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Tyranny, Inc.

 

Tyranny, Inc.

 

By

Alexander Macris

Contemplations on the Tree of Woe

 

What government wants to do but cannot, it can require corporations to do for it.

 

 

(Cognitive Dissonance - The subject of Corporate Tyranny is politicized to the point where few can engage in an informed discussion with anything resembling facts in hand. Alexander Macris makes a superb effort to do precisely that in his article re-posted here with permission. While somewhat of a long read, I urge you to read it all the way to the end, then read it again. And don't forget to visit his blog.)

 

If you’ve read the Parable of the Seasteader, you’ll already know that at sufficient scale the public/private distinction collapses — a private entity of sufficient size can have all the power of a public entity. It is certainly arguable that Facebook and Google have reached such size. Here, however, I want to discuss a different dilemma - government’s use of private entities to regulate freedoms it cannot directly abridge.

We’re going to look at one specific right (the right to free speech) and one specific set of Federal regulations (§ 1604.11) but the pattern I’m describing here has become ubiquitous in our country. Nowadays, almost anything government is forbidden to regulate, it can require corporations to regulate for it. The government has outsourced tyranny. Let’s see how this black magic is performed. Continue reading Tyranny, Inc.

Getting Out of Dodge

Getting Out of Dodge

By

Cognitive Dissonance

 

 

Recently I received an email from a reader who asked for some feedback regarding a decision he was about to make. He’s in his early 50’s, single with an adult child and is considering resigning from his well paid and secure job in order to gain access to his substantial pension fund, which represents at least two thirds of his total wealth.

Why would he do such a crazy thing? Well, when he considers the growing financial, political, social, environmental and resource disruptions, he feels it may make sense to retrieve his pension now before the dollar devaluation accelerates and his pension fund loses significant purchasing power or is substantially lost to government decree and Wall Street greed.

He has talked to friends and acquaintances about what’s going on in the world these days and his thoughts about getting out and moving on with his life in a more prudent and thoughtful manner. All believe he’s nuts. Gone round the bend in fact. Continue reading Getting Out of Dodge

Penalizing Prudence

Penalizing Prudence

By

Cognitive Dissonance

 

 

“Economy, prudence, and a simple life are the sure masters of need, and will often accomplish that which, their opposites, with a fortune at hand, will fail to do.” – Clara Barton

 

“Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit; and it is but common prudence to see our way out before we venture in.” – Aesop

 

One of my conceits, of which there are many, is the belief that because I have entered the third trimester of my life, I am now in possession of great volumes of wisdom and perspective. Thankfully Mrs. Cog is always nearby to efficiently and surgically remove any such thoughts of grandeur and omnipotence. That said, at some point during the flight of life, even birds of prey eventually turn their thoughts to the comfort of a nearby nest rather than their next fearless fight.

Even the most reckless among us begins elevating to greater importance the preservation of resources rather than mindless squandering, especially when we are closer to the end than the beginning. This is a good thing, by the way. It adds balance to the socioeconomic system, both personally and collectively, as well as countering the self-destructive tendencies of those obsessed with endless consumption. Continue reading Penalizing Prudence