Ideas and Motives

southpol:

I don’t think that the defence of the free market I hear from Jeff comes from the same place as the (nominally identical) version coming from the insurance executives testifying on Capitol Hill.

This is certainly right.  There are a lot of people who speak about freedom and markets and liberty, but actually seek to game the system to enrich themselves.  Many businessmen talk a nice capitalist game, but then hire lobbyists to get them special favors, or lobby for regulations that impose barriers to entry for their competition.  It’s easy to disguise an ulterior motive in the vocabulary of an ideology.

This is true of progressive ideas as well.  Many people have called for new government programs or regulations that would-surprise!-just coincidentally deliver enormous financial windfalls to them.

I know that Southpol is sincere in his arguments; I know that Robot-Heart is sincere in hers; and they know I’m sincere in mine.  The debate on Tumblr, and most blogs, is generally pure, and from the heart.  But the debate in Washington is not.  All of the players in the debate have huge financial interests in what happens.  All of the politicians owe favors to constituencies and donors.  Whatever emerges from Congress will be disguised with the rhetoric of ideas, but underneath, it will be all corruption and kickbacks.

Source: abbyjean

44 Notes/ Hide

  1. noisymime reblogged this from jeffmiller
  2. continuum reblogged this from jeffmiller
  3. terryblakey reblogged this from southpol and added:
    millions who can’t.
  4. jeffmiller reblogged this from southpol and added:
    certainly right. There are...who speak about freedom and markets and liberty, but actually...
  5. southpol reblogged this from jeffmiller and added:
    Jeffmiller defends Libertarianism...emphasizes its points of overlap with Progressivism...
  6. moorewr reblogged this from jeffmiller and added:
    Your side believes it’s a zero sum game. Don’t lay...on me. Jeff, this is silly. Obama was...
  7. sds reblogged this from hilker
  8. hilker reblogged this from jeffmiller
  9. think4yourself reblogged this from robot-heart-politics
  10. ptbruiser reblogged this from jeffmiller and added:
    It’s really an amazing feat of mass self-deception that the American people could go from hearing Ron Paul warn about...
  11. gilmoure reblogged this from abbyjean
  12. vb reblogged this from jeffmiller and added:
    A-FUCKING-MEN. Jeff, you hit it on the head, once again. We’re very similar in our views on politics and life - I only...
  13. jasencomstock reblogged this from jeffmiller and added:
    Memo to Libertarians. I swear to jeebus I would never accuse you of winning anything.
  14. crazynutjob reblogged this from robot-heart-politics and added:
    Robot Heart: Sex, Religion, and Politics: Health Care stories from...United States I can’t...
  15. robot-heart-politics reblogged this from chuckmore and added:
    The marketplace provides the best health care ever! Hooray for free markety-ness!
  16. chuckmore reblogged this from abbyjean
  17. asprettyasasong reblogged this from abbyjean and added:
    Stories like this one infuriate me. The senator I work for receives letters like this and it is heartbreaking. We have...
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  19. abbyjean posted this
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