Our most basic idea is... NON-AGGRESSION. By which we mean, it is never right to initiate the use of coercion. Using force to defend oneself is fine - we are simply saying it is always wrong to steal or damage another persons property.
It is simple and fairly obvious, but when consistently applied it becomes a revolutionary idea.
For example, all governments are funded through taxation. Taxes could not collected without initiating the use of coercion.
To be consistent to our first idea, government is immoral because it is funded by stealing (taxation).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Establishment's Reaction Will Be Telling
A man decides to give the IRS his pound of flesh and Karl Denninger goes into an absolute, bold-caps tizzy about it. Entirely too predictable at this point.
KD, the "Great Statesman", open your eyes, brother. The "wanton violence" you decry started long, long ago. You choose to make Mr. Stack's actions the Seen, when there is much Unseen wanton violence committed by the federal autocrat every single day. Yet, it's only when the common folk like Mr. Stack speak up and lash out that you get upset and start demanding everybody calm down before somebody gets hurt.
Whose side are you on?
There are perhaps two reasons to condemn this man: he may have damaged private property (if the building wasn't federally-possessed) and he may have injured people in the building who were not federal tax-monkeys.
Notice that "fighting back against the evil empire and attempting to reveal the true nature of its daily belligerence in the process" is not one of them.
KD, the "Great Statesman", open your eyes, brother. The "wanton violence" you decry started long, long ago. You choose to make Mr. Stack's actions the Seen, when there is much Unseen wanton violence committed by the federal autocrat every single day. Yet, it's only when the common folk like Mr. Stack speak up and lash out that you get upset and start demanding everybody calm down before somebody gets hurt.
Whose side are you on?
There are perhaps two reasons to condemn this man: he may have damaged private property (if the building wasn't federally-possessed) and he may have injured people in the building who were not federal tax-monkeys.
Notice that "fighting back against the evil empire and attempting to reveal the true nature of its daily belligerence in the process" is not one of them.
ep. 001 - Inflation is Bad
Show Overview
Principled assessments of current economic and political events.
1) Identify and review a topic.
2) Assess from the principles
3) Tie in the principals of liberty.
Episode Overview
"inflation is good. It will cushion our debt deflation" - financial journalist Ambrose Evens-Prichard
Inflation is theft. Governments centrally planning an economy with stolen money, by definition can not add more wealth the economy, compared to a free market. Thus, we are against the commonly held belief that inflation is good and that it has positive results.
Subscribe in i*tunes
Episode #001, 2/18/10
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Ideas Move Society: Pamphlet
I have been promoting the voting-block for a month now and signed up a lot of friends and family members. I'm now introducing the idea to new people, at which point I leave them with a copy of the pamphlet below,
Let's bring more jobs to Los Angeles especially entertainment jobs and lower the cost of living at the same time!
We can do this by lowering California’s incredibly high business, sales, income and property taxes - and canceling the city services tied to those tax revenues, in order to balance the budget.
Less government is better for the poor
Lower business and income taxes will attract companies and high income earners to Los Angeles. The resulting increase in spending and jobs will especially help the poor and unemployed.
A lower sales tax will disproportionately benefit the poor, who spend greater portions of their income on transportation and food.
A lower property tax would significantly lower the costs of renting a home or apartment which would again benefit low income earners the most and at the same time increase the value of LA properties!
City services must be cut in order to balance the budget.
Services such as trash collection, animal services, the zoo, convention center, st. sweeping, public transportation, public education and fire dept. are all monopolies – as such they are inherently inefficient and slow to innovate.
When they City stops providing these services, the services that have real demand, will come back – they will be contracted by individuals who desire the service and private companies. When the services are opened up to competition, the free market will dramatically lower costs and improve services.
How do we get there?
The Ideas Move Society Voter-Block
A group of like-minded people voting together, as a block.
The goal is to alter the balance of power, currently in favor of corporate lobbyists and large unions.
A group of just 500 people voting together is enough to sway a local election.
Join the Ideas Move Society Voter-Block to empower your vote.
*** Reaganomics lowered taxes for the rich and used debt to cover the budget deficit. Ideas Move Society is advocating something very different! We want lower taxes for all income earners and we want to cut government spending to balance the budget, rather than using debt or money printing.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
You either do politics, or politics gets done to you
As the link below shows, lobbyists are working hard everyday to consolidate political power for the power elite. Voting blocks like Ideas Move Society, are now more important than ever.
