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John Stossel's Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics

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liberty student Posted: Sat, Oct 18 2008 10:21 AM

Youtubage

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

"When you're young you worry about people stealing your ideas, when you're old you worry that they won't." - David Friedman
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Nitroadict replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 10:28 AM

liberty student:


LS, you have saved my monotonous morning at the salt mines.  Time to get some more coffee...

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

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krazy kaju replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 11:39 AM

You are my hero.

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Nitroadict replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 11:49 AM

Frankly, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it via promotion or word of mouth aside from this post.  I'll be posting it up on various facebook's throughout the day, especially since it covers the bailout.



***Edit:  "Oh!  A Kiosk!" = priceless

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

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Got it from RPF.  It was just on last night IIRC.

DIGG please

http://digg.com/political_opinion/John_Stossel_s_Politically_Incorrect_Guide_To_Politiccs

Nitroadict:

Frankly, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it via promotion or word of mouth aside from this post.

It starts with us.  Motivated by self-interest.  Smile

 

"When you're young you worry about people stealing your ideas, when you're old you worry that they won't." - David Friedman
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Nitroadict replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 12:03 PM

liberty student:

Got it from RPF.  It was just on last night IIRC.

DIGG please

http://digg.com/political_opinion/John_Stossel_s_Politically_Incorrect_Guide_To_Politiccs

Nitroadict:

Frankly, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it via promotion or word of mouth aside from this post.

It starts with us.  Motivated by self-interest.  Smile

 


I'll go one further w/ Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/77xq1/john_stossels_politically_incorrect_guide_to/

I'll submit individual entries of the video to the main reddit as well. 

I will also digg it, though I haven't used Digg since the comments started reading like 4Chan & Youtube banter...

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

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scineram replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 12:59 PM

liberty student:
Part 1

"What would Brian Boitano do?"

ROFTLOL, you crack me up.

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scineram:

liberty student:
Part 1

"What would Brian Boitano do?"

ROFTLOL, you crack me up.

Hahaha, I only just caught that after seeing all 6 parts (obligatory: SP ftw). 

This 6 pt special was a c-c-c-ombo breaker for T.V., especially when they showed the rightfully outraged Katrina citizens, which still irks many Liberals that I know (damaged pride, methinks).

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

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I saw it last night; definitely lived up to all the hype!

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John Ess replied on Sat, Oct 18 2008 1:37 PM

I sometimes wonder how people as unusually smart like Stossell and Penn Jillette (over on Showtime) get in the otherwise ridiculous media.

Nice to see Walter Williams, too.

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Paul replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 5:33 PM

At the end of part 5, Stossel asks "clothing and shelter are important too.  Why don't we subsidize them?  If this works so well why don't we just subsidize everything?"   Sheila Jackson-Lee, congresswoman from Texas, replies "you don't want to push us".  WTF was that?  Some sort of threat?

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Paul:

At the end of part 5, Stossel asks "clothing and shelter are important too.  Why don't we subsidize them?  If this works so well why don't we just subsidize everything?"   Sheila Jackson-Lee, congresswoman from Texas, replies "you don't want to push us".  WTF was that?  Some sort of threat?

I don't think that was directly a reply, & was more directed to Stossel's sharp questioning, but it gave me shivers nonetheless.

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

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I thought it was great.  She basically admitted that if they had their way, they would tax and subsidize everything.

"When you're young you worry about people stealing your ideas, when you're old you worry that they won't." - David Friedman
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This is the first time I've heard the term "spontaneous order" on a mainstream news channel.

"I cannot prove, but am prepared to affirm, that if you take care of clarity in reasoning, most good causes will take care of themselves, while some bad ones are taken care of as a matter of course." -Anthony de Jasay

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Solid_Choke:

This is the first time I've heard the term "spontaneous order" on a mainstream news channel.



Same. 

I also think that the phrase "invisible hand" should be replaced with "spontaneous order", as the later describes the free-market's ability to correct itself much better, as well as putting the individual human, & the groups of individuals, as the ones who create spontaneous order, ahead of some abstract concept of an invisible hand, which the Statist can easily discredit by (ironically) claiming it to be mystical & non-practical. 

I think if I had seen this special when I was Leftist, I would've been stunned, more or less, & maybe I would've arrived here earlier Embarrassed

If I could see the ratings for this (I'll try digging it up on Google in a few mins...), I probably would see decent to excellent ratings. 

Regardless, this special further confirms the problem of marketing libertarianism seems to always have had (regardless of the obvious advantages Statism gains from discrediting libertarianism or anything remotely anti-statist), & I'm sure not actually mentioning the actual term "libertarianism" in the special helped as well. 

Perhaps the use of the label & term inspires feelings of (perceived) elitism in those who either do not know what is, or who do not know what it really is, & the absence of such allows for a better bridge of communication.   

