mutual aid Archives - Zenconomics

submitted by jwithrow.
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Journal of a Wayward Philosopher
What America Forgot

June 14, 2016
Hot Springs, VA

“Think about this, Frances: For the past several thousand years of recorded history, humans lived at the edge of starvation, usually in abject poverty, perpetually at risk. But in just the past few centuries, and primarily in only one or two parts of the world, we suddenly develop medical science, cars, telephones, airplanes, refrigeration, central heating, electrical power, computers, and spaceships. Why here? And why now?” – James Farber, A Lodging of Wayfaring Men

The S&P closed out Monday at $2,079. Gold closed at $1,286 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $48.56 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.61%. Bitcoin is trading around $705 per BTC today.

Dear Journal,

As I mentioned in last week’s entry, wife Rachel and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and this one may have been the best yet. There were no gifts, no fancy dinners, no nights out… Rachel didn’t even get me a card! I was so proud of her!

It reminded me of the Christmas following our engagement a number of years ago. With the wedding looming, we agreed not to give each other gifts for just one Christmas holiday in the interest of saving money.

Believing very strongly in contractual agreements, I followed through diligently on my end of the deal… Rachel did not. I found myself receiving several gifts from her on that Christmas morning, and I didn’t have even the tiniest trinket to offer in return. She was devastated!

I tried to plead my case: But I thought we agreed not to give each other gifts!? Continue reading “What America Forgot”

submitted by jwithrow.
Click here to get the Journal of a Wayward Philosopher by Email

Journal of a Wayward Philosopher
Transitioning from Coercion to Voluntary Association

April 27, 2016
Hot Springs, VA

“The only highwayman I ever met was the state itself. When I have refused to pay the tax which is demanded for that protection which I did not want, itself has robbed me. When I have asserted the freedom it declared, it has imprisoned me.” – Henry David Thoreau

The S&P closed out Tuesday at $2,091. Gold closed at $1,244 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $44.02 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.93%. Bitcoin is trading around $455 per BTC today.

Dear Journal,

Last week we gazed into our crystal ball and discussed the future of commerce. As part of that discussion, we suggested that centralized governments have been skimming 50% of all production via taxation for quite some time now, and we suggested that the global economy would boom if producers were permitted to keep the monetary fruits of their labor.

I should clarify this a bit more by saying the vast majority of those taxes go towards financing corruption, cronyism, special interests, bureaucracy, militarism, dependency programs, and waste. In other words, they are used to destroy wealth and destabilize civilized society. A very small portion of the taxes you pay goes towards providing core civil services.

Further, the entire system of centralized government is underwritten by coercion and violence. Here’s what I mean by this: Continue reading “Transitioning from Coercion to Voluntary Association”