Government Run Healthcare?! Government Run LIFE.

(Yes, I know. Once again, it's been far too long since I've written my last piece.)

This has been held up to me as a brilliant piece on why we shouldn't be bitching about Socialize Medicine. I say we should be scared to death for two reasons: One, because of the extent that it illustrates government involvement in our daily lives, and two because I'm sure there are billions of ignorant people out there who don't see anything wrong with it. Let's parse it out, line by line, shall we?

Government Run Healthcare

http://humidcity.com/?p=2429&cpage=1#comment-254679

by LOKI on AUGUST 16, 2009 · 6 COMMENTS

This morning I was awakened by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department Of Energy

Government Interference in the Market that costs consumers millions, if not billions each year.

and whose manufacture was declared safe by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Government Interference in the Market that costs consumers millions, if not billions each year.

I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility.

Government-run regional monopoly riddled with politics and inefficiency.

After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels

Government Interference in the Market, costing consumers billions and restricting consumer choice.

to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

Government-run competitor to private companies such as AccuWeather

determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Government-run near-monopoly riddled with bureaucracy and politics, slowing the progress of space exploration and stifling the private space industry.

I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department Of Agriculture inspected food

Government Interference in the Market

and taking the medications which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

Government Interference in the Market, slowing or eliminating the production of new treatments to market and killing countless thousands in the process.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Government Interference in MANY Markets, I'm sure

and the US Naval Observatory,

Why does this exist, anyway? Will have to read up on this.

I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile

Government Interference in the Market, adding thousands to the cost of most automobiles and limiting consumer choice.

and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation,

Many of which have now been leased to private companies for revenue, because private firms can build/maintain/run them better.

stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency,

Government Interference in the Market, not to mention a near-inhuman hatred of Mankind based on the misguided belief that nature has intrinsic value.

using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY!

On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the Public School.

Poorly run Government monopoly, losing billions each year and cutting service after service.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,

Government Interference in the Market. (I'm tired. I think you get the point.)

enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA,

Government Interference in the Market

I drive my NHTSA approved car back home

Government Interference in the Market

on the DOT built roads,

See above

to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal’s inspection,

Government Interference in the Market, but worth nothing that most building- and construction-related codes and are voluntary standards _not_ drafted by governments themselves.

and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

One of ONLY moral and appropriate government bodies in the whole list; I bet it has a lot to do with the fact that the majority of your neighbors aren't criminals, too.

I then log on to the internet, which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration

This would be other other moral and appropriate government body: The Military. Note, however, that it was private enterprise that made the Internet what it is today, however.

and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.

Yup. Because aside from the Military, Police and the Courts, they can't. More importantly, they're not even supposed to.

The City Manager's Got his Eye On You.

"If you’re not doing anything wrong, you shouldn’t have a problem with it." So says Johnstown City Manager Curt Davis regarding the security camera in Central Park, and his office's live feed.

If you caught an official peering into your bedroom window while wearing a pair of night vision goggles, would you buy that argument? How about if cameras were installed in bathroom stalls in City Hall? Hey, if you're not doing anything wrong in there, why should you care, right?

Davis' argument displays a oft-mistaken assumption about privacy. Quoting Daniel Solove's paper, "'I've Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy", recently published in the San Diego Law Review, this argument is based on an incorrect premise "that privacy is about hiding bad things." Privacy is not a matter of hiding anything -- privacy is a universal expectation that your life is free from unwarranted intrusion by others into your typical, peaceful, law-abiding affairs. For instance, an expectation that a city manager isn't watching you from his desk on closed-circuit television while you're relaxing in Central Park.

I wonder, does the city have a policy covering the appropriate use of that camera? Does anyone periodically review the camera's records to see just what Mr. Davis or others are looking at with that camera? Is the duty to monitor the camera occasionally listed in Mr. Davis's job description, or is he just using the city's technology "periodically" to get in touch with his inner voyeur?

Been a while.

Yeah, I know. Attempting to get my butt in gear once again. In this respect, I'm a lousy objectivist.

My day in court.

Yup. I was in court today.

[Please note that all quotes in this report are paraphrased to the best of my ability to recall what was said. If you check the court transcript and find otherwise, please correct me.]

No, I didn't get arrested or sued or anything like that. The beloved city of Johnstown, near which I live and in which I work had to go to court today to ask for permission to levy a commuter tax upon me. Since the public was to be given the opportunity to speak, I took the day off from work, (which worked out really well, what with my whirlwind round trip to Chicago and back this weekend. I got to sleep in some.) and went to the courthouse for this afternoon.

I go to the courthouse, I empty my pockets, go through the metal detector, set it off anyway, (stupid belt) get wanded, and proceed on in. I ask the guard if he can tell me what courtoom the tax hearing's in, and he doesn't know, but directs me to the court administrators office. I poke my head in the door to three people staring at me silently from their desks. I excuse myself and ask them if they would please direct me to the courtroom where the tax office is being held. One guy, without saying a word, points in some direction. Thankfully, someone walking into the office from behind me says, "It's Courtroom One." I thank her, not him, and head off to Courtroom One.

