tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366199.post116638726102332702..comments2023-12-24T00:27:57.613-06:00Comments on Kole Hard Facts of Life: Mike Kolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17573721231319244630noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366199.post-1166412558691708382006-12-17T21:29:00.000-06:002006-12-17T21:29:00.000-06:00Mike--I appreciated your campaign (I voted for you...Mike--I appreciated your campaign (I voted for you!), thoughts, ideas and the discussion generated by your blog. I'm glad you've kept posting and haven't stopped now that the election is over. The Libertarian perspective is definitely needed in our country. Thanks for continuing to post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366199.post-1166404358738376352006-12-17T19:12:00.000-06:002006-12-17T19:12:00.000-06:00I forgot to sign above;Kevin WickesI forgot to sign above;<BR/>Kevin WickesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366199.post-1166404280615194422006-12-17T19:11:00.000-06:002006-12-17T19:11:00.000-06:00When the socialistic term common good comes up how...When the socialistic term common good comes up how could you not expect a debate. <BR/>In todays bread and circuses world you would have a hard time finding enough people to stick together long enough to send a message to the steel mill but we do have a voice in the matter and the steel company would have heard. Boycotts and bad press are things their corporate lawyers would have no toolbox of evasions for. <BR/>However, anytime we the people decide we haven't the time of day for something, the government is always waiting in the wings to step in.<BR/>I wonder about our "DIRECT ability" sometimes, didn't those voters in California once vote to deny unlimited welfare to Illegal Aliens only to have it overturned???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366199.post-1166399602591518772006-12-17T17:53:00.000-06:002006-12-17T17:53:00.000-06:00Well I certainly didn't expect to stir up a capita...Well I certainly didn't expect to stir up a capitalistic debate by referencing the common good. Personally I don't see the contradiction you imply - i.e either one is for capitalism OR the common good. They are not mutually exclusive in my eyes and I'm definitely no anti-capitalist.<BR/><BR/>Of course I DO believe that capitalism is to be checked by the government and the government is to be checked by the voters. Your choice analogy does not always apply. For example, the local steel mill may find it more profitable to pollute the local water supply but certainly no one would consider that an improvement for the common good. Yet as a citizen you can't simply choose not to buy steel. Others will continue to support the mill and you will still be stuck w/ a polluted water supply.<BR/><BR/>My only point in bringing up the phrase "common good" was simply to suggest that corporate profits sometimes trump what the majority of the citizenry would rather do. If you privatize certain government functions then the citizenry no longer has the DIRECT ability to change the policies governing that function.<BR/><BR/>I'm not against privatizing certain government functions but I want to see how the citizenry benefit from such a move and will most certainly not take this improvement a priori...Jeff Pruitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01996970649630375507noreply@blogger.com