to their feudal lord." Thom makes a fundamental error. The people are NOT practical. Here in CA they have voted forever for monopolization of utilities, for instance. This Fall, who doesn't expect them to VOTE FOR Trump's tax breaks to beggar the rest of us? (Just a tip of the iceberg symbol.) Trump is sadly right about the nature of most of us go-along, get-along suckers. The losers will vote against themselves. Same-O, same-O.
No, people are NOT practical. We can't forget that we in California voted for Reagan long before the nation as a whole did - and we did not even have Iranian hostages removed from Jimmy Carter's clutches to delude us (they were Reagan's hostages from the fall of 1980). He promised Iran all those forbidden weapons parts if they would hold them until the inauguration.
I lived not far from Barbara Honegger, who had quit after a brief time as Reagan's campaign manager, so I learned of it early, and I believed her. I also learned from her that a number of Secret Service agents present at the negotiations asked, fruitlessly, to be heard by Congress. Other than a few, not many people in this country ever heard of the October Surprise as anything but what might benefit Jimmy Carter - until the Iran-Contra hearings, late in H.W.'s reign. And now Reagan's part in the October Surprise is just a conspiracy theory. Does this country have no factual history? What does that portend for our future? How do we navigate from an ephemeral base of fairy tales?
The first casualty in the "conservative's" war of ideas is truth. Clubbing them on the head with empirical reality 24/7 is a good first step -- not necessarily to change their closed minds but to expose their insanity to the world, sunlight being the best disinfectant.
People are as practical as their learning and conditions allow. There are plenty of downward spiral milestones that our democracy has suffered since Nixon was pardoned. Besides empowering the morbidly rich with the ability to control our government’s decision-making, I can’t think of anything more consequential than the defunding of public education, thus leading to millions of poorly educated citizens who make perfect targets for the big grift. It’s no coincidence that what has followed are cultural events and dynamics that encourage the coarsening of our social intercourse while eschewing critical thinking skills. So the answer is that we need to stop the oligarchs from autocratizing our country and we must invest in role model education for our fellow citizens. Who knew it could be so simple?
Allowing development of the right orbital pre-frontal cortex before the age of two would help a lot. But Reagan took that off the table when he forced this country into neo-liberalism, which cut wages so severely that most families needed two incomes to exist. That meant child care at a vulnerable age for many infants and barely-toddlers. We all have heard endless complaints from employees of child care centers regarding pay and over work. I know most of them would love to have the time to hold each of those children and look lovingly into their eyes, which stimulates the flow of oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and the one that is critical for development of that pre-frontal cortex. Without it, the victim will inevitably be on some portion of the sociopathic spectrum. I know many frustrated moms and dads tried their best to provide enough time for this miracle to happen, but only the most persistent and energetic of them succeeded. Too many surrendered to their exhaustion after coming home from work, knowing that dinner had to be cooked and served soon so they could get to bed and go to work the next day. They were frazzled and numb, so they sat in front of the TV to take their minds off work as they fed their children. Going to soccer games and school plays helps, but it is not enough. It is all very sad. We do not just need an increase of parental leave from seven weeks. We need two years! This country and all countries! At least one loving adult needs to be with the child for long enough each day to just be with them. Feeding is the perfect distance if they are held close with a bottle, feeding with a breast is always best and most natural.
Your points about early learning are spot on and I think would make a great subject for Thom's "Daily Take." I've heard him discuss this topic in the past and what used to pass for a living wage before the infestation of corporatist rule in our government now takes at least two jobs for millions of households. The negative externalities of this dynamic are staggering. I wonder how many of Trump's cultists were latchkey kids while they were growing up?
This idea struck me around 15 years ago. Sometime later I shared it with a friend, who then heard a talk by a noted neurologist, Dr. Scaer (yeah, great name for a neurologist who specializes in trauma!), who said he thought this could well mean the end of civilization as we know it. So, yes. I think a huge portion of Trump's base were latchkey kids. The most vulnerable were those from the deep south. How someone on the sociopathic scale lives their lives depends on how they were otherwise raised, and their culture.
