[TriLUG] OT - tech jobs on the rise in RTP?

[Marty Ferguson]

I feel compelled to respond to this one.

It seems contradictory for people to claim to support open source
software and not a more open and free society.  Transmeta software
has been significantly financed by George Soros, a man whom I greatly
admire.

Soros's philosophical/political/social/economic influence is primarily
from Karl Popper (open society),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper
whose view on the world is 180 degrees opposite of the current
administrations main influence, Leo Strauss (neo-con/Machiavellian)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss

I typically do not respond to these types of discussions on the TriLUG
list, but I am protesting some rhetoric perpetuated here.

The "Republicans are trying to get rid of taxes" is a only partially true
statement.  Let me elaborate.

The current executive administration (neo-cons) are attempting to bankrupt
state and federal governments in their order to privatize the world
(liberalization of capital)

It is not nearly so simple as the "Adam Smith Wealth of Nations
Economics 101" view.  The model was presented in 1776, and
it does not very well serve us any more.  I am co-chair at my church
on a congregation-wide project to help people understand issues behind
free trade and economic globalization.   Read this article written by
George Soros in order to understand the dogmatic extreme of the "free
market" argument:
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97feb/capital/capital.htm

Note that this is a 1997 article.  Soros' understanding and intuition
amazes me.

So the way in which "the Republicans are trying to get rid of taxes" is
through implementing the grand libertarian scheme of privatization of
everything.  Private education (vouchers) privatized water, utilities
etc.etc.etc.  The most efficient way to do  this is by bankrupting local,
state and federal governments.  They'll have to "sell off" everything
when they liquidate (like chapter 11 bankruptcy).
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9733
cut to paragraph title "The Pursuit of Inequality and Insolvency"

This is why we now have record-high spending,  record-high debt and yet
are providing enormous tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% of the population
while simultaneously maintaining massive corporate welfare programs.
(e.g., the tax credit to M$ for European sales posted here recently)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0403020255mar02,1,7823792.story
?coll=chi-news-hed

,or goolenews on "microsoft tax europe" for other stories)

Don't be fooled by the rhetoric.

I have more links to back up everything I've written here.
Read up, check the facts, and don't drink the koolaid.

Marty


==============================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: trilug-bounces at trilug.org [mailto:trilug-bounces at trilug.org]On
Behalf Of Roy Vestal
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 3:41 PM
To: Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] OT - tech jobs on the rise in RTP?


> > I guess maybe the economy *is* strong enough to withstand those
> > Republican's filling their pockets with our Tax money... :-)
>
> ...correction, our children's money.  Our kids are going to pay this
> back.  Or maybe we can all give up SS.
>
> Even the congressional R's are getting a little wigged-out on the
> recent budget deficit.  A recent poll suggested that folks consider
> D's more fiscally responsible.  Myself, I think they'll both spend
> money they don't have just as fast as the other on the exact same
> things.
>
> (This is marked OT isn't it? <checking> yep, it is.)
> --
> Mike

Actually, the Republicans are trying to get rid of taxes. The Democrats are
fighting it since they seem to have the belief that the Gov't knows how to
best spend my money vs capitalism be allowed to move freely. The more in my
pocket, the more I spend, the more businesses make, the more the economy
grows, the more businesses make jobs, the more people are employed, the more
money that the Gov't gets in taxes. Simple Economy 101 stuff.

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