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> Lenin had come to power promising supporters not only bread to eat and a share of the aristocrats' land Timeless lesson. Always beware of a politician coming

> Lenin had come to power promising supporters not only bread to eat and a share of the aristocrats' land Timeless lesson. Always beware of a politician coming to power promising free stuff. It never works out in the best long term interest of the people/country. There are no magic tricks in this world, things have to be earned and paid for. Hopefully citizens of the west learn this sooner rather than later

vkou 9y ago
This is a fantastic narrative - but I have to ask - how have people who inherited wealth 'earned it'? You realize that Russia was a society of serfs, all the way up to the later part of the 19th century, right? The aristocracy quite literally owned people, by virtue of owning land. Their wealth was built on centuries of theft, violence, and repression. And then, they turn around, and say: "It's your problem that you're poor, hungry, landless, and are fighting in a pointless war."
random023987 9y ago
This is why we should reject public education, public libraries, public safety, public unemployment funds, public retirement funds, and public medicine for the elderly. Because you, know, it just doesn't work. And all of the positive experiences with socializing certain public goods in liberal western democracies are just a magic trick.
- acdanger 9y ago
  Aren't these things paid for with taxes?
  - random023987 9y ago
    Yes they are. And depending on your political beliefs, taxes are slavery, theft, or violence, and if you're ideological enough, you can see taxes as the moral equivalent of Lenin promising a share of the aristocrat's land.
    - forinti 9y ago
      Well, if you don't want to contribute to the country in which you live, you have to be prepared to live surrounded by high walls and bodyguards.
smcl 9y ago
That's the lesson you took from this!? This is an article demonstrating the brutality of Britain's colonialism and how we backed the losing side in another country's civil war and your take-away was "Socialism is bad"?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
scarmig 9y ago
So, do you think the guy who promised "40 acres and a mule" was a conniving totalitarian? Yours is one of those comments that seem cutting against your ideological foes--"But Hitler was a vegetarian and anti-smoking!"--but is actually contentless. A better philosophy would be "beware of any politician," full stop.
mslate 9y ago
Read the article.

vkou 9y ago

This is a fantastic narrative - but I have to ask - how have people who inherited wealth 'earned it'? You realize that Russia was a society of serfs, all the way up to the later part of the 19th century, right? The aristocracy quite literally owned people, by virtue of owning land. Their wealth was built on centuries of theft, violence, and repression. And then, they turn around, and say: "It's your problem that you're poor, hungry, landless, and are fighting in a pointless war."

random023987 9y ago

This is why we should reject public education, public libraries, public safety, public unemployment funds, public retirement funds, and public medicine for the elderly. Because you, know, it just doesn't work. And all of the positive experiences with socializing certain public goods in liberal western democracies are just a magic trick.

acdanger 9y ago
Aren't these things paid for with taxes?
- random023987 9y ago
  Yes they are. And depending on your political beliefs, taxes are slavery, theft, or violence, and if you're ideological enough, you can see taxes as the moral equivalent of Lenin promising a share of the aristocrat's land.
  - forinti 9y ago
    Well, if you don't want to contribute to the country in which you live, you have to be prepared to live surrounded by high walls and bodyguards.

smcl 9y ago

That's the lesson you took from this!? This is an article demonstrating the brutality of Britain's colonialism and how we backed the losing side in another country's civil war and your take-away was "Socialism is bad"?

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

scarmig 9y ago

So, do you think the guy who promised "40 acres and a mule" was a conniving totalitarian? Yours is one of those comments that seem cutting against your ideological foes--"But Hitler was a vegetarian and anti-smoking!"--but is actually contentless. A better philosophy would be "beware of any politician," full stop.

mslate 9y ago

Read the article.