http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/2005/01/12-most-stupid-tsunami-quotes.html From the Ayn Rand Institute; The United States government... should not give any money to help the tsunami victims. Why? Because the money is not the government's to give. Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first." Christian" charity: The ultra-homophobic Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas proves it has a dirty, one-track mind: "Thank God for Tsunami & 2,000 dead Swedes!!! How many tsunami-dead Swedes are fags and dykes?" From the Guardian: The US marines who have now been dispatched to Sri Lanka to help the rescue operation were, just a few weeks ago, murdering the civilians (for this, remember, is an illegal war), smashing the homes and evicting the entire population of the Iraqi city of Falluja." Stan Moore Comparing Iraqi Victims with Victims from the Indian Ocean Tsunami: "Earthquakes may have aftershocks, but tsunamis do not return to attack their original victims or to attack rescuers or resisters of their destruction. The invading U.S. led forces attack 'insurgents' who are resisting the brutal subjugation of Iraqis. Tsunamis do not break in doors in the middle of the night in order to detain, arrest, and confine innocent people for weeks, months or even years. Tsunamis do not detain people for lifetimes as the U.S. military leadership is attempting to do. Tsunamis do not torture people with focused technology in order to 'break them' or cause them to divulge information which may not even be in the possession of the victim." And others at the link
not only is that not stupid, it is incredibly insightful. rand is right about most of what she says (but not everything). if we slipped a hell of a lot closer to her brand of pure anarcho-capitalism, we would be a hell of a lot better off.
I think she makes a valid argument, but ignores the fact that even though the government's money comes from taxation - the government is appointed on how to spend its money, even if it does come from our pockets.
Giving foreign aid to disaster victims is a lot different than giving it to countries who hate us but want our money anyway. CParso you are correct when you say that we elect representatives to choose how to appropriate money and if you don't agree with the way your tax dollars are being used you have the right to vote for someone who you think will vote the way you agree with. I think that the US should stop giving money to countries such as Saudi Arabia, which is run by islamofacists that hate America, but continue to help out people who need our help, such as the tsunami victims.
right, but i am a virtual radical compared to both parties, so things dont always work out so great for me. to some extent i agree with the rand followers who believe in true individualism. certainly i think the government is at least 75% bigger than it should be. i could vote ten thousand times, and it still wouldnt matter, nobody who represents the majority of my views will get elected. thats what i get for being an idiot.
The problem with true indivualism is most people are inherentily scumbags. Most people would not donate one cent to the building or improvements of highways, yet would want to drive on them daily. So if it was up to each American to donate as they saw fit, absolutely nothing would get done. I hate big gov't as well, but there is a point where shrinking of the gov't becomes detrimental.
i am fine with the government providing highways and such. but there are so many other things (billions and billions in farm subsidies, foreign aid, health care, social security) that i would be happy if the government didnt fund at all. i dont go as far as some anarcho-capitalists who say that ever cent the government takes from us is extorted (although that is sort of true, because you basically have to pay, or the cops point guns at you and take you to jail.) i just think that for every item the government buys, they should consider whether is was worth it to forcibly take it from the people.
I agree with you to the extent that the federal government is far to big and powerful. The Founders never wanted this to happen so they introduced the idea of Federalism where the Federal government would only have certain enumerated powers, Article I Section 8 Clauses 1-18, U.S. Constitution. All other powers were left for the States to exercise, 10th Amendment . Today however the States have very few powers in comparison to the Federal government, which the Founders did not intend, and I believe this is something that should be remedied.
