Comments on: Sarko’s Big Win – What It Means

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:21:03 +0000

Boyoboy–you gotta love that “false consciousness”. What a bulletproof concept: “believe ME, not your lyin’ eyes!”

By: markus

markus — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:03:08 +0000

I’ve just started arguing with real live Marxists over on Marc Cooper’s blog. If I stop posting here, it may be because its more fun to challenge their idiocies. I’m very confused, I’ve been accused of being a closet Marxist, and of having “false consciousness”, in the same day.

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:24:41 +0000

Okay–but re “market failure”, you should look at the phenom in light of the effect of policy– vs what would likely occur from the same circumstances given an unfettered ‘invisible hand’.

By: markus

markus — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:59:21 +0000

Buddy –

I assume you’re being facetious with your “100%” comment. In fact, I’m as pro-capitalist as you. You and I also probably agree with Henry Ford that the more workers who can afford to buy a Model T, the better off Ford and other owners will be. We disagree on the level of necessary government regulation and oversight, and the extent of the phenomenon known as market failure.

I also bet that I get angrier at the public sector when it is incompetent than you do. Unlike you, I expect to get something from my tax dollars, and I expect that the public sector do a good job. That’s why the Iraqi civilian reconstruction funding fiasco makes me turn me beet red. The best way to get government programs to fail is to put political appointees who do not believe in the idea of good government in charge of them.

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:45:19 +0000

Here, let me help you off the hook, I’ll answer it for ya:

“Well, I knew it was under 100%, so I knew it was too low.”

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:34:32 +0000

And, pardon me, but how can you hold forth so boldly on economic morality, and not even know what the corporate tax rate is?

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:21:55 +0000

Why the CAPs on ‘profit margins’? Mitchell must be right–leftism is like pregnancy, you can’t be a little bit.

Besides, what else besides profits can ya tax? Can ya tax LOSSES?

Yes, it’s a two-way street, AKA cooperative effort. Capital & Labor, both have to make a profit to stay in business. Labor’s capital is work, and wages are the profit of that work. America’s story is of upward mobility, where young workers can amass (earn, borrow, create) capital and employ labor to reach productive goals in life. Profit is not just a greedy sneak-thru by that Monopoly character with the monocle and striped pants. It’s the measure of the value of the work.

Non-profit enterprises–such as governments–are notorious for the vast amount of valueless work they do (mixed in with some valuable) with the people’s valuable earnings. It’s the devaluation part that makes conservatives anti- excess taxation.

By: markus

markus — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:44:58 +0000

Buddy,
I knew there was something good about private profit, thanks for the reminder. I sure do appreciate that 35% tax rate on PROFIT MARGINS. I didn’t know it was that high, but I’ll take your word for it.

Remember, it is a two-way street. If not for those widgets known as productive workers, there wouldn’t be any profits at all.

By: Steven Mitchell

Steven Mitchell — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:40:47 +0000

“You don’t appreciate that 35% taxation, all that cash to socially redistribute, markus?”

He’s an unconscious marxist, Buddy, not a conscious one. Big difference!

By: Buddy Larsen

Buddy Larsen — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:30:20 +0000

You don’t appreciate that 35% taxation, all that cash to socially redistribute, markus?