Ayn Rand

[abbyd]

Actions speak louder than words.  Ayn Rand may have put on appearances of free-thinking and libertarianism, but the "cult" she organized around her was authoritarian and relied heavily on group think (insofar as, you were OUT if you didn't tow the randian line).  For further reading I'd direct you to this short and entertaining Murry Rothbard essay:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard23.html

+1 - Rothbard doesn't buy her brand of crap. Currently reading his "For a New Liberty".

MANY Randkooks don't really know that much about her. There is also the matter of her diary entries praising a serial killer:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/mark-ames-paul-ryans-guru-ayn-rand-worshipped-a-serial-killer-who-kidnapped-and-dismembered-little-girls.html
You can't make this stuff up.

[1713889889]

1713889889

[myrkul]

Actions speak louder than words.  Ayn Rand may have put on appearances of free-thinking and libertarianism, but the "cult" she organized around her was authoritarian and relied heavily on group think (insofar as, you were OUT if you didn't tow the randian line).  For further reading I'd direct you to this short and entertaining Murry Rothbard essay:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard23.html

+1 - Rothbard doesn't buy her brand of crap. Currently reading his "For a New Liberty".

MANY Randkooks don't really know that much about her. There is also the matter of her diary entries praising a serial killer:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/mark-ames-paul-ryans-guru-ayn-rand-worshipped-a-serial-killer-who-kidnapped-and-dismembered-little-girls.html
You can't make this stuff up.

And Hitler was a vegetarian who loved to paint. Surprise! People are more than 2-dimensional drawings!

But if you're reading For a New Liberty, you're on the right track. Let me know when you're ready for Sam Konkin.

[hawkeye]

And every human is flawed and makes many mistakes throughout their life.  Just most of us don't have our thoughts at any particular time down on paper to be criticised by everyone later.  Maybe she realised her mistakes and changed her mind.  Who knows? 

I just take what I perceive to be good ideas and leave the bad ones.  Where they came from is ultimately irrelevant.

I didn't read through the Rothbard piece, but a quick skim seemed to me he was criticising cult thinking more than anything.

[steelhouse]

Actions speak louder than words.  Ayn Rand may have put on appearances of free-thinking and libertarianism, but the "cult" she organized around her was authoritarian and relied heavily on group think (insofar as, you were OUT if you didn't tow the randian line).  For further reading I'd direct you to this short and entertaining Murry Rothbard essay:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard23.html

+1 - Rothbard doesn't buy her brand of crap. Currently reading his "For a New Liberty".

MANY Randkooks don't really know that much about her. There is also the matter of her diary entries praising a serial killer:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/mark-ames-paul-ryans-guru-ayn-rand-worshipped-a-serial-killer-who-kidnapped-and-dismembered-little-girls.html
You can't make this stuff up.

I believe she said she was investigating the serial killer, she never worshiped a serial killer.  She wrote a book on a polish actress. That what these anti-rand morons always go to.  They will say she collected social security, well duh they offered it to her.  Just so stupid.  They will say Ryan and Rand were followers, they fail to mention Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban are too.

[Digicoiner]

Any fans of Rand's philosophy here?

I just finished reading Atlas Shrugged.  I liked it even though it was a bit long winded.  I heard that Rand's father had a small business that was destroyed by the Bolshevik's and that might have influenced her philosophy.

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

[myrkul]

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

Heh, no.

But it might become that static motor John came up with before he disappeared.

[Gordonium]

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?

[Rassah]

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

Heh, no.

But it might become that static motor John came up with before he disappeared.

I still prefer to think of Bitcoin as Galt's Gulch, which we can easily disappear into if we wanted to "exit" the economy.

[AgeraS]

Actions speak louder than words.  Ayn Rand may have put on appearances of free-thinking and libertarianism, but the "cult" she organized around her was authoritarian and relied heavily on group think (insofar as, you were OUT if you didn't tow the randian line).  For further reading I'd direct you to this short and entertaining Murry Rothbard essay:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard23.html

+1 - Rothbard doesn't buy her brand of crap. Currently reading his "For a New Liberty".

MANY Randkooks don't really know that much about her. There is also the matter of her diary entries praising a serial killer:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/mark-ames-paul-ryans-guru-ayn-rand-worshipped-a-serial-killer-who-kidnapped-and-dismembered-little-girls.html
You can't make this stuff up.

+ 1   I have read "The Ethics of Liberty" by Rothbard, It is an awesome read!

[Spendulus]

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

Heh, no.

But it might become that static motor John came up with before he disappeared.

I still prefer to think of Bitcoin as Galt's Gulch, which we can easily disappear into if we wanted to "exit" the economy.

A rather interesting idea with implications.  Consider the case of some country under severe economic duress and facing near term collapse.  The ready and fluid availability of an alternative and substitute currency places a limit on the extent to which that government can impoverish it's subjects.

That's a game changer.

[Hawker]

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

Heh, no.

But it might become that static motor John came up with before he disappeared.

I still prefer to think of Bitcoin as Galt's Gulch, which we can easily disappear into if we wanted to "exit" the economy.

