Poli Tsk Tsk Tsk

The Case Against Libertarianism and Free Marketers

2010-03-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't touched this blog in quite a long time, as is obvious. However, the health care debate, the emergence of the Tea Party, Texas educational revisionism, and living in Louisiana have prompted me to rekindle my blogging.

I have a simple goal at the moment: to dismantle the libertarian/free market ethos; to reveal the ugly motives behind such selfish thinking; and to make the case that we need, and desire at root, a society that is heavily invested in protecting civil liberties by protecting citizens from each other and from markets.

I hope I get in trouble.

Overall, I do agree with some libertarian principles about protecting individual rights to choose how to live. However, it is clear to me that this right should not include hurting other people. I agree that private enterprise is a good thing, but I think private enterprise works best when the government makes sure that, say, banks can't use complex financial instruments to create short term gains that will destroy the economy in the long run. Anyway, the wealthy in this country get wealthy precisely because the public infrastructure of roads, highways, engineering, armed forces, education, food subsidies, and the like creates a labor force, a consumer market, and the security that enables them to get wealthy. A free market cannot pave most of the roads in the country, build extensive highways, provide education to all, or make a population healthy enough to participate fully in these things. Thus, taxes are good.

My arguments will be based around two premises. I believe that the greedy motive behind America's romance with libertarian is profit-seeking and glorification. Both these things are actually inconsistent with most American, Western, democratic, and even Christian values.

1) PROFIT: Libertarians, free-marketers, Tea Party members, and the like want to get away with doing horrible things to other people in the name of personal gain--usually financial, sexual, or violent. Getting away includes avoiding legal punishment as well as avoiding consequences for the actions that benefit them.

For example, take Loving, Texas, a failing rural county that saw an influx of libertarians during the 2000s who believed they could turn it into a libertarian dream. A 2006 New York Times article detailed how this group sought to "stop enforcement of laws prohibiting victimless acts among consenting adults such as dueling, gambling, incest, price-gouging, cannibalism and drug handling." [1]

Naturally, a leader of that group, Steven Michael, pleaded guilty to child pornography in 2009.[2] I do see a parallel between this group's belief that they deserve access to child porn--which can only be used to hurt children and make adult men feel good--and their brandishing of assault rifles, which can only be used to kill people. Actually, I see that desire at the root of the gun debate, but I will have to be more specific about it later.

On a more financial front, please look no further than libertarian ridiculousness about the financial contract of slavery, such as Ron Paul's assertion in 2007 that the Civil War was a needless bloodbath that could have been prevented by the US Goverment buying out the slaves' contracts.[3] Perhaps this was a joke, but it does point to a libertarian tendency to side with management in atrocities such as slave labor.

2) GLORIFICATION: Libertarians, free-marketers, Tea Party members, and the like want to redefine the things they have done in their lives to fit heroic narratives. This is especially true of rich people, who obviously want to view their wealth as a virtue rather than perhaps just a plain old accumulation of capital.

(Sometimes these rich people have worked for their money. Often, they have inherited it or have had it handed to them relatively easily. Other times, they have stolen it. It may be, but is not necessarily, a result of working harder than others, being a good person, or contributing to society.)

More importantly, this glorification seeks to turn the profit seeking motive into something worth celebrating. Thus, historical crimes like the pillaging, raping, and enslavement of Native Americans and African Americans become free market triumphs that we should put on a flag publicly, and privately talk about in terms of, say, "we all know that black welfare mothers are crackheads who don't deserve a dime of my hard earned money, statistics show" or other phrases that drunk men in Louisiana like to whisper to me at bars, assuming that I will agree with them just because I am white too.

Of course, these are general arguments. The specifics will come with my entries. However, the narrative that this country rose to prominence on free enterprise is missing a good deal, particularly in term of the characterization of that free enterprise.

We all know that America got wealthy on slavery first, then sweatshop labor: the ultimate free market labor solutions. We no longer value these things, yet the Texas conservative rewriting of textbooks eliminated conversations about civil rights, Latino history in Texas, and even Thomas Jefferson's Enlightenment philosophies and slavery peccadilloes. Or, we can look at Tea Party signs that show obvious and unavoidable racism in their treatment of Obama and obvious and unavoidable belligerence in their claims that poor people deserve their poverty, not a helping hand out of it. (Just Google Tea Party Signs and see what comes up.)

Perhaps Thomas Jefferson is at the root of this problem. No, I don't mean that he caused it. Rather, he was stuck between free markets and ideal government, slave labor and liberty, justice and injustice. It would be stupid to dismiss the man completely, just as it would be stupid to glorify him as being the ideal American. With Free Marketers, Libertarians, and Tea Partiers, I think they are simplifying America's problems, their potential solutions, AND America's strengths.

Seeking to withhold taxes on principle or to keep hard working Americans from receiving adequate health care is just as dishonest as seeking to legalize child porn.

