again, my question: if the market is insufficient to determine who gets
what, when, as you say, then who makes these decisions under your
system?

norm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dan Koenig wrote:
> 
> This question seems to imply the assumption of the wisdom of the market.  This,
> of course, means that whenever there is a willing buyer and a willing seller,
> that the best of all worlds prevails and that the supremacy of the market should
> not be interfered with.  In practical terms, what this means is that those with
> excess money can purchase a spare kidney or an eye or an ear (etc.) from those
> without the money to feed their children or buy them life saving health care.
> It means similarly, that those without money should be entitled to buy sexual
> services from children whose families also need the money.  The assumption of
> the supremacy of the market is completely devoid of any normative values; only
> raw power, as manifested through excess wealth, effectively matters.  Some of us
> believe in inherent truths that provide a value basis for regulating the
> excesses that "the market" produces if left unchecked.  Others, of course,
> don't.  Dan
> 
> Norman Mikalac wrote:
> 
> > in the author's utopia, if "the consumer is not king" in setting social
> > priorities, then who is?
> >
> > thank you for your response.
> >
> > norm
> >
> >  The  permanent campaign has become the  eternal vote count, creating
> > > > equal amounts of hysteria , hilarity, boredom  and disgust. America’s
> > > > short attention span is  being sorely tested by our closest presidential
> > > > election, which has become a  battle between the ruling party's hired
> > > > shysters.
> > > >
> > > > The nation’s richest lawyers have lined up at the financial feeding
> > > > trough for a litigation frenzy that may last until the next election.
> > > > Media  information spinners are offering breathless and often brainless
> > > > coverage and analysis,   but some good may come of this mess.
> > > >
> > > > We may finally change our antiquated electoral system, which is  shamed
> > > > by other nations with  procedures that work more smoothly and
> > > > democratically. Our  politics are already corrupted by money, and now
> > > > that the dreadful condition of our election process has been revealed,
> > > > there may be less tolerance for our imperial rulers telling other people
> > > > how to achieve what we don’t  have: democracy.
> > > >
> > > > The global community is having great fun, with South Africa , Serbia and
> > > > Cuba offering to send us election advisors.  TV comics hope this farce
> > > > goes on forever, and anarchists  love  having “nobody” for president.
> > > > The ironies are numerous, and humorous.
> > > >
> > > > A boring  race between a biogenetic  pro-government drone and an
> > > > intellectually challenged anti-government clone was transformed into an
> > > > exciting vote count, for a while .  Democrat William Daley complained
> > > > about voting irregularities. He is  the son of Chicago mayor Richard
> > > > Daley, who created  affirmative action programs for zombies,  featuring
> > > > an annual parade of footprints from the cemetery to the ballot box on
> > > > election day.
> > > >
> > > > Republican supporters of state’s rights  went to federal court to stop
> > > > the state from recounting , while Democratic supporters of federalism
> > > > professed more  faith in Florida than in the USA.
> > > >
> > > > For all the squabbling about dimpled and pregnant chads, and machine or
> > > > hand counting , history  may simply remember the outgoing president as
> > > > being  impeached for a blow-job in the white house, and the incoming
> > > > president for  being elected by a hand-job in Florida.
> > > >
> > > > And the American presidency will be decided by a state that has
> > > > thousands of voters who care more about foreign countries - Cuba and
> > > > Israel - than they do about the  USA.
> > > >
> > > > Every national election is filled with errors, lost ballots, confused
> > > > voters and bigotry. This one was no different. It is only the closeness
> > > > of the vote  that has focused attention on imperfections, but not the
> > > > right ones.
> > > >
> > > > The hole in our ozone  is tiny compared to the gaping wound suffered by
> > > > our  democracy, but that wound was not inflicted by confusing ballots,
> > > > corrupt officials or ignorant voters. Democracy was savaged by the
> > > > corporate party, when it denied Americans the right to hear opposing
> > > > viewpoints from Nader and Buchanan in the debates.
> > > >
> > > > The recount controversy has temporarily halted the  Democratic hate
> > > > campaign against Nader. Despite personal slurs and a fear crusade that
> > > > had many believing their vote for him would bring Nazis to power, he got
> > > > 2.7 million votes, while spending only seven million dollars .
> > > > Goreberman  spent that much on TV ads in Michigan alone, and Bushney may
> > > > have spent more than that on lunch for their staff.
> > > >
> > > > While some  Democratic “leaders” were trashing Nader  because his
> > > > campaign was seen as too white, the Democrat’s may have been defeated by
> > > > their own racism .
> > > >
> > > > The “new” Democrats criminal crusade that locked up thousands of Blacks
> > > > for non-violent offenses damaged their candidates far more than Nader.
> > > > 13 percent of  Black men can’t vote because of past  convictions, and
> > > > those  who served their time and went on to lead productive lives could
> > > > have provided the victory margin for Al Gore and the Democrats , had
> > > > they had been allowed to vote.
> > > >
> > > > Along with our racism, our social priorities become crystal clear in
> > > > this  fiasco: in the USA, shopping and driving are far more important
> > > > than voting.
> > > >
> > > > We maintain a  multi-trillion dollar credit system , accurately
> > > > tabulating balances while enabling millions to over-consume, often
> > > > without  leaving their homes; why can’t we create an easy, accurate
> > > > voting  system?
> > > >
> > > > We  provide ATM  machines that balance accounts and produce cash when
> > > > operated by consumers  properly trained in their use; why can’t we
> > > > educate  people to use ballots and voting machines with the same
> > > > proficiency?
> > > >
> > > > We  transport billions of gallons of gasoline to fuel pumps all over
> > > > america,  have citizens operate those pumps  to fill their polluters,
> > > > and bill them to the penny; why can’t we  enable those same citizens to
> > > > go to a polling place, be quickly and easily registered , and have their
> > > > votes tabulated without a mistake?
> > > >
> > > > Welcome to the marketplace, where democracy is  more expensive  than
> > > > consumer goods , and  more difficult to find than a parking space at
> > > > the  corporate mall.
> > > >
> > > > Make no mistake,  whichever of these weaklings assumes the presidency,
> > > > it is the corporadoes who have won. Their foreign policy will assure
> > > > that military spending  increases, innocent people die in unjust wars,
> > > > and the Israeli  occupied  territories still include the West Bank,
> > > > Gaza, Congress and the White House.
> > > >
> > > > They will continue selling  drugs  that play profit roulette with  our
> > > > nervous systems ; they will continue  peddling biogenetic food products
> > > > that treat our digestive systems as a merchandise mart ; and they will
> > > > continue  using our democracy as a contested turf among their hired
> > > > hands, in this and all  elections that  pit one gang of the corporate
> > > > mafia against another in a battle for territorial control. Until we
> > > > claim control of that territory, which is  our bodies, our souls and our
> > > > nation, these dope dealers,  polluters and  murderers will go on
> > > > contaminating it with their political, economic and moral savagery.
> > > >
> > > > Enjoy your holiday dinners, but don’t expect much from the turkey in the
> > > > White House. When we  finally give “the bird” to the system he serves,
> > > > we’ll all be able to enjoy a real season of peace. Meanwhile, drive, and
> > > > shop, carefully.
> > > >
> > > >  Copyright (c) 2000 by Frank Scott. All rights reserved.
> > > >
> > > >              This text may be used and shared in accordance with the
> > > >              fair-use provisions of U.S. copyright law, and it may be
> > > >            archived and redistributed in electronic form, provided that
> > > >             the author is notified and no fee is charged for access.
> > > >            Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text on
> > > >           other terms, in any medium, requires the consent of the author
> > > > .