A rather interesting idea with implications.  Consider the case of some country under severe economic duress and facing near term collapse.  The ready and fluid availability of an alternative and substitute currency places a limit on the extent to which that government can impoverish it's subjects.

That's a game changer.

Its not really.  Most people don't have cash - they have assets like houses, farms and businesses.  A country under server economic duress will always have the option of taxing those assets. 

[Rassah]

Will bitcoin become "the motor of the world"?

Heh, no.

But it might become that static motor John came up with before he disappeared.

I still prefer to think of Bitcoin as Galt's Gulch, which we can easily disappear into if we wanted to "exit" the economy.

A rather interesting idea with implications.  Consider the case of some country under severe economic duress and facing near term collapse.  The ready and fluid availability of an alternative and substitute currency places a limit on the extent to which that government can impoverish it's subjects.

That's a game changer.

Its not really.  Most people don't have cash - they have assets like houses, farms and businesses.  A country under server economic duress will always have the option of taxing those assets. 

But worst come to worst, people who own those assets can sell them and convert the proceeds to bitcoin, too. Then if things get too bad, perhaps they can emigrate elsewhere.

[Hawker]

...snip...

But worst come to worst, people who own those assets can sell them and convert the proceeds to bitcoin, too. Then if things get too bad, perhaps they can emigrate elsewhere.

They can already do that with gold or any other commodity.  The thing is, that would be selling at the bottom of the market.  Most people won't move country at all and those that are willing to move country rarely include the asset rich classes.  

For that class of person, where Bitcoin does feature is if you are old and facing the end.  Sell your assets, convert into Bitcoin and distribute them among your heirs.  Your family thus avoid inheritance tax and none of them have broken any laws.  But that's off topic to poor Ayn Rand.

[Rassah]

If you don't give up your bitcoin holdings, and no one knows how much you actually have, then I guess you can just say you can't pay your taxes, because you don't have the money. They can put a huge debt on you, which will make borrowing through official channels more difficult, and I guess they can confiscate your whole house and business, which will suck, but they might leave your business soft of alone if it's big enough, and doing so will cause a lot of people to lose jobs and make the politicians look bad... Eh, either way, it's a mess, but at least it's somewhat of an alternative.

As for gold, that won't really work, since that gets confiscated at the border. If the country falls THAT far, we may end up with closed borders like USSR had, and they inspected everything that people carried out. Someone even tried to smuggle out diamonds inside watermelons (inserted while the melons were still young), and they even found and took that. This is also why I think that a border fence to keep illegals out is a horrible idea, but that's also a whole other topic.

[myrkul]

...snip...

But worst come to worst, people who own those assets can sell them and convert the proceeds to bitcoin, too. Then if things get too bad, perhaps they can emigrate elsewhere.

They can already do that with gold or any other commodity.

No, not really. Ever tried to store gold in your brain, to avoid confiscation at the border?

[Hawker]

...snip...

But worst come to worst, people who own those assets can sell them and convert the proceeds to bitcoin, too. Then if things get too bad, perhaps they can emigrate elsewhere.

They can already do that with gold or any other commodity.

No, not really. Ever tried to store gold in your brain, to avoid confiscation at the border?

Hmmm.  I was thinking of Greece and Cyprus where borders are porous.  But if you wanted to move money from Germany or the like, then yes, you are right?

[Rassah]

...snip...

But worst come to worst, people who own those assets can sell them and convert the proceeds to bitcoin, too. Then if things get too bad, perhaps they can emigrate elsewhere.

They can already do that with gold or any other commodity.

No, not really. Ever tried to store gold in your brain, to avoid confiscation at the border?

Hmmm.  I was thinking of Greece and Cyprus where borders are porous.  But if you wanted to move money from Germany or the like, then yes, you are right?

Another issue is storage. Hard to store a lot of gold at home, and storing it at a bank is not a good idea either apparently:

http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/4/23_Sinclair_-_Swiss_Bank_Just_Refused_To_Give_My_Friend_His_Gold.html

[Spendulus]

I always thought storing at the Perth Mint in AU wasn't a terribly bad idea.

They give out "warehouse receipts" and are not a bank or subject to banking regs.

Of course, we might expect the long arm of the Takers to reach out in every direction possible.

[myrkul]

I always thought storing at the Perth Mint in AU wasn't a terribly bad idea.

They give out "warehouse receipts" and are not a bank or subject to banking regs.

Of course, we might expect the long arm of the Takers to reach out in every direction possible.

Now that's interesting. Are those "warehouse receipts" transferable?

[Spendulus]

I always thought storing at the Perth Mint in AU wasn't a terribly bad idea.

They give out "warehouse receipts" and are not a bank or subject to banking regs.

Of course, we might expect the long arm of the Takers to reach out in every direction possible.

Now that's interesting. Are those "warehouse receipts" transferable?

Sorry, but I don't know that part.  You can download a brochure from the guys at Perth or just ask them.  I have not used them, but I have been in gold bug type meetings where people spoke highly of them.

I had the impression that it wasn't one of these places where for every ounce of physical gold, they write up one hundred receipts.