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31
Serious Business / Re: The I ain't religious no more but I used ta be thread.
« on: November 08, 2011, 06:40:18 PM »
I grew up in (and still live in) Mississippi.
I'm surrounded by bible-thumping Southern Baptists who hate drinking, hate gays, hate logic, love country music and love sending troops to kill brown people.
Its a state where making the joke "Islam is just Christianity taken seriously" gets you nearly thrown out of a Libertarian meeting.
Its enough to make any thinking man turn against religion.
I'm surrounded by bible-thumping Southern Baptists who hate drinking, hate gays, hate logic, love country music and love sending troops to kill brown people.
Its a state where making the joke "Islam is just Christianity taken seriously" gets you nearly thrown out of a Libertarian meeting.
Its enough to make any thinking man turn against religion.
32
General / Re: Railroads and Liberty
« on: November 08, 2011, 05:48:10 PM »
Its not perfect! Here, I'll add an asterisk:
*Sometimes they solicit the government for money and/or to steal property from people
*Sometimes they solicit the government for money and/or to steal property from people
33
General / Re: Railroads and Liberty
« on: November 08, 2011, 05:22:18 PM »
I also forgot to mention:
Most railroads in the US have private police agencies -- another example useful for debating statists.
Most railroads in the US have private police agencies -- another example useful for debating statists.
34
General / Railroads and Liberty
« on: November 08, 2011, 05:21:35 PM »
I'm glad to hear Mark has been mentioning railroads on the show more. I emailed him recently about this topic as I think it's overlooked by many liberty-loving people as a great example of our ideas at work. Certain figures in the movement (like Stefan Molyneux) have made statements in the past about trains being outdated or "nobody uses them". That couldn't be further from the truth. Here's a few facts about railroads to bring people up to speed and maybe spur some thought.
-Railroads are one of the greatest examples of PRIVATE ROADS at work today. They are maintained with private funds, using private work crews and equipment, plus there's plenty of contractors out there that will do the work for smaller shortlines that can't afford to employ full time crews. Rails are arguably harder to keep maintained than asphalt and it works out. Rights of way have to be negotiated and purchased from landowners to build new track. The different railroads also negotiate track sharing agreements to use each others' networks.
-Railroads are the cheapest and most efficient way to move cargo long distances. Beyond 100-200 miles, its not cost effective to move items by truck. For heavier items like coal, iron, steel and airplane fuselages or electrical transformers, its not effective at all to move these things by truck. Whenever you see a train think of each car as a couple of semi trucks removed from the highways.
-Most consumer items are moved by trains at some point in the chain. Cargo ships offload containers onto trains which transport it to a terminal close to its destination where its put on a truck for final delivery. Its a very efficient system.
I don't know as much how passenger travel by train would look in our ideal world. Amtrak and FRA regulations have really distorted the costs for that idea. FRA regulations for passenger trains in America eliminate most of the low cost trains popular in Europe from being implemented here. I believe it is also illegal to compete with Amtrak. There is one segment of Amtrak that turns a profit and thats the high speed corridor linking Boston-New York-Washington.
-Railroads are one of the greatest examples of PRIVATE ROADS at work today. They are maintained with private funds, using private work crews and equipment, plus there's plenty of contractors out there that will do the work for smaller shortlines that can't afford to employ full time crews. Rails are arguably harder to keep maintained than asphalt and it works out. Rights of way have to be negotiated and purchased from landowners to build new track. The different railroads also negotiate track sharing agreements to use each others' networks.
-Railroads are the cheapest and most efficient way to move cargo long distances. Beyond 100-200 miles, its not cost effective to move items by truck. For heavier items like coal, iron, steel and airplane fuselages or electrical transformers, its not effective at all to move these things by truck. Whenever you see a train think of each car as a couple of semi trucks removed from the highways.
-Most consumer items are moved by trains at some point in the chain. Cargo ships offload containers onto trains which transport it to a terminal close to its destination where its put on a truck for final delivery. Its a very efficient system.
I don't know as much how passenger travel by train would look in our ideal world. Amtrak and FRA regulations have really distorted the costs for that idea. FRA regulations for passenger trains in America eliminate most of the low cost trains popular in Europe from being implemented here. I believe it is also illegal to compete with Amtrak. There is one segment of Amtrak that turns a profit and thats the high speed corridor linking Boston-New York-Washington.
35
General / Re: Student debt hits One Trillion Dollars
« on: November 08, 2011, 04:06:03 PM »
Unfortunately, several of my loans are from Wells Fargo. The Federal Loans aren't a majority of what I owe.
36
General / Re: What the hell are cops thaught in police academies?
« on: November 08, 2011, 04:00:50 PM »
Ive known the guy a long long time but going through police training has absolutely brainwashed the guy. Any lawbreaker is "total scum" and he thinks nothing of trolling the local bars at night (off duty) trying to find his "critters" and report them for violation of probation - usually with a flask in his pocket. At the same time he's an alcoholic, smokes salvia (illegal in Mississippi), and pirating games, software and movies. It's such a double standard. Any attempts at bringing him towards a liberty viewpoint have been failures.
37
General / Re: Student debt hits One Trillion Dollars
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:57:15 PM »
I'm mad at how easy it is for students to get loans and all the propaganda to go to college for BS degrees but at the end of the day I didn't do enough research and I got suckered in.
I'm working on a degree in accounting now (and I wonder how other liberty minded people feel about that)
I'm working on a degree in accounting now (and I wonder how other liberty minded people feel about that)
38
General / Re: If anyone here is interested: The RON PAUL CORVETTE !!!