Complainy Pants

2009-07-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just released a new project. Complainy Pants is a public online complaint board. Users login and write their complaints on anything they want: sex and love, politics and government, other people, etc. If you use your Facebook or Twitter account, your complaint will cross-post to those services. Better yet, you can invite friends and have them vote for your complaint. Anyone can join.

http://www.complainypants.com

Write a letter of support! Free letter generator to Free Rod Blagojevich

2009-01-11T13:26:00.001-08:00

Stop the witchhunt now!

Send a letter supporting the innocent Rod Blagojevich to the people who matter: President Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, or Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. Just enter your details, and we take care of the rest!

Click here, or click the image below to launch the Free Rod Blagojevich letter generator in a new window.

Free Rod Blagojevich

2008-12-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

www.freerodblagojevich.com

How We're Going to Vote: Special Interests

2008-11-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Although this list below doesn't tally up every American, Poli Tsk Tsk Tsk's unofficial assessment of special interests groups calls the election overwhelmingly for John McCain and Sarah Palin. You heard it here first.

The Retarded: The McCain/Palin ticket has won the retarded vote according to the New York Times today, which sites Palin's son down syndrome as a primary reason. [1] Researchers are checking into whether the retarded might be the only ones to vote Republican this fall. +7pts

Real Americans: Based upon Palin's speech last week [2], it's clear that Real Americans will overwhelmingly vote Republican. However, it's not quite clear just whom this group consists of. +13pts

Fake Americans: Researchers have been unable to poll Fake Americans, given that none of them have telephone land lines. Nevertheless, we expect that most Fake Americans will vote Democratic. +7pts

Terrorists: Republicans have spent the last 7 years courting the terrorist vote through their contributions to the rise of Al Qaeda in Iraq and the continued dominance of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Thus, the official endorsement of John McCain by Al Qaeda last week [4] and the expected trouncing of Obama by McCain in terrorist circles. +11pts

Scranton, PA: Joe Biden is from here. Hillary Clinton pretends to be from here. And despite the fact that it's in the Alabama part of Pennsylvania, Scranton is going to go blue all the well -- well, except for the blue collar workers who lost their jobs to free market economics but still believe in Republican policies. +3pts

British Douchebags: Christopher Hitchens endorsed Obama. [5] Need I say more? +1pt

American Douchebags: That's right all you jerks. +14pts

Women Who Love Having Abortions: All of you are going to hell. +0.00000001 pts.

Americans Who Hate Having Health Care (It's a Choice): Don't tread on me with your "physological" concerns. +16pts

Gays in the Military: Surprised? +9 pts

Self-proclaimed Messiahs: Anything to bring about Armageddon. +19pts

FINAL TALLY

REPUBLICANS: 70.00000000
DEMOCRATS :30.00000001

Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

2008-10-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, the American people have learned from experience that it's not the content of your resume but the quality of your character that will make you a good president.

This page uses a modified script from www.blazonry.com, a site with free scripts, examples, tutorials and web developer resources. Script Copyright (c) 1998-2007 Astonish Inc. All rights reserved.

Vote Goya: 11 reasons why

2008-10-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

Why are we voting for Goya in 2008?

Washington outsider
Young and attractive
Foreign policy experience: has eaten Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Jewish, Japanese, Korean, Peruvian, Jamaican, Polish, Spanish, and Afghani food
Health care plan: free vets for everyone . . . it's better than what we have now . . Dental consists of a rawhide for every American
Lactose intolerant: no worries of tainted Chinese milk, and angry about tainted pet food
Homeland security: barks loudly
In touch with the people: started life as an orphan, adopted by struggling artists
Fitness: four walks a day, minimum, for all Americans
Family values: likes to cuddle, eat around the table
Economical: never lets scraps go to waste
Feel good: believes in love and licks above all else

Sarah Palin: One on One with Poli Tsk Tsk Tsk

2008-10-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin was generous enough to lend 10 minutes to me following last night's debate for some commentary on her performance. A complete transcript follows below.

Q: Gov. Palin, it seems that you have trouble forming sentences. Would you talk about your oratory in tonight's debate?

A. You know, David, on Main Street Alaska far away from Wall Street corruption where the outsiders, sentence completion is an East Coast liberal with a hockey stick not for the American people with their taxes prepared drilling for H&R block. As governor with change around the kitchen sink with homosexual choice for pregnant daughters. I would appreciate it if, like Ronald Reagan, you not insert Barack Obama punctuation into the transcription of. Every day American people, and that's what we're looking for.

Q. On that note, will you talk about how you prepared for this debate?

A. When I was growing up as a little boy in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Osama Bin Laden went to Africa where he encountered a tax collector who refused to leave any child behind in the hands of health care professional where it really counts.

Q. But Joe Biden is from Scranton. You're from Alaska.

A. And God bless him, gosh darn it, why dontcha? I'll get back to you on that one.

Q. OK . . . Uh, in your interviews with Katie Couric, you had trouble coming up with words. Tonight you proved that you can put words together, though some are already commenting that all you did was recite talking points unrelated to the questions asked. Can you comment on this?

