Mr.Owl clearly hasn't been reading his Mises.antman said:A potted introduction to libertarian economics as per the "minimal State" view of Robert Nozick is here.
http://existentialcomics.com/comic/38
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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Talking Politics
- Thread starter Legends of 2017
- Start date
You have no idea whether most aid is squandered or not, you are just assuming. I also suspect that you don't understand how Government aid is spent which is another reason why you shouldn't be making assumptions. The vast majority of aid programs funded by the australian Government are administered by independent aid agencies who bid for money with aid project proposals. Organisations such as Care, save the children, Oxfam and World Vision run most of these programs not government. This is even more prevalent now that AUSaid is no longer and was wound into DFAT.Giardiasis said:
When it can be proven that when all aid comes from individuals that doesn't hurt real aid programs I am happy for Government to step away. My view is that it won't happen because of one human trait.......greed
I'm using common sense, and a 2 second Google search provided the results I didn't even need to specifically know about to know it existed.Sintiger said:
http://www.news.com.au/national/millions-lost-in-foreign-aid-scam/story-e6frfkvr-1226027078871
I doubt "vast majority", but even if it is true it doesn't mean the money isn't squandered. In fact, it just means that the NGO's that support the government's political agenda are the likely recipients of the funds. I don't have to do a google search for that either to know it is true.
Eh, you realise that in order to prove that, you'd need for the government to step away in the first place? And even if you did that, the outcome is entirely subjective. Are you to be the ultimate arbiter?
You can't get away from the fact that you value something (i.e. foreign aid), you want others to pay for it, and you're willing to hold a gun to their head to make sure they do so. You accuse others of greed, yet how much greedier can you get to condone theft for your own purposes?
Baloo said:
It's beasley v howard mk 2.
Labor ahead nationally.
But not making much headway in the marginal seats.
And I suspect Victorian Regional seats will be a Labor wipe out as a result of the CFA dispute.
You can't get away from the fact that when it comes to this issue you don't know what you are talking about. One Google search highlights one issue and you use " common sense" . Seriously ? You actually don't know and have trouble admitting it.Giardiasis said:
Would you please stop using terms like " putting a gun to their head" . It is offensive. Turning my desire for the world's most vulnerable to be helped into accusing me of greed and condoning theft is a seriously skewed view of the world.
Oh, and by the way the other thing you "know" (which of course you don't ) about NGOs who favour the political agenda winning bids is not true either. Have you listened to Tim Costello lately?
Giardiasis said:
cant argue with a Murdoch rag, they are known for their factual and in depth reporting.
and leaving charitable donations to people rather than government leads to donations based on emotion rather than facts.
current example, Neale Daniher's work with MND. He is doing a great job promoting a very worthy cause, and the donations are flowing. i do wonder though how many of the same people would donate to MS research for example? probably few because there is not an ex-AFL footballer leading the cause.
leaving charity to people leads to responses to natural disasters, but generally little to ongoing crisis.
Do I know detailed information about the entire $4-5 billion dollar foreign aid budget? No. Do I know that there is fraud and mismanagement? A 2 second Google search showed what common sense already told me. It wasn't one issue it was multiple documented cases of fraud. Now whatever on the ground experience you have doesn't tell you all you have to know about foreign aid waste. I've conceded that aid money helps people in desperate need, but I haven't heard you concede that waste exists. All of this is beside the point. Even if the government perfectly allocated foreign aid funds with zero fraud and negligible waste, the funds are still the product of theft.Sintiger said:
No I won't be drawn into using euphemisms that distort what taxation really is. This is a political discussion, if you can't stand the heat then don't enter it. Political discussion without the freedom to offend is pointless.
I guess I better do another 2 second Google search to tell me what I already know:
http://www.timwilson.com.au/articles/pause-aid-budget-and-audit-for-political-activity-the-australian
You don't seem to realise that the government is itself comprised of individual people, who have all the same emotions that us other people have. Your last sentence is probably right, but it is entirely subjective to determine what constitutes ongoing crisis, and whether or not something else is more important. Who are you to decide for other people where to spend their money?Brodders17 said:
Is that supposed to be an argument? I'm different in that libertarianism is the antithesis of marxism. You deny the validity of a priori knowledge and logic, yet I'd like to see you try and prove the validity of empiricism without resorting to a priori.antman said:
You said arguably most of aid is wasted, your words. Just straight out wrong. But keep googling if you like. I have said that there is waste, there is waste in all expenditure whether it be private or public.Giardiasis said:
If political discussion to you means using terms like putting a gun to people's heads then you have lost before you start.
Your argument goes something like this. You know there is waste, arguable most of it, because you are using common sense and you can google. I have experience on the ground but I don't know because my experience doesn't allow me to know about all aid waste.