> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net
> [mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net] On Behalf Of
> Tom Byrne
> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 2:04 PM
> To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
> Subject: Re: DML: Made in China
>
>
> Though Jon may be right of center, he is not entirely
> incorrect. The government SHOULD let markets function and set
> prices and wages. Tim, you bash 18th century ideals. There
> was a great article this week in the Wall Street Journal as
> to why the far left shuns history. The author has his own
> ideas and I will let the reader decide if he is right, but I
> do see the left deride history as either irrelevant or dangerous.
>
> Tell me, why is 18th century precedent worse than 20th
> century precedent. I would argue that the libertine society
> set forth by our founding fathers in the 18th century was
> much better than Marxism developed in the 19th Century or
> extreme Soviet-style socialism of the 20th century. Newer
> ideas are not always better ideas.
>
> New products, services and governments fail all the time, yet
> some age-old ideas still hold true today. Thomas Jefferson (a
> Federalist mind you) said it best: "That government is best
> which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
>
"But that doesn't mean that some of the things we've learned from [the
18th century] aren't worth keeping or that we can't learn and add to our
understanding as time moves on." I didn't think that was bashing. Just
stating that 18th-century history isn't all there is to know. There were
some great ideas there. Of course, we must keep those. We didn't stop
making history in 1787, nor did we stop advancing our understanding.
Why toss out 230 years of history?
I never argued that the government should set prices and wages, I simply
voiced my disgust at wanton greed and corruption and questioned whether
or not the higher pay was worth the risk. That makes me completely
far-left now?
I'm not going to defend the far left. Extremists are dangerous no
matter who they are. History is far from irrelevant or dangerous. It's
facinating to see where we came from! Take a few semesters of Western
Civilization! There is plenty we can learn from it (just don't
cherry-pick the good parts.) However, why toss out new things as we
learn them? Marxism and Socialism failed. Great. Now we know. How about
we not do that? We've got a much better method, of course. If there
exists a good idea, let's keep it. If there is something else that
might be more effective, let's do it. If it doesn't work very well,
let's try something else. I don't see why this is a big deal.
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