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I love paying to maintain a stable society. There are many players involved in stable societies, governments being a tiny one. I dont enjoy paying the organiza

I love paying to maintain a stable society. There are many players involved in stable societies, governments being a tiny one. I dont enjoy paying the organization I participate in solely to avoid theft by others turning around and committing theft against me with the very liberties and money I gave up to it to avoid this outcome. That's just overreach by simple, short sighted people.

Daishiman 7y ago
The government is by far the largest player in society, employing anywhere from 15-35% of the population and organizing and regulating the services needed for our very survival, including transportation (because private citizens don't build highways), electricity and water (because even if privatized the state provides the legal framework for privatization and service level agreements) and a myriad things for which you probably have _no clue_ are happening at this very moment.
- jakeogh 7y ago
  You say that like it's a good thing. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18863496 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18863496
  - Daishiman 7y ago
    Given that the vast majority of government employment happens in education, health care, transportation services and utilities, the part where "large government" is of actual concern to me has _very_ little to do with its actual cash flow and employment numbers and a lot to do with crappy regulatory environments.
    - jakeogh 7y ago
      What about the part where a large section of the population has a vested interest in growing gov, while at the same time (as in the link I provided) being unable to criticize it? It's not like you are going to go on and argue it's efficient or something... This is all rather moot. The EU's days are numbered.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
      - Daishiman 7y ago
        > What about the part where a large section of the population has a vested interest in growing gov, while at the same time (as in the link I provided) being unable to criticize it? You mean where the user also invoked the right to be forgotten? You mean like how background checks used to happen in the past too and where writing a letter to your newspaper about something counts for exactly the same? You mean like how this disfunction has literally nothing to do with government size and everything to do with a government's tolerance for political expression, regardless of its size? > It's not like you are going to go on and argue it's efficient or something... Efficiency has zero to do with this. Private companies can do this just as much as government institutions. You conflate issues of the state with issues that generally apply to any institution, whether public, private, large, small, for-profit or non-profit. > This is all rather moot. The EU's days are numbered. You keep telling yourself that.

Daishiman 7y ago

The government is by far the largest player in society, employing anywhere from 15-35% of the population and organizing and regulating the services needed for our very survival, including transportation (because private citizens don't build highways), electricity and water (because even if privatized the state provides the legal framework for privatization and service level agreements) and a myriad things for which you probably have _no clue_ are happening at this very moment.

jakeogh 7y ago
You say that like it's a good thing. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18863496 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18863496
- Daishiman 7y ago
  Given that the vast majority of government employment happens in education, health care, transportation services and utilities, the part where "large government" is of actual concern to me has _very_ little to do with its actual cash flow and employment numbers and a lot to do with crappy regulatory environments.
  - jakeogh 7y ago
    What about the part where a large section of the population has a vested interest in growing gov, while at the same time (as in the link I provided) being unable to criticize it? It's not like you are going to go on and argue it's efficient or something... This is all rather moot. The EU's days are numbered.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - Daishiman 7y ago
      > What about the part where a large section of the population has a vested interest in growing gov, while at the same time (as in the link I provided) being unable to criticize it? You mean where the user also invoked the right to be forgotten? You mean like how background checks used to happen in the past too and where writing a letter to your newspaper about something counts for exactly the same? You mean like how this disfunction has literally nothing to do with government size and everything to do with a government's tolerance for political expression, regardless of its size? > It's not like you are going to go on and argue it's efficient or something... Efficiency has zero to do with this. Private companies can do this just as much as government institutions. You conflate issues of the state with issues that generally apply to any institution, whether public, private, large, small, for-profit or non-profit. > This is all rather moot. The EU's days are numbered. You keep telling yourself that.