We have a morality issue in US politicians. With few exceptions, we are born with the ability to know right from wrong. For example, I don't need a law against chopping puppies in half to know it isn't acceptable behavior.
A major issue today is that our politicians APPARENTLY cannot tell right from wrong. I don't know what laws the traitors broke in the terrorist attack on our capitol on Jan 6th 2021, but I know with 100% certainty that what they did was HORRIBLY wrong.
Yet, politicians don't seem to notice - for long.
I don't believe that ANY citizen thinks the attempted coup last Jan 6th is "OK". NaziRepublican Part worshippers are willingly fooled, but I can't remember any of them saying it was OK on Jan 7th.
Yet, we have two political parties both attempting to use the attack on our democracy FOR POLITICAL ADVANTAGE.
How can we respect them? Neither party realizes that creating a civilized society requires that we be absolutely intolerant of any behavior that reduces the level of civilization. Both parties CLEARLY understood the attempted coup was wrong, yet both parties dropped their initial "we have to act now" attitude within DAYS, and hooked up the milking machine instead.
The only hope for America is creating a political party dedicated to advancing civilization.
Fortunately, we are really close to replacing 50% of the D party lying corrupt thieves with patriots. We should make it this Congressional Election.
Unfortunately, those on the fringe right think the insurrection was an act of patriotism, which is becoming increasingly acceptable in mainstream Republican circles.
Liberals and progressives will lose in November when the Democratic Party loses, thanks to false equivalency and bothsidesism, comparing an ant to an elephant, conflating the relatively minor transgressions of Democrats with the truly monumental crimes of a full-blown fascist party under the banner of Trump's "big lie."
Please point out lies of equal scale spread by the one party with the only viable chance to defeat the fascists -- an historic turning point ONLY possible IF people don't succumb to cynical defeatism, cut through the bullshit, and cast their votes wisely.
I don't understand your comment. My comment is that by not behaving in a civilized manner - that is by not enforcing laws on politicians - the two political parties destroy their own credibility.
Never mind who lied the best or most, if ANY political party simply started behaving like we teach children to behave, it would be a landslide from that moment on.
Wrong! The present political catastrophe in America (and the world) is 100 percent about who is lying "the best or most."
In case you haven't noticed, Trump's Big Lie is tearing our democracy apart limb by limb, and Putin's Big lie is teasing nuclear war. Lumping both parties together in the same "basket of deplorables" may be trendy in the faux-intellecual, mushy middle of political thought, but it is a completely false argument. And a dangerous one.
Yes, of course, most politicians lie to some degree, as most humans do, not being fully sentient beings. But the Democratic Party is in an existential battle to save our dying democracy from a party going full fascist. The scale of lying by the Republican Party is the whole point.
The main tool of every authoritarian in history to undermine democracy at the core, in the minds of voters, is to lie on such a scale that the gullible simply refuse to accept that their beloved leaders would be so brazen and shameless. And so they believe the lies despite the evidence to the contrary.
It is very late in this deadly game and time to pick a side. This is total war on the fundamental freedoms of the People enshrined in the Constitution, one that Republicans started all on their own to cling to power.
You should not be teaching children false equivalency!
The truth is, while 100% of one party and 60% of the other party are completely sold out to special interests, neither represents us. Yeah, one is worse, but frankly, NONE would be better.
While it is legal for judges and other politicians to sell influence, they will do so, BECAUSE IT IS LEGAL. I would love to say I'd turn down millions in bribes, but nobody is offering.
Well, this is bizarre. What party for civilization are you forming? Is the Party that continues to say Jan. 6 was NOT OK "lying corrupt thieves?" Captain Kirk is going to blow you up.
I'm 100% in agreement with the Founding Fathers that the existence of political parties should be avoided at all costs.
As for Kirk, I'd be rolling on the ground laughing at him so he better bring several bombs. I love Shatner because he became famous playing a role that was basically a long string of conversations, and NEVER took himself seriously.
No, no, not bombs. I thought that might be taken wrong. I was referencing a couple of episodes when Kirk's conversation (you are so right!) with the computer, forcing the computer to digest paradox ("crazy-making") made the computer blow itself up. Sorry. I try to be careful.
