"Freedom" thread or something

Someday I hope to eat a real cheesesteak. A guy can get something called that out here on the West Coast, but it sucks. Funny, there was a "New York Deli" here many years ago, run by a guy from New York. I suppose it was authentic, but he was an in your face combative type of guy and his business did not last long. 

You can very acutely critique the assumption of rationality in economic thought, but their criticism just does not make any sense. First off, even deterministic systems, such as meteorological effects, cannot be accurately predicted. The large number of variables precludes anything other than a probabilistic analysis. You could say that human subject themselves in mass to a statistical examination and inference, but we remain unable to predict behavior per se. It's not even necessary to mention that though. The rationality axiom basically claims, with some necessary requirements on how preferences are ordered, that individuals will seek to maximize their utility. I can do this while being perfectly unpredicatble.

Silly example: You give me the option of 2 hotdogs or a cheeseburger. I'm rational so I will pick the one which gives me the most utility. You can't predict my behavior because you have no access to my preferences. I pick the cheeseburger. You know have the information that I prefer cheeseburgers. The next day you offer the same choice to me. This day I pick the 2 hot dogs. You failed to predict me. It does not mean failed to act rationally. I still acted with my preferenes. The marginal utility the second hamburger simply is less than marginal utility of my first two hot dogs in a two day period. If preferences were static and known to all, then yes your siblings would raise a valid critique. However, under real circumstances they must attack it via different angles.

another brick in the wall

388-3? Not even Slarti will we able to paint this as a gop-dem game. All politicians are repulsive.

My brother was telling me earlier about the bill that passed both houses...how being "disruptive" while the President is speaking is a crime. Being "disruptive" around anyone protected by the secret service or in certain places is a crime as well.

Naturally, they will point out and say "awww cmon you need to protect these people" but if you were to run up and try to punch Obama you'd be grabbed and put on the floor before you touched him.
Seems clear this would be used to silence protesters.
Loooong before I would even think the words Ron Paul I hated this kind of sh*t. Free speech takes another stab in the back : (


And more proof that while the two parties will argue to death over anything, they agree on civil liberties...removing them of course.
Passed both houses...up to Obama now. Boy I wonder if he'll sign it maybe he'll be "reluctant" about this one as well!

Well, like there was any chance it wasn't gunna be.

So after being semi sold on the idea, I can say with 107% certainty I support Ron Paul.
As some of you must've noticed I've been rethinking my beliefs for a while. I always am, and honestly for a while things didn't seem to "make sense" no matter how I tried. I was quite stuck to my beliefs but the final straw was after observation.

Wubya, Obama. Republicans, Democrats. No matter what anyone does we all seem stuck at a plateau, as my family always gripes we keep fighting to keep our head above water. The level of which seemed to be rising all the time, and we could never figure out why. Why is sh*t always just getting worse? I'm no expert on the Fed but isn't it supposed to control the economy? Why are prices always so out of hand? If they are supposed to regulate the cycle why are there still recessions?

Is it really so crazy to have competitive currencies? (obviously gold backed or fiat)

I started reading into Paul and every question I had seemed to have an answer. Plus the stuff I already believed in like changing our foreign policy, cut defense spending, the erosion of liberties. What was the "only man representing change while all others are the same" is now something I honestly believe in.
Not 100% ... I believe more in a limited government than as small as Paul seems to want but yeah, I'm on board the revolution.

I was already questioning myself and slowly coming to terms with what I believed was wrong, and I guess I kinda used you guys to help me chip away at it


Edited by JJLehto - March 16 2012 at 22:51

I wouldn't take too much credit...there IS a reason I started talking with you guys in the first place ; )
After all...initiative is the key to all success!
It was damn hard to break the mentality though. Man, I didn't even really believe in what I told people...it just made no sense when observing life and the way things are. Maybe it's why I just couldn't stop debating, hoping to force myself to accept what I used to believe was wrong! Not easy to do when you are opinionated.

I believe that 100%.
I can counter with my own PA politician who is a Democrat (though personally is a Republican) and supports Romney. Naturally he hates Obama but I think he's a bit more naive than sinister. Seems to honestly believe the party line, he's quite sincere in hating Obama and liking Romney, which is just great! But yeah he's in to line his pockets and just work deals with people. Even on the local level...we are so f**ked.

Of course when out with friends I laugh about his "corrupt friend" and how he abuses his power and can get us a deal at the cigar shop, but it makes me want to vomit
No doubt man, it's quite obvious that both parties are the same sh*t and like many I looked at the horrors the free market and capitalism has given us, but I see it really is corporatism.

Atavachron wrote: Just beware of labeling and selling the Big L, the moment an idea becomes 'something' is the moment it's in jeopardy of mediocrity.

You are right but I can only vouch for me, and this is no rash decision! The better part of 2 years actually I spent thinking about it. I plan to continue it after Paul retires.
Maybe do something insanely stupid and run for office when I'm 25. Run a crazy, no money campaign to draw some attention to it. Maybe Rob, Pat, MoM and llama if we find him can do the same! We'll talk about prog, sandwiches and how to take over the US in a good way

JJLehto wrote: Atavachron wrote: Just beware of labeling and selling the Big L, the moment an idea becomes 'something' is the moment it's in jeopardy of mediocrity. You are right but I can only vouch for me, and this is no rash decision! The better part of 2 years actually I spent thinking about it. I plan to continue it after Paul retires. Maybe do something insanely stupid and run for office when I'm 25. Run a crazy, no money campaign to draw some attention to it. Maybe Rob, Pat, MoM and llama if we find him can do the same! We'll talk about prog, sandwiches and how to take over the US in a good way