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I'm reminded of an old truck driver I had a coffee with back in the early 90's while taking some downtime to catch up my hours. He was a guy who had been doing it well before deregulation and we sat next to each other having a meal and talking. He saw me watching the waitresses (it was a sports bar of sorts) and he said, "Kid, never mind. Those are Ex-Wives waiting to happen". Of course, I asked "What do you mean?" He said, "You're looking at them in only one way. That always ends the same. You marry them because she was hot and you met in a bar and a year later your divorced because the only thing you had in common was that she was hot and you met her in a bar." I can't help but laugh when I see people checking each other out in bars or restaurants to this day - I think of that guy.

Now, having identified the motive behind "you didn't build that" as the fear of responsibility, and having generalized across every instance of statism, we find ourselves in the unique position of being able to immediately verify this theory. Billy is your average anticonceptual mentality. He treats concepts (all concepts) as if they were percepts. Not all collectivists are anticonceptual, nor vice-versa, but I have noticed a strong correlation. Exhibit A: Notice that 'both Galt and Marx are wrong' leads him to 'a fair metric'. The subject has nothing to do with principles, to him. Meaning that redistribution is inevitable and involuntary. Now, at this point, you may find yourself baffled at how he can consider it involuntary. But he's already told us the answer, here: The statement, that there has never been a fully free society, is of course completely true. You know it's true. I know it's true. But we can imagine things which have never happened before while he cannot, because we have conceptualized it. He is not capable of distinguishing between the actual, the possible and the impossible. So where is this fear of responsibility, if he cannot feel responsible for the evils he advocates? . . . Whoever asks you to suspend your own judgment, either of identification or (in this case) evaluation, has already done so themselves. --- Bill Harris is afraid of the responsibility of forming his own evaluations.

"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together." ~ President Obama OK, so doing things together produces "wealthy, successful Americans" that account for 1% of all Americans... ... yeah, I think I'll continue to rely on "individual initiative".

But even Billy here has a potentially immeasurable value, in our efforts to grasp exactly what goes wrong in a collectivist mind. By way of dissection.

So now you have gone from arguing one point to an entirely unrelated point. You were just listing opinions that you agree with and changing the subject to the economic viability of capitalism. Start a new thread about Austrian economics and stick to it if you want to do that, I am not going to be baited into enduring an endless chain of your pretentious rants.

To be fair BH added a conclusion, if strict control doesn't work ,complete control would. Although how to get the agent of control in place was a little glossed over.

There is nothing in Kahneman's book that you cant learn yourself via introspection. A summary if which could read:

It is Ayn Rand's birthday. She would have been 101 today. With better health care she could have realistically still have been living. I wrote this poem today especially for the occassion. It is a tribute to her life and ideas. I have never explicitly written a poem in tribute to her before. It's good. But next year's should be better. Copyright © 2006. Jose Gainza. All Rights Reserved. AYN RAND 101 By Jose Gainza I felt one day the gift that you could bring. I fell one day from the cloud that I was in, As you struck me like a lightning bolted sting, Plucked me from the fog that blocked my sin. I was raindrops, tear drops, tears of joy … I grew wings, floated, fluttered back to earth, To find the promise of your love and not a ploy, For the force bubbling in me where is mirth. There was the promise of a healthy happiness, There, the esteem, though hiding, of my mind, And liberty was the beacon to my bliss, And gold became a product of my reasoned selfishness. I do know why I love you like I do— I do know why and it’s true. I do know why you thrill me like you do— I do know why and you too. Yes, you love me to the range that I’m a man, Though, you left our world in nineteen eighty-two. Yes, you graced us with a gift of worldly span For every able minded will to learn it too. In Howard Roark bestowed was your “religion”, Despite a world that would surely call you Sin: The independence of a man to his good vision, And integrity to create the world that you can win. With Dominique you alienated heaven, A realm on earth where mirth is felt alone; A work of self-esteem branding earthly heaven; A joy persists despite her melancholy drone. I do know why I love you like I do— I do know why and it’s true. I do know why you thrill me like you do— I do know why and you too. It was the promise of Francisco very soon, Those early pages of a boy, a prodigy, The money-maker and the boy with silver spoon, Who caught me to your rebirth poetry. “Atlas Shrugged changed my life,” so often said. The promise-wish of sages past with Galt became fulfilled: A perfect moral man made real—though not dead. Thus the John Galt line is mine; this be my guild. I saw a world where happiness is real. I knew for sure how needed is the mind; I felt the innocence to feel a self-love real; I learned money was the best way to be greedy but so kind. I do know why I love you like I do— I do know why and it’s true. I do know why you thrill me like you do— I do know why and you too. Though now you lay still in your plotted ground, One aspect of your spirit I will always keep In my mind, as a function, guiding me around: The gem of “plot” to plunge into the thrilling deep. I know of causes of some ocean voyages. I know the fountainhead of dwellings tall. To lose Roxanne I know the vital series. I know the reason why New York was lost to all. I know conflict at the core of man’s excitement. I know how cool it is to watch the stakes grow high. To clash opposing values is a magnet-merriment, And to bang inside of men is an explosion in the sky. I do know why I love you like I do— I do know why and it’s true. I do know why you thrill me like you do— I do know why and you too. Even more than the fact that we exist, Of value is to me is how you think. To think and know men freely must persist, Straight ahead and not falling from the brink. I need not pray for a model far away, Too far, even further than Plato’s silly dream To know the things before me that can’t stay Coz they stay but only by a common seam. And by contrast to near like things Our concepts glow with a solid essence, As they are chained to earth by single things, And open the universe to common sense. I do know why I love you like I do— I do know why and it’s true. I do know why you thrill me like you do— I do know why and you too.

This morning I happened to stop for a moment on Regis and Kelly on t.v. They were marrying a pair of long lost lovers for their Valentine's Day special. So I thought of some wedding vows. It is not that you complete me For I am nothing flawed. And I know you don't deceive me And yet you have me clawed. Now around this growing heart lives A hand that always presses. Sweet caresses it gives and gives. It blesses and blesses! Within my mind is joyous thought And inspiriation to investigate. All within that is self-taught I know you do appreciate. The work by which I'm driven You understand. I am shared amidst our heaven, And together we stand. Two powerful beings unite as one, And toast to their achievmements: Their pride gracefully won-- Of most sacred commitments. The delight of your harmony face-- The audacity of your smile, Your soul they do not deface-- Your pride they do not defile. I want to live my life with you In days of ecstasy. I want to cook delight for you And realize your fantasy. I promise to remain true to you-- This you cannot doubt. I vow to bring challenges to you-- This I do not flout. I promise to support you if life hurts, And massage your limbs with ease. I'll take it easy when my loving hurts. I'll woo you like a breeze. I love you as never before nor again, As your eternal lover, My worship is part of the bargain. I am bare without a cover. And am yours, while you are mine, down on fours, or upright fine. Jose Gainza.