Read the article here
Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Ruling
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has handed lobbyists a new weapon. A lobbyist can now tell any elected official: if you vote wrong, my company, labor union or interest group will spend unlimited sums explicitly advertising against your re-election.
Read the article here
Sunday, December 27, 2009
My Thank You Letter to Senator Berman
My congressional representative, Howard Berman sent me a large envelope with "important message inside" printed on the outside.
Inside was a 2010 calendar featuring photos from Washington DC.
Wow! Another crappy Christmas present, but this was the only one purchased with my money.
Thanks for nothing senator!
Inside was a 2010 calendar featuring photos from Washington DC.
Wow! Another crappy Christmas present, but this was the only one purchased with my money.
Thanks for nothing senator!
The Terrorists Are Winning
Following the attempted terrorist attack on an international flight from Europe to Detoit, the FAA has stepped up security procedures.
On my way home yesterday from Nicaragua, my plane was delayed for 20 minutes due to the new security measures, but the real terror was when a security guard grabbed my balls during the full body pat down just prior to boarding.
Come on - they are winning, they are terrorizing my life!
Terrorists: tom has to pay more for traveling, he has to go through endless security checks, he has to take his shoes off at security check points, he is treated as a danger and now he is being molested before international flights.
Tom: zero
On my way home yesterday from Nicaragua, my plane was delayed for 20 minutes due to the new security measures, but the real terror was when a security guard grabbed my balls during the full body pat down just prior to boarding.
Come on - they are winning, they are terrorizing my life!
Terrorists: tom has to pay more for traveling, he has to go through endless security checks, he has to take his shoes off at security check points, he is treated as a danger and now he is being molested before international flights.
Tom: zero
Voting-Block: Philosophy
The problem with our economy is high taxes and regulations have made production in the US, non-competitive. Over the last 20 years we have gone into debt to maintain our quality of life and pay for the growth of government(welfare/warfare).
Now our national debt is too big to pay back and high taxes and governmental regulation is making it even harder to do business in America. Even worse, business and political insiders are manipulating the growth of the government's power for their profit.
For example, the Federal Reserve (a private entity owned by banks), colludes with the government to print money at will and in the process, invisibly steals purchasing power from you, via inflation. Additionally, powerful corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Monsanto and big pharmaceuticals have "captured" the government run agencies that are supposed to regulate them.
The growth of the government's power to intervene into the economy is the root cause of our current problems and the main impediment to re-balancing the economy. Thus, the most sustainable solution is to limit and reduce government's intervention in the economy.
Sincerely,
Tom Garrett
My world view is based on theoretical studies of economics and politics at UCLA, the real world experience of starting and running businesses and traveling the world.
Now our national debt is too big to pay back and high taxes and governmental regulation is making it even harder to do business in America. Even worse, business and political insiders are manipulating the growth of the government's power for their profit.
For example, the Federal Reserve (a private entity owned by banks), colludes with the government to print money at will and in the process, invisibly steals purchasing power from you, via inflation. Additionally, powerful corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Monsanto and big pharmaceuticals have "captured" the government run agencies that are supposed to regulate them.
The growth of the government's power to intervene into the economy is the root cause of our current problems and the main impediment to re-balancing the economy. Thus, the most sustainable solution is to limit and reduce government's intervention in the economy.
Sincerely,
Tom Garrett
My world view is based on theoretical studies of economics and politics at UCLA, the real world experience of starting and running businesses and traveling the world.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
CITI "to big to care"
My friend has $18,000 of credit card debt with CITI bank. Last week they raised his interest rate from 9% to 25% - out of the blue, for no reason.
I really made him depressed when I told him that his tax dollars bailed out CITI bank, and partially thanks to him CITI bank is still in business.
What a funny way to say thank you.
I really made him depressed when I told him that his tax dollars bailed out CITI bank, and partially thanks to him CITI bank is still in business.
What a funny way to say thank you.
Monday, December 7, 2009
My Biggest Fear
I was talking with a friend the other day about politics and economics. She has never studied either subject, but went on to tell me that "capitalism and socialism have failed and the world is complex and we have not come up with the best system."
I asked "do you know what capitalism is or why it failed" and she said "no and it doesn't matter because there is nothing we can do"
This kind of blatant ignorance drives me crazy, but the really scary part is that she felt like her opinion was valid DESPITE knowing nothing of the subject matter.
