It’s the Fourth of July! Why Am I Sad?

Posted by freedomforall 9 hours, 13 minutes ago to Government
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Excerpt:
"At the beginning of every major sporting event, Americans pay lip service to “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” but everywhere they are in economic chains. Last year total government spending was $6.4 trillion. That is $6.4 trillion with a t. That number amounts to over 36 percent of GDP. The Federal budget deficit the past fiscal year was $438 billion. Over the past eight years, our government debt has skyrocketed. By the end of this fiscal year, gross Federal government debt is expected to be over $19 trillion. That will be 106 precent of GDP.

Now, the important point to remember with respect to our freedom is that every single penny of government spending represents government control. When you spend money to purchase a loaf of bread, a tank of gas, or a pair of pants, you become owners of these economic goods and can use them as you see fit. When the government spends money, its bureaucrats gain control of economic resources. And the more of our resources under their control, the less free we become.
...
The Leviathan state’s control goes beyond dollars, however. In fact, our rulers seem to want to control as much of our lives as possible. The 2013 Code of Federal Regulations had a near-record 178,277 pages. And these laws regulate virtually every area of our lives. Government bureaucrats simply do not trust buyers and seller to voluntarily agree on acceptable goods at acceptable prices. Did you know that the federal government regulates the production of battery chargers, ceiling fans, central air conditioners, clothes dryers, clothes washers, clothing itself, computer and battery backup systems, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, furnaces and boilers, kitchen ranges and ovens, lawn mowers, microwave ovens, swimming pool heaters, refrigerators and freezers, window air conditioners, televisions, cable and satellite TV boxes, water heaters, commercial ice makers, industrial clothes washers, compressors, electric motors, fans and blowers, refrigerated beverage vending machines, refrigeration equipment, walk-in coolers and freezers, ceiling fan light kits, lamps, fluorescent lamp ballasts, illuminated exit signs, light bulbs, flash lights, faucets, showerheads, and flush toilets? And this is not even an exhaustive list. Exhausting yes, but exhaustive, no. The USDA regulates the marketing of cotton, milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and livestock, poultry, and feed. Government bureaucrats even have detailed instructions mandating the cornbread-to-meat ratio required in a commercial corn dog! The state will not even let us produce and sell corn dogs on our own! In the land of supposedly free enterprise, a full 38 percent of workers employed in 2008 needed a government license or certification just to do their job. In the 1950s the number was about 5 percent."
SOURCE URL: https://mises.org/mises-wire/its-fourth-july-why-am-i-sad


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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 hours, 34 minutes ago
    I appreciate the sadness of this post, but I can't dwell on that. There is too much inventing and transacting to do. The business and invention climate have certainly improved recently, especially here in Florida. My region in particular is turning into Galt's Gulch.
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    • Posted by 8 hours, 9 minutes ago
      Yes, and I want the progress onshoring manufacturing and
      freedom for creative success to advance.
      When the traitors have been exposed and punished and the
      burden of government on the productive reduced to voluntary
      contribution- value for value, that will be possible.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 hours, 1 minute ago
        As producers, each of us has a slightly different tolerance for looters and moochers. Ayn Rand, John Galt, and likely you would argue that my tolerance for them is too high, but Dagny and Hank Rearden would not. That is a big part of why Atlas Shrugged is such a wonderful book. There is an intriguing balance between intolerance for looters and moochers versus an insatiable appetite for invention.
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        • Posted by 6 hours, 43 minutes ago
          You already have experience with hurdles that can instantly appear blocking your success.
          You will have to deal with that kind of corruption and blackmail if your inventions become popular.

          I'll hate seeing you as another long suffering Hank Rearden.
          (Hank is my favorite character in AS.)
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          • Posted by $ jbrenner 6 hours, 36 minutes ago
            From Galt's speech: ""But you expect industrial giants—who plan in terms of decades, invest in terms of generations, and undertake ninety-nine year contracts—to continue to function and produce, not knowing what random caprice in the skull of what random official will descend upon them at what moment to demolish the whole of their effort."

            Yes, I do have such negative experience. My company was shadowbanned for telling an inconvenient truth about Dr. Fauci and COVID. That being said, for some of us inventors, the thrill of the invention and the making of money off of it far outweighs the negatives.
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