Subject: Re: [drugwar] only a Kommie wants the poor to get health care
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 12:50:18 -0400
To:        <drugwar@mindvox.com>
From:     Bob Armstrong <bob@cosy.com>
On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 10:41:24 -0500, Jules Siegel wrote:
>=A0on 7/17/03 9:34 AM, Bob Armstrong at bob@cosy.com wrote:
>
>=A0>=A0Like food?
>
>=A0Food ought not to be left solely to market conditions, either.
>
>=A0I can't answer all your concerns at the moment, but it seems=
 that your basic
>=A0view is that humans are individuals with personal=
 responsibility for their
>=A0own survival and their own actions.

 True , and inevitable .

>=A0My view is that humans are a family (or a group of families, if=
 you prefer)
>=A0and their actions and survival are the result of mutually=
 shared
>=A0responsibilities and obligations.

 True also .

> This is essentially Darwinistic (although Darwin never made any=
 claim
> remotely resembling that).

>=A0Individuals don't survive. Only groups survive. That is a basic=
 law of life.
>=A0Other than the usual risks of life, the greatest threat to your=
 personal
>=A0survival comes from the desperation of the afflicted. Society=
 attempts to
>=A0reduce the level of desperation and affliction specifically=
 because they are
>=A0dangers to group survival.
>
>=A0A simple case: infectious disease. The main cause of disease=
 are
>=A0malnutrition and lack of sanitary facilities. Every physician=
 knows this.
>=A0Other than antibiotics and improvement in surgical technique,=
 increased
>=A0longevity is almost entirely a result of improved food and=
 sanitation.
>
>=A0Therefore, these factors should be primary concerns of all=
 human beings,

 Agreed . No argument . That is why I and libertarians are=
 against the use
 of Force in accomplishing those goals and in fact observe that=
 it has
 repeatedly failed dismally to accomplish them .

 We believe market choice in charities is as important to ensure=
 efficiency
 as in any other sphere of life .

>=A0and, since they can only be carried out by the state on a=
 sufficient scale
>=A0to make a difference,

 Huh ?  So only States could wire the world with phones or=
 provide it with
 food and cloths and housing ?  

 In fact there is a rock solid negative correlation between the
 collectivisation of Countries and the welfare of their people .

 Read "Road to Serfdom" , Hayek , 1944 . 
 I can accept the fact that few people understand century old=
 physics
 so don't understand that no matter what else we do , we cannot=
 change
 the mean temperature of the planet , but it saddens me that the=
 mass
 of people , particularly here where freedom has created such=
 bounty ,
 are so totally ignorant of the science of economics which has=
 also
 developed over that century and explains the success of Freedom=
 versus
 Force .
  
> the state is a necessary element of human survival as=A0a=
 species.

 We believe in a Jeffersonian state mainly supplying a court to=
 resolve
 disputes between citizens with respect to their actions and=
 property .


>=A0Incidentally, putting a space before punctuation marks is not=
 proper English
>=A0writing style and makes your messages look slovenly.

 It is tightly tied to my notions of computer language design .
 Parses easier .

--=A0
=A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864
Liberty : http://cosy.com/Liberty.htm
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A07/17/2003 12:11:39 PM