Dave Rael and Joe Macaluso dive into the nature of democracy, government, power, and corruption
Chapters:
- - Welcome and Hello
- - Inflammatory statement and opening to the discussion: Democracy is a disaster
- - Incentives, alignment, intent, and reality
- - Distinguishing levels of government
- - Legalization of marijuana and the criminality of possession
- - Citizens United, Bernie Sanders, and the power to overturn
- - The nature of democracy
- - “A democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” - Gary Strand
- - The purpose and nature of government
- - Rational and legitimate fears
- - The concentration of force as response to the fear of force
- - Intent of the US Constitution
- - How government finances itself and use of force
- - Dave compares government to Mafia
- - Pragmatic concerns in public vs. private sector
- - Government making things more effective and efficient - reality or fiction?
- - The myth of the free market and "money in politics" vs. "politics in money"
- - Decision makers vs. freedom, vigilante justice, and anarchy
- - The Star Wars story of the rise and reign of Palpatine as illustrative of reality
- - Elections as popularity contests
- - Evolution of societal structure
- - The utility or futility of trying to use the system to make improvements
Resources:
- Decmoracy According to Wikipedia
- Bernie Sanders on Money In Politics and Overturning Citizens United
- Gary Strand on Democracy, Wolves, and Lamb
- Government According to Wikipedia
- Government as Monopoly on Violence
- The Federalist No. 51 - James Madison - "If men were angels ..."
- United States Contitution
- The Laws of Thermodynaics
- Local Maximum