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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Richard Babusek who wrote (2822)	5/12/1999 3:48:00 PM
From: Neocon	Respond to of 13056

Yes, in this instance the harm done is outweighed by the benefit, although I am in general against lawbreaking. I would be disinclined to stop him....

To: Richard Babusek who wrote (2822)	5/12/1999 4:10:00 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13056

Ricardo--- By the way, we punish counterfeiters for two reasons: one, the do not come by their cash honestly, and it is a bad thing to sanction the acquisition of money without labor or investment to that degree; and if counterfeiting became common, it would, indeed, debase the currency. It does not defraud anyone, as long as they can pass it on, nor is it stealing. Since this one instance has little bearing on the health of society or the economy, and since it saves people from despair, I can live with a decision to look the other way....

To: Richard Babusek who wrote (2822)	5/26/1999 12:52:00 AM
From: MeDroogies	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13056

Richard, as an economist, I agree there are qualitative points that can be made within the practice. However, all qualitative points are derivative of quantitative activities. For example, the current prosperity in the US has led to a decline in church attendance. Are we to assume that spirituality is in some way related to material wealth? I'd say that there is a moderate amount, but not enough to claim full correlation. There are tests that can be run, using statistical samples to determine the level of correlation. Oftentimes, the correlative factor is low, but is there. Journalists are quick to seize on that and claim true correlation. This, of course, is abuse of statistics. But journalists aren't known for their intelligence, are they? More likely, the current downtrend in attendance is simply an increase in a trend that began years ago. While material wealth obviously plays some role in the process, it isn't the clear cause of it. Therefore, the qualitative argument is off base by a long shot. Again, I'm not arguing that there isn't a qualitative view, but it is one that is only evident via the use of quantitative measures. If, as is often the case, these measures are abused, people claim economists are flawed. In fact, those reporting on it are flawed. I remember in the 70's Carl Sagan was claiming that a "new ice age" was soon to begin. By the 80's, he was a proponent of global warming. It seems even scientists aren't true to themselves, and will support whatever cause will derive the best press........