I asked "do you know what capitalism is or why it failed" and she said "no and it doesn't matter because there is nothing we can do"
This kind of blatant ignorance drives me crazy, but the really scary part is that she felt like her opinion was valid DESPITE knowing nothing of the subject matter.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
About Ideas Move Society
After driving our friends and family crazy with incessant discussions of politics and economics, we have been driven to the internet to vent our great passion for principled thinking.
Taylor Conant:
Personal Blog
taylor.conant@gmail.com
Tom Garrett:
tom@BTCcampaign.com
other blogs we like:
Economic Policy Journal
King World News
Mcalvany Weekly Commentary
Reading List:
Economics in One Lesson
For A New Liberty
Taylor Conant:
Personal Blog
taylor.conant@gmail.com
Tom Garrett:
tom@BTCcampaign.com
other blogs we like:
Economic Policy Journal
King World News
Mcalvany Weekly Commentary
Reading List:
Economics in One Lesson
For A New Liberty
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Voting-Block: Platform
1) NO on nearly every new spending or bond measure.
If CA can't afford something, its ability to issue debt or raise taxes should be reduced.
2) Lower business, sales, income and property taxes
Lower business and income taxes will attract companies and high income earners to Los Angeles, the resulting increase in spending and jobs will especially help the poor and unemployed.
A lower sales tax will disproportionately benefit the poor, who spend greater portions of their income on transportation and food.
A lower property tax would significantly lower the costs of renting a home or apt. which would disproportionately benefit lower income earners and at the same time properties values would increase!
3) Balance the City budget by cutting City services
Services such as trash collection, animal services, the zoo, convention center, public transportation, public education and fire protection are all tax funded monopolies – as such they are inherently inefficient and slow to innovate.
When the City stops providing these services, the services that have real demand, will come back – they will be contracted by individuals who desire the service and private companies. When the services are opened up to competition, the free market will dramatically lower costs and improve services.
Compare a Fedex store to the post office, a private school to a public school, service at mcdonalds to the DMV or traffic on private toll roads to public roads.
*** NOTE *** Reaganomics lowered taxes for the rich and used debt to cover the budget deficit. Ideas Move Society is advocating something very different! We want lower taxes for all income earners and we want to cut government spending to balance the budget, rather than using debt or money printing
If CA can't afford something, its ability to issue debt or raise taxes should be reduced.
2) Lower business, sales, income and property taxes
Lower business and income taxes will attract companies and high income earners to Los Angeles, the resulting increase in spending and jobs will especially help the poor and unemployed.
A lower sales tax will disproportionately benefit the poor, who spend greater portions of their income on transportation and food.
A lower property tax would significantly lower the costs of renting a home or apt. which would disproportionately benefit lower income earners and at the same time properties values would increase!
3) Balance the City budget by cutting City services
Services such as trash collection, animal services, the zoo, convention center, public transportation, public education and fire protection are all tax funded monopolies – as such they are inherently inefficient and slow to innovate.
When the City stops providing these services, the services that have real demand, will come back – they will be contracted by individuals who desire the service and private companies. When the services are opened up to competition, the free market will dramatically lower costs and improve services.
Compare a Fedex store to the post office, a private school to a public school, service at mcdonalds to the DMV or traffic on private toll roads to public roads.
*** NOTE *** Reaganomics lowered taxes for the rich and used debt to cover the budget deficit. Ideas Move Society is advocating something very different! We want lower taxes for all income earners and we want to cut government spending to balance the budget, rather than using debt or money printing
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Ideas Move Society
How we think about Philosophy, Economics and Government determines how the world is. Today we have increasing pollution, costs of living, injustice and decreasing wages. Below are some principled ideas to think about.
What is Philosophy?
The process of determining right and wrong
Liberty is based on the natural right of self-ownership.
As we own ourselves, we also own our thoughts and our labor; thus we own what we produce.
Items you have earned by your work or free trade, are your property.
No one is legally allowed to initiate the use of force against another person or their property.
What is Economics?
Wealth is created when you think and act to produce a product or service that has value to you or someone else.
The economy is a group of people voluntarily exchanging products and services.
Voluntary trading always increases the wealth for both parties involved.
Wealth creation represents the means by which all technology has been created.
Money is used to store wealth so you can buy stuff later.
Division of Labor (specialization) and competition, generate lower costs, greater selection and higher quality.
What is Government?
The group of people that have the right to imprison people, in order to establish social order and maximize prosperity for citizens.