Hmm...

 

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Stranger replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 7:03 PM

The "invisible hand" is just a primitive discovery of the now widely-recognized phenomenon of emergence, which involves astronomical numbers of individual actors cooperating by following a simple set of rules to create large organization.

Examples of emergence, outside of economics, are cellular automatons, multicellular DNA-based organisms, bird flocking and insect colonies, etc.

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Wren replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 7:35 PM

I also don't like the use of the phrase 'invisible hand' because it still gives the impression of something external that is controlling or directing it all, and this meme, I guess if you can call it, gives rise to crackpot theories like Intelligent Design (sorry to all the IDers here Smile)

I thought the special was OK.  Some parts were good but other parts were kind of lame.  I also thought this was too American-libertarian for most of the viewing public.

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Angurse replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 8:16 PM

Wren:
I thought the special was OK.  Some parts were good but other parts were kind of lame.  I also thought this was too American-libertarian for most of the viewing public.

What does "American-libertarian" mean? (From a Canadian)

 

"I am an aristocrat. I love liberty, I hate equality."
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You can't replace "invisible hand" with "spontaneous order".  The invisible hand describes a force of human nature, that benefits society.  Spontaneous order is a phenomenon  of the sum total of actions by individuals.  You cannot combine apples and oranges

do we get free cheezeburger in socielism?

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Wren replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 9:51 PM

Angurse:

What does "American-libertarian" mean? (From a Canadian)

 

It means libertarian as commonly known and used today.  For personal reasons I try to differentiate among the types.

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Angurse replied on Sun, Oct 19 2008 11:08 PM

Wren:
It means libertarian as commonly known and used today.  For personal reasons I try to differentiate among the types.

Like a belt-way libertarian, or did you just mean the pro-private property libertarian?

"I am an aristocrat. I love liberty, I hate equality."
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Wren replied on Mon, Oct 20 2008 1:31 AM

Angurse:

Wren:
It means libertarian as commonly known and used today.  For personal reasons I try to differentiate among the types.

Like a belt-way libertarian, or did you just mean the pro-private property libertarian?

Both more or less.  I'm not trying to be specific, but I'm thinking of the american version of libertarianism vs. the old european or communistic version of libertarianism etc..  So don't sweat it.  Now, moving on...

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Magnus replied on Mon, Oct 20 2008 7:17 AM

Thx for the link, I just finished watching it! 

Brad Pitt 1, Government 0

lol

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Wren:
Both more or less.  I'm not trying to be specific, but I'm thinking of the american version of libertarianism vs. the old european or communistic version of libertarianism etc..  So don't sweat it.  Now, moving on...

Ugh... I guess I'm not the only one who has argued against leftists wanting to claim the title of "libertarian."

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Stranger replied on Mon, Oct 20 2008 7:09 PM

krazy kaju:

Wren:
Both more or less.  I'm not trying to be specific, but I'm thinking of the american version of libertarianism vs. the old european or communistic version of libertarianism etc..  So don't sweat it.  Now, moving on...

Ugh... I guess I'm not the only one who has argued against leftists wanting to claim the title of "libertarian."

The word libertarian is legitimately an invention of French anarchist communists after being an anarchist was outlawed.

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Juan replied on Mon, Oct 20 2008 7:18 PM
libertarian : (dictionary.com)

1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.
2. a person who maintains the doctrine of free will (distinguished from necessitarian).
–adjective
3. advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
4. maintaining the doctrine of free will.
[Origin: 1780–90; libert(y) + -arian]

February 17 - 1600 - Giordano Bruno is burnt alive by the catholic church.
Aquinas : "much more reason is there for heretics, as soon as they are convicted of heresy, to be not only excommunicated but even put to death."

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Stranger:
The word libertarian is legitimately an invention of French anarchist communists after being an anarchist was outlawed.

I know. The problem is that their petit bougeoisie allies stole the title of "liberal" away from us.

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ricarpe replied on Mon, Oct 20 2008 8:43 PM

I wonder if the guy in Part 1 wearing the pink pants did that spontaneously...

 

On a serious note, that was awesome.  I'm going to pass on the link to some friends at work who share some similar views politically and economically.  I just have to do so carefully, the sheep are easily disturbed and will bite anyone who bothers their rosy view of the world.

"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree." -James Madison

"If government were efficient, it would cease to exist."

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krazy kaju:

Wren:
Both more or less.  I'm not trying to be specific, but I'm thinking of the american version of libertarianism vs. the old european or communistic version of libertarianism etc..  So don't sweat it.  Now, moving on...

Ugh... I guess I'm not the only one who has argued against leftists wanting to claim the title of "libertarian."

Neither "leftists" OR "rightists", in the political senses of those terms, can claim the title of libertarian.

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