You were clear. Yes, I meant "figurative bombs" too. It's all intellectual exercise.
I think back to my lovely wife's grandmother timing herself doing crosswords, making sure her mind was keeping up. Today, we have so many more ways to exercise the grey stuff.
I rarely agreed with John McCain, but his take on Rand Paul is correct. I believe Mr. Paul is a traitor; along with many of his party.
The Rand Paul you describe sounds traitorous.
Libertarianism always ends up in Plutocracy. In practice it's about the freedom for the wealthy to rule in a way that benefits themselves. Putin would be a perfect example. The Republican candidates running for POTUS in 2024 are all owned by either the Koch Networks (DeSantis & Rubio) or the Robert Mercer Stable (Trump, Cruz, & Hawley). Paul seems to lean toward the Putin camp. All are capable of crossover, depending on where the funds are coming from. Cruz, when he ran for Mercer in 2016, advocated for a return to the gold standard and a 10% flat tax. Those policies would have ended in an irreparable depression and debt crisis.
From today’s blog: [libertarians believe that] representative democracy is “mob rule” and therefore should be subordinated to the “magic of the marketplace.”
But rule by the marketplace IS mob rule — a mob of heartless rich bastards!
It’s highly doubtful that the average bubbas in the wild, instinctually voting “R” like eating, sex, and guns, give a damn about the finer points of Ayn Rand, objectivism, and libertarianism. They instantly recognize ultimate selfishness with no further prompting.
And in the heat of the hunt (think Elon Musk), they relish the challenge, only caring about satisfying their own needs and wants, no matter how craven. Anything or anyone even hinting at the slightest curtailment of their every whim and desire triggers primal fear and undying hate. Altruistic intervention for the survival of humanity and the planet escapes their retarded comprehension, lost in fits of blind ambition and rage.
So, true to form, they instinctually lash out without thinking or worrying about consequences. Lizard-brains are cold-hearted predators, deceptive by nature, who instantly recognize both allies in spirit, lying through forked tongues as easily as breathing, and natural enemies: DemocRATS! (both big-D and little-d).
So they nest together in the pits of Republicanism, wallowing in mutual hatred of liberals, hissing at anything smelling progressive that might shine light onto their squirming masses, finding solace in darkness. They only emerge in their true form every two years to strike at the heart of democracy, softening up their prey (us) with numbing venom for the eventual kill.
Some say… the collective consciousness of their reptilian subspecies is on a path of backward evolution, reverting to a more primitive shell of their original selves in the lower echelons of the animal kingdom, after having pissed off the great and powerful Overlord of the Universe for being total assholes. Makes sense.
What happens when the "I Got Mine" Party starts molting? Maybe that's why they fought wearing masks, the sloughed flesh gets tangled in the elastic.
Haha... and their forked tongues can't flick in and out to scent their prey.
The fraternal connection goes beyond politics; people gravitate toward their "tribe". I don't know if Senator Paul lacks a conscience, but I do know he is relentless and ruthless, as is Putin. When someone gets in their way, that person is going to SUFFER. We have all witnessed how Rand Paul and other Republican senators have persecuted Dr. Fauci for just doing his job. They know damn well this puts Dr. Fauci and his family in danger.
Rand Paul, Putin, and many Republicans have a real need to have a punching bag, and they are always "punching down". Sometimes they misjudge just how that will go, and they get punched back.
These are broken people who think nothing of their duty to the people of their country or of breaking their oath of office.
...broken people trying to break the rest of us, succeeding all too often.
Isn't anyone seeing the Paradox? "Every (man!) for himself" is the same thing as "Every (man, woman and child) subservient to their feudal lord." Thom makes a fundamental error. The people are NOT practical. Here in CA they have voted forever for monopolization of utilities, for instance. This Fall, who doesn't expect them to VOTE FOR Trump's tax breaks to beggar the rest of us? (Just a tip of the iceberg symbol.) Trump is sadly right about the nature of most of us go-along, get-along suckers. The losers will vote against themselves. Same-O, same-O.