A. Well, you can tell that I'm a Washington outsider because I don't know what in Almighty you're talking about. What I do know is that my dad is here in the audience (*wink*) and I just want to say hello to health care reform that we need financial crisis megachurch drill baby drill for education liberals increase taxes, folksonomy maverick, gee whiz. Next?

Q. One question the moderator didn't ask was about your support of Wasilla regulations that required rape victims to pay for their own rape kits. Would you care to set the record staight on that?

A. Ho boy, I'm glad you asked that one. I just want to give a shout out to all my crazy bitches in Mista Snoops third grade class. I know you're getting extra credit for watching tonight.

Q. And just to be clear, would you comment on how John McCain's plan to fund health care by taxing health care benefits will lead to more people being insured?

A. That's the tax and spend liberals again. You know, David, when Ahmedinejahd attacks the Jews at Columbia University, Nancy-would-you-know-it, we won't be talking about the uninsured, we'll be talking about the babies burning in holy hellfire, but at least we made the right choice, dang skippy.

Q. Is there anything about the debate that you'd like to say to the American people before we wrap up?

A. The Jews are our friends. Please don't kill them. And if you're going to have sex, please don't use a condom, which interferes with God's plan for all of us, which does not include the choice of evolution. Vote Palin-McCain for change. Especially if he goes to heaven. And no, I'm not a puppet or a shill for the far right

Hot Off the Press: New York Daily News

2008-09-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

We've hit a major Metropolitan newspaper . . . Today, reporters from the NY Daily News are using their SPNG names! Read the article on the NY Daily News website.

Hot Off the Press: Scranton Times Tribune Interview

2008-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Scranton Times-Tribune published a 5 Questions with me in today's paper. You can visit their site for the published interview, or you can read below for all the things they didn't publish. More press to come in the next few days.

P.S. All the candidates seem to want to milk that Scranton connection. Joe Biden gets props by being just a working class boy from Scranton. Hillary even tried to claim that she was a working class boy from Scranton. Maybe I should create a Working Class Boy from Scranton Stump Speech Generator?

9 Questions (No Edits)

Q. What would be the best part about Sarah Palin being vice president?

A. As the economy fails and China rises to power, America will need to inspire more budding beauty queens to compete on the international job market, not scientists or people who can read.

Q. What would be the worst part about Sarah Palin being vice president?

A. Given Palin’s qualifications, her choice of baby names, and her extreme stances on polarizing issues, there wouldn’t be anything for critics to poke fun at.

Q. Did you know that the letters in "Sarah Palin" can be rearranged to spell "a sharp nail"?

A. I tried making a Sarah Palin Anagram Generator, but there were only 10! (factorial) possible results and most of them were gibberish.

Q. What's your favorite political joke?

A.It can’t be printed in a family publication, but it has to do with Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and the Homestead Act.

Q. If you were Joe Biden, and you were debating Sarah Palin, what would you say to poke fun at her, even at the risk of alienating every fence-sitting voter?

A. Canada is geographically larger than the United States but with only about a tenth of our population. Why is this? Hockey accounts for the deaths about about 1/3 of all potential fathers in Canada, and hockey moms are leading them straight to it. Do we really want a VP who wants to kill our boys?

Q. Your blog makes light of politics. Didn't anyone ever tell you that politics is serious business?

A. If I put “politics serious business” into the generator, it spits out “Mullet Troll Palin.”

Q. As a president, John McCain would be much easier to lampoon than Barack Obama. So, regardless of political leanings, you've got to be pulling for McCain, right?

A. I figure Obama’s got at least 8 working years in him, and at 72 McCain . . . well, the average American male life expectancy is 75, which makes for a short satire career.

Q. It's 2010. President McCain has decided to retire, leaving Sarah Palin as commander in chief. What's the first thing you're going to do?

A. Run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

Q. If Sarah Palin were president, who would have more to worry about: polar bears or doctors who perform abortions?

A. On the domestic front, doctors who perform abortions on polar bears and the polar bears who perform abortions on doctors would have the most to worry about. However, given the proximity of Alaska to Russia, I’d have to say that Russian polar bear abortionists would be quaking on their ice floes.

Thank you

2008-09-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Namers,

I'm completely blown away by the response that the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator (SPBNG?) is getting. I feel particularly indebted to Anne Lamont at Salon.com, Ken Lane at Wonkette.com, and all the funny people who've been tickled by my little foray into political frustration.

Moreover, I expect to see a lot of Crunk Bearcat and Scat Dubya Palins running for office in 20 years. That's right, I want you to name your kids this way.

Seriously, I hope you all will vote. For Obama, of course. But thank you, thank you, thank you. I am humbled and flattered.

Yours truly,

David W. Harrington a.k.a Skein Chug Palin

P.S. If I put Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator into the generator, it comes out Goalie Sanka Palin, which is much more succinct.