235 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

The State is the most powerful COMPULSORY entity in a territory usually with its name too

Ony it has a coercive monopoly on the (legal) use of force/violence

That such an entity could be taken over by some businessmen when their most powerful asset is only their money I find very unlikely

They used that money to buy politicians who ACCEPTED

Expand full comment
John Turcot's avatar

Howard,

"most powerful asset is only their money I find very unlikely. " MMmm.!!!.. On the planet where I live MONEY is the most powerful entity of the universe that involves humanity. If there are more powerful entities, I must have missed that lesson..

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

So if you face someone with a lot of money or someone that had a coercive monopoly on the legal use of force, which would you fear ?

Expand full comment
jamenta's avatar

Howard, we all know who is running the US government, how many well paid lobbyists there are for each well paid politician. We all know why Washington DC is now one of the richest pieces of land in the US right now with a ton of millionaires.

You pretend you don't know that, which makes you intellectually dishonest.

Expand full comment
Indu Abeysekara's avatar

jamenta, Glad that you took on the so-called " Libertarian"!

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

Again, money is only as powerful as any other commodity on the market

You either want it or not

The idea that people with money somehow force "poor "politicians into selling their power is a fantasy

Expand full comment
jamenta's avatar

What a bald face lie. So intellectually dishonest.

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

tell me the lie ?

Unsupported Accusations will not cut it

Expand full comment
John Turcot's avatar

Howard,

"So if you face someone with a lot of money or someone that had a coercive monopoly on the legal use of force, which would you fear ?"

I wish I could understand your question but for the sake of just guessing I don't usually face people with a lot of money because they usually like being with people of their kind...

As far as "coercive monopoly" and their legal use of force electric utility providers come to mind, and if you don't pay ransoms to their coffers you'll be without electrical power for awhile. To your question,, " which one would I fear?" I fear the latter, the former have basically ignored me.

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

I thought that was pretty clear.

Expand full comment
Sarah Westall's avatar

You would need to look at the debates back then to understand what really occurred. Astor, who was killed on the Titanic, was the only holdout at the time. And yes, the money masters are always very powerful and "buy out" politicians. That is why the constitution was formed the way it was. They worked on getting a central bank in place for over 100 years. It was the big prize and they got it. The people only allowed it to happen because of ignorance. The same ignorance we have today. Although, they were more informed back then then we are today. Almost no one knows what I am talking about. The "freedom" movement and the anti war people are almost all ignorant to what I am sharing. They are fighting the shadows hard and it won't make a single bit of difference because the fight is directed at the branches, not the root.

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

Why are businesses powerful for offering money but the state seems innocent for accepting it in exchange for power they sold ?

Expand full comment
Sarah Westall's avatar

No one is innocent. And anyone with a lot of money is powerful if used to control people. That's why blackmail works.

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

Money cannot control you unless you deem it necessary to take it

I am not sure I know of any politicians that fit that requirement

They ALL seem pretty rich to me whether left or right

The power of The COMPULSORY State can control anyone who is not as powerful and does not have the power to legalize their actions

Expand full comment
Sarah Westall's avatar

Blackmail has a strange way of controlling most politicians.

Expand full comment
Kojo's avatar

Some are indeed rather obvious under remote control for misdeeds they have undertaken. Lindsey Graham being one of the most obvious.

But for many others it's just blind greed enabled by the effect of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, opening the floodgates of political bribery.

Expand full comment
notBob's avatar

I think its incorrect to suggest that business is blackmailing politicians. Intelligence agencies have long used blackmail to control politicians. Its the CIA demanding a politician vote a particular way not pepsico.

Expand full comment
Howard Pearce - Libertarian's avatar

No

Politicians have a strange way of making money by selling the power that they have

And blackmail implies a threat ?

Do you have those threats for those politicians in control ?

Expand full comment
notBob's avatar

Every politician takes an oath of office to honor the Constitution and essentially not betray the people or the nation. Business, corporations and the like do not take any oath.

Politicians are 100% responsible for the corruption and bribery and holding them responsible to their oath is the only leverage we have short of revolutionary war.

Expand full comment