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Friday, March 4, 2005 - 3:55amSanction this postReply
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I just had this funny thought. If everyone were equal then the Times would have to post all the reports and essays they get, which means they had to extend their newspaper to a thousand pages or so.
That'd be equality for them and the last time ever.

(Edited by Max on 3/04, 3:56am)


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Friday, March 4, 2005 - 7:26amSanction this postReply
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It has already been done in all those Communist countries.

In the Land Reform movement in the early days of China's Communist regime, nearly all the rich landlords in the countryside were killed off, and their land, houses, live stocks, and other properties were equally distributed among the villagers.

Then in a few years a phenomenon of the so-called "polarization" emerged: the families in the village that are smarter, harder working, and with better labor resources became richer, while those who were dumb, lazy, or lacking resources got poorer. Then another round of equalization were carried out where the better-to-do's were punished and the poorer were rewarded. In the end, the Communist Party established the big People's Communes in the countryside where nobody owns any private property and everything were supposed to belong to everyone. And we all know what that had led to...  

(Edited by Hong Zhang on 3/04, 2:29pm)


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Post 2

Friday, March 4, 2005 - 7:50amSanction this postReply
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This is that the attempt to equalize everything in the world ushers in the worst of all inequalities, namely, inequality of political power.

Very well said!

Egalitarianism is one of the oddest views out there, not least because (as you so excellently point out) its impossible.  Even the most comprehensive, rigid police state would find it impossible to maintain for any length of time.

Among other things, the advocates 'forget' you can not raise the general level without adding more water.  They seem to prefer to drain the pool.


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Friday, March 4, 2005 - 5:04pmSanction this postReply
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Hilarious! I need a Hungarian to complain about non-American intellectuals polluting the American intellectual scene. :-P

Post 4

Friday, March 4, 2005 - 11:53pmSanction this postReply
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plaasjaapie: funny.

I consider myself more a citizen of the human race than a citizen of my home country, the US. (ducks from sight of Secret Service w/ Patriot Act)


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Monday, March 7, 2005 - 5:24amSanction this postReply
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To the comment, "I need a Hungarian to complain about non-American intellectuals polluting the American intellectual scene," I can only point out the difference between "polluting" and "fertilizing." What about Rand? Von Mises? Von Hayek? Et. al.? I like the company of such "polluters"? I suggest keeping this distinction at the forefront of our consciousness in this discussion.
(Edited by Machan on 3/07, 5:25am)


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