Word Shortage
Words and what they really mean v.s. what they are assumed to mean as a consequence of the media and a few thoughtless tanks gradually permuting them, sophistically in their own best interest. A quote I found that really applies is by David Hume, written in 1739 :
"There is a great difference betwixt such opinions as we form after a calm and profound reflection, and such as we embrace by a kind of instinct or natural impulse, on account of their suitableness and conformity to the mind. If these opinions become contrary, 'tis not difficult to forsee which of them will have the advantage. As long as our attention is bent upon the subject, the philosophical and study'd principle may prevail; but the moment we relax our thoughts, nature will display herself and draw us back to our former opinion. Nay, she has sometimes such an influence, that she can stop our progress, even in the midst of our most profound reflections, and keep us from running on with all the consequences of any philosophical opinion."
sweet
A republic is a complex government structured to balance the power between the three primary components of society, the people, the aristocracy and the executive. These three components have each taken their turn in history governing nations, and each suffers the digression put so eloquently above by Hume. Only when government is mixed in such a manner that all power can not accumulate to one center or one branch, can there be liberty enjoyed by all classes. Such a balance is only possible when there are checks and balances outlined by a constitution between the three.
Of the individuals I questioned, a republic is a representative form of democracy. Well, they have one third of the equation. Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner. In a democracy there will always be a minority and a majority. The minority will always be available for exploitation and oppression by the majority. This fact was common knowledge in that era. John Adams worked against Jefferson to establish the republic which was capable of putting an end to the existence of the classification; 'minority'.
Liberty is the freedom to question the habitual and dogmatic processes that govern the behaviour of a civil society. It is accomplished by preventing the passing of any law that does not directly bear on the prevention of harm to either persons or property. The only caveat is that the category of "offensive" can not be construed as causing harm, since this argument is the basis of every instance of religious persecution in history.
When asked, most people say liberty means 'freedom', but it is taken to mean freedom to do whatever one wishes and has no bearing upon its purpose - that of questioning the basis of laws.
Capitalism is the freedom to profit from the ownership of property. Modern banking with it's fiat money has perverted capitalism to mean the freedom to profit from the extortion of capital. Since a fiat money is not capital and only a symbol of value which is supported by the political power of government through laws governing exchange, there is no principle nor principal upon which to draw an interest from a fiat money. Investment to gain profit must be entirely premised upon the ownership of true capital.
Most people confound capitalism with the market economy. The market economy is the only truly functional form of economy, but capitalism is part of the basis of liberty that allows individuals to stand against many of the arbitrary intrusions of political power and form the material world individually.
Rent, historically, as defined by David Ricardo, is the difference in the profit earned between rich fertile land that requires little capital input or labor to produce a bounty, and the most marginal land in cultivation necessary to satisfy the demands of the population. Ultimately, rent is the value of the free gifts of nature. What are often called 'capital intensive industries' are in fact not capital intensive at all, but rent bearing industries. Adam Smith emphasized the distinction between the capitalist and the landlord (and labor as well) showing that the capitalist was the one who produced the profit through his industry, the landlord collected a rent based strictly upon the ownership of the property and labor earned a wage in exchange for doing the work. The farmen who owned his own land and did all his own work earned all three; profit, rent and wages. What is called 'rent' today is most often in reference to leasing property to tenants, but this is not actually rent since it has nothing to do with the free gifts of nature. In fact, someone who owns an apartment complex or duplex does not collect a rent, but makes a profit from the ownership of the building which is in fact capital. Since we typically own the land the building is sited upon, one could call part of the income from tenants a rent, but it is an insignificant part, since it has little or nothing to do with the difference in value between one 'property' and another. The difference in value between a productive oil well and a non productive oil well can readily be called rent though, since it is in fact a gift of nature.
Most people are of the mind that rent is the payment we make to a landlord or collect from a tenant. This has no basis in any principle whatever. I would really like to know how this came to pass.
"There is a great difference betwixt such opinions as we form after a calm and profound reflection, and such as we embrace by a kind of instinct or natural impulse, on account of their suitableness and conformity to the mind. If these opinions become contrary, 'tis not difficult to forsee which of them will have the advantage. As long as our attention is bent upon the subject, the philosophical and study'd principle may prevail; but the moment we relax our thoughts, nature will display herself and draw us back to our former opinion. Nay, she has sometimes such an influence, that she can stop our progress, even in the midst of our most profound reflections, and keep us from running on with all the consequences of any philosophical opinion."
sweet
A republic is a complex government structured to balance the power between the three primary components of society, the people, the aristocracy and the executive. These three components have each taken their turn in history governing nations, and each suffers the digression put so eloquently above by Hume. Only when government is mixed in such a manner that all power can not accumulate to one center or one branch, can there be liberty enjoyed by all classes. Such a balance is only possible when there are checks and balances outlined by a constitution between the three.
Of the individuals I questioned, a republic is a representative form of democracy. Well, they have one third of the equation. Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner. In a democracy there will always be a minority and a majority. The minority will always be available for exploitation and oppression by the majority. This fact was common knowledge in that era. John Adams worked against Jefferson to establish the republic which was capable of putting an end to the existence of the classification; 'minority'.
Liberty is the freedom to question the habitual and dogmatic processes that govern the behaviour of a civil society. It is accomplished by preventing the passing of any law that does not directly bear on the prevention of harm to either persons or property. The only caveat is that the category of "offensive" can not be construed as causing harm, since this argument is the basis of every instance of religious persecution in history.
When asked, most people say liberty means 'freedom', but it is taken to mean freedom to do whatever one wishes and has no bearing upon its purpose - that of questioning the basis of laws.
Capitalism is the freedom to profit from the ownership of property. Modern banking with it's fiat money has perverted capitalism to mean the freedom to profit from the extortion of capital. Since a fiat money is not capital and only a symbol of value which is supported by the political power of government through laws governing exchange, there is no principle nor principal upon which to draw an interest from a fiat money. Investment to gain profit must be entirely premised upon the ownership of true capital.
Most people confound capitalism with the market economy. The market economy is the only truly functional form of economy, but capitalism is part of the basis of liberty that allows individuals to stand against many of the arbitrary intrusions of political power and form the material world individually.
Rent, historically, as defined by David Ricardo, is the difference in the profit earned between rich fertile land that requires little capital input or labor to produce a bounty, and the most marginal land in cultivation necessary to satisfy the demands of the population. Ultimately, rent is the value of the free gifts of nature. What are often called 'capital intensive industries' are in fact not capital intensive at all, but rent bearing industries. Adam Smith emphasized the distinction between the capitalist and the landlord (and labor as well) showing that the capitalist was the one who produced the profit through his industry, the landlord collected a rent based strictly upon the ownership of the property and labor earned a wage in exchange for doing the work. The farmen who owned his own land and did all his own work earned all three; profit, rent and wages. What is called 'rent' today is most often in reference to leasing property to tenants, but this is not actually rent since it has nothing to do with the free gifts of nature. In fact, someone who owns an apartment complex or duplex does not collect a rent, but makes a profit from the ownership of the building which is in fact capital. Since we typically own the land the building is sited upon, one could call part of the income from tenants a rent, but it is an insignificant part, since it has little or nothing to do with the difference in value between one 'property' and another. The difference in value between a productive oil well and a non productive oil well can readily be called rent though, since it is in fact a gift of nature.
Most people are of the mind that rent is the payment we make to a landlord or collect from a tenant. This has no basis in any principle whatever. I would really like to know how this came to pass.
posted by lou_srewlect | 5:49 PM
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