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:48:52 PM »
I'll be on the lookout for it in Memphis
39
General / Re: The True Price of Air Travel
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:40:09 PM »
I majored in commercial aviation briefly and I can tell you that air travel would be so much cheaper without all the government interference. Practically every aspect of aviation is heavily regulated.
You would think someone would just go out and get a commercial pilots license and offer flights in their private aircraft but that has been illegal for a long time. The FAA has a law against advertising for passengers unless you are a 'common carrier' (aka, you've gotten a permission slip and follow tons and tons of regulations). A basic private pilot is forbidden from accepting money for flying people and is even barred from flying for charitable organizations more than a couple of times per year.
You would think someone would just go out and get a commercial pilots license and offer flights in their private aircraft but that has been illegal for a long time. The FAA has a law against advertising for passengers unless you are a 'common carrier' (aka, you've gotten a permission slip and follow tons and tons of regulations). A basic private pilot is forbidden from accepting money for flying people and is even barred from flying for charitable organizations more than a couple of times per year.
40
General / Re: So You Can't Get a Buzz From E-Cigs?
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:36:34 PM »
I'm a once a week social pipe tobacco smoker but I just ordered a vapor smith's so I can smoke in my delivery truck at work. I've tried e-cigs from friends and I definitely get a buzz, but then again I'm not a regular smoker.
41
General / Re: Student debt hits One Trillion Dollars
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:33:35 PM »
I am one of those students will tons of student loan debt.
I wasn't liberty-minded at the time I went to college and let my head get filled with propaganda to go to a state-run flight school to get a degree in commercial aviation instead of going to a private flight school. Needless to say, the place was a disaster, the airplanes were flying pieces of junk and the technology was woefully out of date.
They only had two airplanes equipped for complex maneuvers training and both of them broke at the same time one semester and I didn't get to fly much at all that semester because of that. They announced that we'd have to repeat that syllabus and I sat down and made the decision that it was going to be way too expensive to stay down there an extra semester and that my prospects of getting a job flying for the airlines was pretty dim.
Now I'm attending the college in my hometown. I live with my parents and I work 40 hours a week to pay for school out of pocket. I still have 100K in loans waiting for me when I graduate and I regret taking them out, but I don't blame other people for my bad decisions and I hope to be in New Hampshire soon working out of Boston and making a better life.
I wasn't liberty-minded at the time I went to college and let my head get filled with propaganda to go to a state-run flight school to get a degree in commercial aviation instead of going to a private flight school. Needless to say, the place was a disaster, the airplanes were flying pieces of junk and the technology was woefully out of date.
They only had two airplanes equipped for complex maneuvers training and both of them broke at the same time one semester and I didn't get to fly much at all that semester because of that. They announced that we'd have to repeat that syllabus and I sat down and made the decision that it was going to be way too expensive to stay down there an extra semester and that my prospects of getting a job flying for the airlines was pretty dim.
Now I'm attending the college in my hometown. I live with my parents and I work 40 hours a week to pay for school out of pocket. I still have 100K in loans waiting for me when I graduate and I regret taking them out, but I don't blame other people for my bad decisions and I hope to be in New Hampshire soon working out of Boston and making a better life.
42
General / Re: Podcasts other than FTL you listen to
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:26:49 PM »
I used to work at a lefty independent bookstore, so I've heard more than my fair share of Prairie Home Companion
Some of my favorite non-FTL podcasts are:
Antiwar Radio (get the full feed where Scott rants like a madman between interviews--good stuff)
Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Hardcore History with Dan Carlin
Freedoman Radio
Lew Rockwell Show
The Libertarian Tradition
Liberty Conspiracy
Nobody Likes Onions
Smodcast
I also listen to old episodes of Harry Brown's podcast. Think of it like Free Talk Live with a calm, level-headed kindly old man replacing Mark and Ian.
(I drive for a living so I have plenty of time for podcasts)
Some of my favorite non-FTL podcasts are:
Antiwar Radio (get the full feed where Scott rants like a madman between interviews--good stuff)
Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Hardcore History with Dan Carlin
Freedoman Radio
Lew Rockwell Show
The Libertarian Tradition
Liberty Conspiracy
Nobody Likes Onions
Smodcast
I also listen to old episodes of Harry Brown's podcast. Think of it like Free Talk Live with a calm, level-headed kindly old man replacing Mark and Ian.
(I drive for a living so I have plenty of time for podcasts)
43
The Show / Re: Car registration
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:11:44 PM »
What does NH require for your vehicle? Here in Mississippi there's a yearly "inspection" that consists of you flashing your lights and honking your horn that gets you a cute $5 sticker for your windshield.
44
General / Re: Podcasts other than FTL you listen to
« on: November 08, 2011, 03:01:01 PM »The ones I don't miss are:
History of Rome
Skeptic's Guide to the Universe
Car Talk
Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me
The Atheist Experience
NPR Science
NPR Technology
Caustic Soda
I Should be Writing
Writing Excuses
Grammer Girl
Becaue I have loads of free time at work, I also watch a couple of video podcasts:
This Week in Tech
Ham Nation
I got so sick and tired of Skeptics Guide and their government worship. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I still love Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, I just have to overlook their Ron Paul jokes and pro-government stance on everything. The shows with PJ O'Rourke are great though because he's somewhat libertarian leaning.
45
General / Re: What Video Games Are You Currently playing?
« on: November 08, 2011, 02:58:44 PM »
Railroad Tycoon III
Dawn of Discovery
Sim City 4
Yes I'm a nerd.
Dawn of Discovery
Sim City 4
Yes I'm a nerd.