No, people are NOT practical. We can't forget that we in California voted for Reagan long before the nation as a whole did - and we did not even have Iranian hostages removed from Jimmy Carter's clutches to delude us (they were Reagan's hostages from the fall of 1980). He promised Iran all those forbidden weapons parts if they would hold them until the inauguration.
I lived not far from Barbara Honegger, who had quit after a brief time as Reagan's campaign manager, so I learned of it early, and I believed her. I also learned from her that a number of Secret Service agents present at the negotiations asked, fruitlessly, to be heard by Congress. Other than a few, not many people in this country ever heard of the October Surprise as anything but what might benefit Jimmy Carter - until the Iran-Contra hearings, late in H.W.'s reign. And now Reagan's part in the October Surprise is just a conspiracy theory. Does this country have no factual history? What does that portend for our future? How do we navigate from an ephemeral base of fairy tales?
The first casualty in the "conservative's" war of ideas is truth. Clubbing them on the head with empirical reality 24/7 is a good first step -- not necessarily to change their closed minds but to expose their insanity to the world, sunlight being the best disinfectant.
People are as practical as their learning and conditions allow. There are plenty of downward spiral milestones that our democracy has suffered since Nixon was pardoned. Besides empowering the morbidly rich with the ability to control our government’s decision-making, I can’t think of anything more consequential than the defunding of public education, thus leading to millions of poorly educated citizens who make perfect targets for the big grift. It’s no coincidence that what has followed are cultural events and dynamics that encourage the coarsening of our social intercourse while eschewing critical thinking skills. So the answer is that we need to stop the oligarchs from autocratizing our country and we must invest in role model education for our fellow citizens. Who knew it could be so simple?
Allowing development of the right orbital pre-frontal cortex before the age of two would help a lot. But Reagan took that off the table when he forced this country into neo-liberalism, which cut wages so severely that most families needed two incomes to exist. That meant child care at a vulnerable age for many infants and barely-toddlers. We all have heard endless complaints from employees of child care centers regarding pay and over work. I know most of them would love to have the time to hold each of those children and look lovingly into their eyes, which stimulates the flow of oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and the one that is critical for development of that pre-frontal cortex. Without it, the victim will inevitably be on some portion of the sociopathic spectrum. I know many frustrated moms and dads tried their best to provide enough time for this miracle to happen, but only the most persistent and energetic of them succeeded. Too many surrendered to their exhaustion after coming home from work, knowing that dinner had to be cooked and served soon so they could get to bed and go to work the next day. They were frazzled and numb, so they sat in front of the TV to take their minds off work as they fed their children. Going to soccer games and school plays helps, but it is not enough. It is all very sad. We do not just need an increase of parental leave from seven weeks. We need two years! This country and all countries! At least one loving adult needs to be with the child for long enough each day to just be with them. Feeding is the perfect distance if they are held close with a bottle, feeding with a breast is always best and most natural.
Your points about early learning are spot on and I think would make a great subject for Thom's "Daily Take." I've heard him discuss this topic in the past and what used to pass for a living wage before the infestation of corporatist rule in our government now takes at least two jobs for millions of households. The negative externalities of this dynamic are staggering. I wonder how many of Trump's cultists were latchkey kids while they were growing up?
This idea struck me around 15 years ago. Sometime later I shared it with a friend, who then heard a talk by a noted neurologist, Dr. Scaer (yeah, great name for a neurologist who specializes in trauma!), who said he thought this could well mean the end of civilization as we know it. So, yes. I think a huge portion of Trump's base were latchkey kids. The most vulnerable were those from the deep south. How someone on the sociopathic scale lives their lives depends on how they were otherwise raised, and their culture.
We have a morality issue in US politicians. With few exceptions, we are born with the ability to know right from wrong. For example, I don't need a law against chopping puppies in half to know it isn't acceptable behavior.
A major issue today is that our politicians APPARENTLY cannot tell right from wrong. I don't know what laws the traitors broke in the terrorist attack on our capitol on Jan 6th 2021, but I know with 100% certainty that what they did was HORRIBLY wrong.