This is immoral because gov. initiates agression against another person's property by forcing people to pay taxes. Since gov. cannot produce wealth, it must tax (direct tax, gov. debt, printing money) in order to operate; thus, all gov.s operate on a flawed morality.
You might say gov. is “a necessary evil” We agree it is evil, lets consider it’s necessity.
Government does not make our lives better - in everything the gov. does, it is a monopoly, which means it uses force to prevent or limit competition (currency, dmv, roads, schools, protection, fire, nasa, farm subsidies, min. wage, usda, sec)
Overtime, monopolies will always 1) raise prices and lower quality – since you, the buyer has no choice. 2) be corrupt, because the rich can capture the gov. and use it for their benefit.
Monopoly is easily prevented, not with more laws and regulations, but less! Simply allowing more companies to compete for YOUR business drives down costs and improves quality of service.
What is Philosophy?
The process of determining right and wrong
Liberty is based on the natural right of self-ownership.
As we own ourselves, we also own our thoughts and our labor; thus we own what we produce.
Items you have earned by your work or free trade, are your property.
No one is legally allowed to initiate the use of force against another person or their property.
What is Economics?
Wealth is created when you think and act to produce a product or service that has value to you or someone else.
The economy is a group of people voluntarily exchanging products and services.
Voluntary trading always increases the wealth for both parties involved.
Wealth creation represents the means by which all technology has been created.
Money is used to store wealth so you can buy stuff later.
Division of Labor (specialization) and competition, generate lower costs, greater selection and higher quality.
What is Government?
The group of people that have the right to imprison people, in order to establish social order and maximize prosperity for citizens.
This is immoral because gov. initiates agression against another person's property by forcing people to pay taxes. Since gov. cannot produce wealth, it must tax (direct tax, gov. debt, printing money) in order to operate; thus, all gov.s operate on a flawed morality.
You might say gov. is “a necessary evil” We agree it is evil, lets consider it’s necessity.
Government does not make our lives better - in everything the gov. does, it is a monopoly, which means it uses force to prevent or limit competition (currency, dmv, roads, schools, protection, fire, nasa, farm subsidies, min. wage, usda, sec)
Overtime, monopolies will always 1) raise prices and lower quality – since you, the buyer has no choice. 2) be corrupt, because the rich can capture the gov. and use it for their benefit.
Monopoly is easily prevented, not with more laws and regulations, but less! Simply allowing more companies to compete for YOUR business drives down costs and improves quality of service.
Why join a voting-block
As billionaires take the candidates out to "lunch" and corporate lobbyists spend millions of dollars to influence politicians, it is clear our individual votes are out powered.
Ideas Move Society has formed a Los Angeles based, non-partisan voting block as an empowered response to today's political situation.
At the end of the day, politicians are still beholden to voters and are very sensitive to the requests of a unified front of constituents. The voter block serves as an important counter-balance to lobbyists and the economic power elite.
What the block does
We notify politicians and candidates that the Ideas Move Society block will support those who will balance the CA budget and begin unwinding the government's interference in the economy and we will oppose politician who supports irresponsible fiscal policies and an increase in the power of government.
We will track politicians voting records and hold them accountable at the subsequent elections.
Why did this block start
When I found out that the most recent LA city council member was elected with only 9,000 votes. In a close race, a voting block of just 400 people would have decided the election! That is tremendous power, power that is better in the hands of tax paying citizens rather than a few corporate lobbyists.
Click here for our full platform
To join the voting block email me for full name and city of registration: Tom (at) BTCcampaign.com
Ideas Move Society has formed a Los Angeles based, non-partisan voting block as an empowered response to today's political situation.
At the end of the day, politicians are still beholden to voters and are very sensitive to the requests of a unified front of constituents. The voter block serves as an important counter-balance to lobbyists and the economic power elite.
What the block does
We notify politicians and candidates that the Ideas Move Society block will support those who will balance the CA budget and begin unwinding the government's interference in the economy and we will oppose politician who supports irresponsible fiscal policies and an increase in the power of government.
We will track politicians voting records and hold them accountable at the subsequent elections.
Why did this block start
When I found out that the most recent LA city council member was elected with only 9,000 votes. In a close race, a voting block of just 400 people would have decided the election! That is tremendous power, power that is better in the hands of tax paying citizens rather than a few corporate lobbyists.
Click here for our full platform
To join the voting block email me for full name and city of registration: Tom (at) BTCcampaign.com
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