31–40 of 54 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because government activity is generally mandated (both in the sense that they can compel people to change their behavior or that people can't refuse to contribute money towards government endeavours), while private sector activity is generally optional.
You are by no means forced to participate in any government activity (at least since the draft ended).
The road trips are always about the heroic actions of people like Ken Kesey and Neal Cassady and their amazing automobiles, right? Never, never did it get told that those road trips were only made possible by Eisenhower’s completion of the highway system. That's interesting. Because Cassady and Kerouac's road trips in "On the Road" happened in 1947, 1949, and 1950 [0]. Construction of the Interstate Highway System di…
You probably don't realize it, but the interstates were built over an earlier system of federal highways (heard of Route 66? That's I-40.). Before federal highways, you could buy "maps" along the lines of "when you see an intersection that looks like this picture, turn right." That thuggish federal jackboot stomping on your face forever can be kind of helpful, eh?
Which is a complete misnomer, as US numbered highways were and still are maintained by state and local governments [1].
I grew up near the "birthplace of Route 66" so yeah, I've heard of it. It was maintained and improved by a private organization (imagine that!) [2] until the federal interstate push of the 1950s.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highways
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Highway_66_Association
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The traditional libertarian viewpoint isn't that the government shouldn't use the money it has to foster innovation, or that the government shouldn't have any money to use for anything, or even that the government should be tiny. It's that the government should be more decentralized. And while the libertarians in the US today have a large number of differences with the more historic libertarians, some of the historic…
When a few individuals own all the land other individuals have to choose between selling themselves short for others' gain, or starving. The whole anti-authoritarian thing goes out the window when property laws need enforcement.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because government activity is generally mandated (both in the sense that they can compel people to change their behavior or that people can't refuse to contribute money towards government endeavours), while private sector activity is generally optional.
You are by no means forced to participate in any government activity (at least since the draft ended).
I think the underlying problem here is that some in the left can't cope when a part of their culture becomes big, popular and corporate. The ideas are nice when they're outside the box, but oppressive when it's the establishment and highly profitable.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You probably don't realize it, but the interstates were built over an earlier system of federal highways (heard of Route 66? That's I-40.). Before federal highways, you could buy "maps" along the lines of "when you see an intersection that looks like this picture, turn right." That thuggish federal jackboot stomping on your face forever can be kind of helpful, eh?
The interstates were built over an earlier system of federal highways... Which is a complete misnomer, as US numbered highways were and still are maintained by state and local governments [1]. I grew up near the "birthplace of Route 66" so yeah, I've heard of it. It was maintained and improved by a private organization (imagine that!) [2] until the federal interstate push of the 1950s. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
"Behind the scenes, the federal aid program had begun with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, providing 50% monetary support from the federal government for improvement of major roads. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 limited the routes to 7% of each state's roads, while 3 in every 7 roads had to be "interstate in character". Identification of these main roads was completed in 1923.[1]"
Also according to your source it looks like the U.S. numbered highways developed in spite of the numerous private organizations existing at the time:
"The new system was both praised and criticized by local newspapers, often depending on whether that city ended up on a major route. While the Lincoln Highway Association understood and supported the plan, partly because they were assured of getting the US 30 designation as much as possible, most other trail associations lamented their obsolescence. At their January 14–15, 1926 meeting, AASHO was flooded with complaints."
The answer to the third question is great: "A legacy from the communalist movement that I think is pernicious is a turning away from politics, a turning toward the self as the basis of political change, of social action. I think that’s something you see all through the Valley. The information technology industry feeds off it because information technologies can so easily be aimed at satisfying individual needs. You s…
That's an odd argument to make against libertarians when libertarians support defense spending as a key role of government. The Highway Interstate system was driven mainly by defense needs. It's also known as the "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways"[1] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System
Not sure where you're getting this from... even though I'm not a libertarian myself, it seems like most libertarians believe in drastically reduced defense spending. [1]
The road trips are always about the heroic actions of people like Ken Kesey and Neal Cassady and their amazing automobiles, right? Never, never did it get told that those road trips were only made possible by Eisenhower’s completion of the highway system. That's interesting. Because Cassady and Kerouac's road trips in "On the Road" happened in 1947, 1949, and 1950 [0]. Construction of the Interstate Highway System di…
Why is government activity labeled 'intervention' and private sector activity not labeled as such?
To make it painfully obvious: When was the last time you heard somebody characterize the existence of limited liability companies as 'intervention'? Who out there consistently calls copyright law an 'intervention'?
It would be possible to use the term 'intervention' consistently. In actual practice, it is (typically) only used as a rhetorical device to support the speaker's preconceived political position. That causes the term to become loaded.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You probably don't realize it, but the interstates were built over an earlier system of federal highways (heard of Route 66? That's I-40.). Before federal highways, you could buy "maps" along the lines of "when you see an intersection that looks like this picture, turn right." That thuggish federal jackboot stomping on your face forever can be kind of helpful, eh?
The interstates were built over an earlier system of federal highways... Which is a complete misnomer, as US numbered highways were and still are maintained by state and local governments [1]. I grew up near the "birthplace of Route 66" so yeah, I've heard of it. It was maintained and improved by a private organization (imagine that!) [2] until the federal interstate push of the 1950s. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…