From: merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean Merritt)
Newsgroups: alt.society.anarchy
Subject: Re: What is Anarchism
Date: 25 Jan 93 16:03:25 GMT
	<1993Jan23.015853.1037@vela.acs.oakland.edu>
	<1993Jan23.113457.11111@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
Organization: Boston University Physics Department
In-reply-to: mlinksva@nyx.cs.du.edu's message of 23 Jan 93 11:34:57 GMT


#In article <1993Jan23.113457.11111@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> mlinksva@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Linksvayer) writes:

	   control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.

   In article <MERRITT.93Jan22103010@macro.bu.edu>, merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean Merritt) writes:
   >People who do learn do it on there own. If the state
   >has your attention for 12 years, isn't it concievable that the
   >most valuable thing they could teach you is how to manage your
   >money and how to put it to work for you? TEACH CAPITALISM from
   >day one kindergarden.

 #  I am 100% against compulsory education and I think that the
 #  probability that a statist education system would do anything
 #  like this is about nil. However I think it is generally a good
 #  idea to "teach capitalism" from a very young age. Not
 #  "doctrinaire capitalism", as Walter Lee claimed, but practical
 #  information and experience to help one manage one's resources. 
 #  Unless one takes seriously the (utopian/fantastic) idea that
 #  property can be abolished then I think one has to admit that
 #  this would be a step in the direction of self government.

It need not be compulsary, just offered.

Again as I answered Mr. Lee, he see's gospel I see church, nobody
need be compelled to go to church. But I don't want to stretch that
anology too far. It is(should be) provided so that individuals who are 
economically defenseless, have at least a fighting chance.

#   It appears to me that the reason (or at least a very big reason)
#   that some people here find capitalism distasteful is that they
#   find it leads to others controlling their lives. The purpose of
#   teaching about capitalism is to give people control of their own
#   lives. It is true that someone with no property and not a clue
#   about how to get any does not have much control over their
#   life. The system seems 'evil' because one can never get ahead,
#   while others do. Well, if one doesn't have a clue about how to
#   get ahead, how does one expect to get ahead?
#

Exactly, but one need not desire to "get ahead" you may simply
desire to survive and be left alone. Which is very anarchistic to
my mind. You can live without being exploited if you plan your 
future and live within your means.


#   I wonder if any school uses Karl Hess' _Capitalism for Kids_ as
#   a text? (yeah, right)

Never heard of it.

A note to all you Euro-anarchist who can't fathom the idea of 
Anarcho-Capitalism:

The biggest reason socialism and communism are "dirty" words in
America is less beacuse of the copius amounts of propaganda against
such ideas, it is rather basic needs ARE fufilled for a significant
part of the electorate. Those who's needs are not met, sadly
are not part of the electorate. This is wrong. Still there is
no motivation for the Politicians to change things until
they feel their job is in peril.

The big issue that may topple the apple cart now is:Health Care.
In America we spend more and get less. Unemployment Insurance,
and the FDIC stopped any possibilty of revolution(in the bloodiest
sense of the word) in the past. The failure to provide Health 
Insurance(although Slick Willy say's it's forth coming),
will be enough to get the middle class(the largest part of the
electorate) mad enough to force change. Will it be fundementally
a "socialist-solution"? I hope not. I would hope the the solution
preserves "freedom of choice" while not requiring someone to
go the poorhouse just beacuse the become ill.


-sjm

--
Sean J. Merritt		         |"Road-kill has it's seasons just like     
Dept of Physics Boston University|anything, there's possums in the autumn  
merritt@macro.bu.edu             |and farm cats in the spring." T. Waits
Newsgroups: alt.society.anarchy