Out of curiosity, what is the AE (and everyone here's) position on the State of Israel and the US relation to it?

[Bradipo]

@Jacob Bloom

And so far, not only have you done a very poor job of convincing me your ideas are right,

Nobody has to believe in the law of supply and demand. Nobody has to believe in any other economic truths that exist. Austrian Economics attempts to discover those truths, not impose them. Is efficient or inefficient to know what the effects of violating certain economic laws are?

@Jacob Bloom

Now you think people need to be totally free. Totally free to do whatever they want without consequence of fear of reprisal.

Who said anything about being free from consequence?

@Jacob Bloom

I am almost ashamed to admit that I was going to try to figure out how to go to a school where I was going to get to be a part of austrian economics. But I don’t want people thinking I’m an anarchist.

``Doctor, if I take these drugs, they might cure me, but then someone might think I’m a drug addict. I can’t have that.‘’

[Bradipo]

@Wilmot of Rochester

Of course, I don’t like the idea of the US military getting involved, but I would be very happy if the Israeli state were to disappear, its government dethroned, and its politicians and bueraucrats tried and executed for war crimes against the good Muslim and Christian people of Palestine.

And you are free, and justified, in committing as many of your funds to this cause as you like, but you are not so justified in committing any of my funds, nor those of anyone else who doesn’t voluntarily agree, to said cause.

[Bradipo]

@Jacob Bloom

And you’ll be stuck like “O man, you dudes are so bad!” but won’t be able to do anything about it.

Just like you’re stuck in this ``constitutional republic’’ and can’t do anything about the things you would like to change either.

[Bradipo]

@Jacob Bloom

I feel like my act was justified.

You mean you surmise that your act was efficient? Feelings of justification are based on some kind of moral scale are they not?

[Harry_Felker]

@Poptech

So you have spoken to social conservatives who’s only platform requirements are pro-life and the bible and they wanted to join the LP party? I have a hard time believing that. I have seen no remote evidence of this.

That is ok… I have…

[Wilmot_of_Rochester]

@Jacob Bloom

@Juan

@Jacob Bloom

My chief concern is with finding a workable political philosophy.

That’s impossible in your case. You’re unable to understand basic logical objections to your ‘theory’.

You don’t understand why minimal government is nonsense.

The commies and the welfare state are oh so evil. But the deranged right wingers and their warfare state are just fine.

You don’t understand that in order to have your parasitic warfare state other politicians and parasites must have their welfare state. It’s all about cooperation.

Well, I think minimal government makes a lot more sense than anarchy. Your objections, by the way, are not based on observable fact because no one is doing anarchy right now. So you’ve got this great protection because I can’t point at an anarchic region and say “this is what happens.” I’m trying to rethink a system already in place, you guys are trying to brainstorm an offshoot of communism. This is all well and good. But it’s not going to get me anywhere. I am less convinced about anarchy than I was when I first signed on here.

The reason the “warfare” state makes sense and the welfare state does not is that welfare states simply don’t work whereas publicly funded militaries do work. They are not mutually inclusive either. It’s possible to have one without the other. How is this possible? Because moral principles do not guide politics, ultimately functional principles do “what works and what doesn’t?” It’s survival of the fittest. Socialist countries will not survive but neither will anarchies.

Bryan Caplan made an interesting point about how we’re actually more in a state of anarchy than “archy.” Not that I would call myself an anarchist, I’m more of a philosophical anarchist who doesn’t really care what the political scene does, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Jacob, again, please address my question about how you explain how you’re so into this military stuff and the “warfare state” but yet are in the stone age on contemporary military strategy and tactics. No offense, but I’m getting a big feeling that you’re what they call a soft-handed chicken hawk.