Yet, politicians don't seem to notice - for long.
I don't believe that ANY citizen thinks the attempted coup last Jan 6th is "OK". NaziRepublican Part worshippers are willingly fooled, but I can't remember any of them saying it was OK on Jan 7th.
Yet, we have two political parties both attempting to use the attack on our democracy FOR POLITICAL ADVANTAGE.
How can we respect them? Neither party realizes that creating a civilized society requires that we be absolutely intolerant of any behavior that reduces the level of civilization. Both parties CLEARLY understood the attempted coup was wrong, yet both parties dropped their initial "we have to act now" attitude within DAYS, and hooked up the milking machine instead.
The only hope for America is creating a political party dedicated to advancing civilization.
Fortunately, we are really close to replacing 50% of the D party lying corrupt thieves with patriots. We should make it this Congressional Election.
Unfortunately, those on the fringe right think the insurrection was an act of patriotism, which is becoming increasingly acceptable in mainstream Republican circles.
Liberals and progressives will lose in November when the Democratic Party loses, thanks to false equivalency and bothsidesism, comparing an ant to an elephant, conflating the relatively minor transgressions of Democrats with the truly monumental crimes of a full-blown fascist party under the banner of Trump's "big lie."
Please point out lies of equal scale spread by the one party with the only viable chance to defeat the fascists -- an historic turning point ONLY possible IF people don't succumb to cynical defeatism, cut through the bullshit, and cast their votes wisely.
I don't understand your comment. My comment is that by not behaving in a civilized manner - that is by not enforcing laws on politicians - the two political parties destroy their own credibility.
Never mind who lied the best or most, if ANY political party simply started behaving like we teach children to behave, it would be a landslide from that moment on.
Wrong! The present political catastrophe in America (and the world) is 100 percent about who is lying "the best or most."
In case you haven't noticed, Trump's Big Lie is tearing our democracy apart limb by limb, and Putin's Big lie is teasing nuclear war. Lumping both parties together in the same "basket of deplorables" may be trendy in the faux-intellecual, mushy middle of political thought, but it is a completely false argument. And a dangerous one.
Yes, of course, most politicians lie to some degree, as most humans do, not being fully sentient beings. But the Democratic Party is in an existential battle to save our dying democracy from a party going full fascist. The scale of lying by the Republican Party is the whole point.
The main tool of every authoritarian in history to undermine democracy at the core, in the minds of voters, is to lie on such a scale that the gullible simply refuse to accept that their beloved leaders would be so brazen and shameless. And so they believe the lies despite the evidence to the contrary.
It is very late in this deadly game and time to pick a side. This is total war on the fundamental freedoms of the People enshrined in the Constitution, one that Republicans started all on their own to cling to power.
You should not be teaching children false equivalency!
The truth is, while 100% of one party and 60% of the other party are completely sold out to special interests, neither represents us. Yeah, one is worse, but frankly, NONE would be better.
While it is legal for judges and other politicians to sell influence, they will do so, BECAUSE IT IS LEGAL. I would love to say I'd turn down millions in bribes, but nobody is offering.
Who are you going to vote for this fall?
Well, this is bizarre. What party for civilization are you forming? Is the Party that continues to say Jan. 6 was NOT OK "lying corrupt thieves?" Captain Kirk is going to blow you up.
I'm 100% in agreement with the Founding Fathers that the existence of political parties should be avoided at all costs.
As for Kirk, I'd be rolling on the ground laughing at him so he better bring several bombs. I love Shatner because he became famous playing a role that was basically a long string of conversations, and NEVER took himself seriously.
No, no, not bombs. I thought that might be taken wrong. I was referencing a couple of episodes when Kirk's conversation (you are so right!) with the computer, forcing the computer to digest paradox ("crazy-making") made the computer blow itself up. Sorry. I try to be careful.
You were clear. Yes, I meant "figurative bombs" too. It's all intellectual exercise.
I think back to my lovely wife's grandmother timing herself doing crosswords, making sure her mind was keeping up. Today, we have so many more ways to exercise the grey stuff.
???