I'm about an hour early, because I'm expecting a crowd, so I take a seat. 10 minutes later, a courthouse staffer asks me, "can I help you sir?" I explain I'm there for the tax hearing.

Eventually, the city's attorney and witnesses show up -- the city manager and finance director, and an attorney working with them on the state's Act 47(?) "Distressed Status" recovery plan. Then the judges roll in, and the discussion between the judges and the city's folks lead me to believe the hearing will not be presided over impartially. Then two, maybe three reporters from local papers roll in.

And nobody else.

Just me. I'm the only citizen concerned enough to bother to come and say anything, for or against.

So I sit there, and take notes. Johnstown was very well prepared. And stated their case well. Yes, we know we've been mismanaging our funds for years, we've had million-dollar deficits the past two years, we've had 15 YEARS worth of recovery plans that haven't worked, we're all out of freebies, PLEASE let us place this burden on the backs of people who don't live here and don't vote here.

The judges asked if anyone wants to comment, I raised my hand, they recognized me, and I stated my objections. I had prepared a statement, but opted not to read it, as the city's witness gave me a jewel in the statement from the stand, "we are now asking the non-residents to play a part[ in the city's recovery.]" (paraphrased second part there.) (He gave me another jewel in a statement about purchasing some equipment, he'd told the city, "Just buy it, and we'll figure out how to pay for it later." I didn't get a chance to whip that baby back out though, sadly.)

"Frankly, that's a lie," I said, "because we've not been asked to do anything." (paraphrasing here,) "we're being told to pay a tax." The judge recognized that as a fair statement. I was challenged by the judge that I use city services on my ride to work. I already pay for these services in my home municipality, which I deserve to pay." "With respect to emergency services, I already pay a $52 local services tax." (Used _solely_ to fund emergency services.) With respect to the 2 miles of roads I use daily, "if you're going to tax me to use the roads, tax everyone. Put up toll booths." Since they also (inappropriately) brought up the other big local tax issue -- the Payments-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes (PILOT) payments they're trying to extort from city non-profits, I commented there, too. "I'm on the board of a local nonprofit looking for a home. Why should I look at Johnstown, when you're just going to sock us for putting down roots in town?" I feel that non-profits, through our efforts provide more than enough value in what we do for the communities we serve, to be squeezed by PILOT pay-offs.

At one point the lead judge made the point that what they're doing really is the lesser of two evils. "With all due respect, the lesser of two evils is still evil," I responded. Apparently, I made that point with sufficient enough poise and tone of voice as not to be thrown in jail for Contempt.

I spent the drive home with L'esprit de L'escalier -- Staircase Wisdom -- echoing through my head. There were things I could have said better, certainly. Oh well. I think I said what I wanted to, though.

The court will make a decision in a couple of days. I wish I could be there for it. I'm pretty sure they're going to give the city permission to tax me. Which sucks. While I'm not okay with it, I'm glad I got to speak my mind at the hearing.

What I really find more disappointing than the proceedings is the fact that no one else showed up to voice their protest, although I've spoken to a lot of people these past few weeks who do oppose the tax.

There's a concept I've mentioned here before: The Sanction of the Victim. It is the fact that evil by itself is impotent, and requires your permission and participation in order to succeed. Stand up, identify something as evil, point a finger at it, call it out, and withhold your approval for what it wants to do. I did that today. I recognize that they're going to tax more money from me by force. I told them I recognized it. I've done my part. So, fuckers, bring your guns and pick my pockets. I know what you're doing, and so do you. My conscience is clear. Yours is not.

Sadly, a lot of people stayed away from the courtroom today. They sanctioned evil. To all those folks, I close with another concept, best summed up with a quote whose source I cannot locate: "We deserve that which we tolerate."

Romney Raps Religion

I just caught the tail end of Romney's "Religion" speech on (replayed?) on C-SPAN, and attempted to go back and read the whole thing online.

I can't.

He doesn't get it.

ANYONE who can call "reason and religion" "friends and allies" simply doesn't get it. Religion is the complete and total antithesis of reason. Religion is the enemy of reason, in any culture, in any era.

It's looking more and more like I'm voting for "WHO IS JOHN GALT?" again in the elections next year, like I did last year for PA Governor and Senate.

And yes, I know, I'm still not writing anywhere near as much as I'd like to be. I need desperately to re-prioritize.

I can name that contradiction in three notes

Would that my first real article had been on a local story, but this caught my eye while reading some news elsewhere. From For Radiohead Fans, Does “Free” + “Download” = “Freeload”?, about a study of Radiohead's attempt at pay-as-you-see-fit marketing, only two out of 5 "customers" are willing to pay for "their" music:

During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million people worldwide visited the “In Rainbows” site, with a significant percentage of visitors ultimately downloading the album. The study showed that 38 percent of global downloaders of the album willingly paid to do so, with the remaining 62 percent choosing to pay nothing. The percent downloading for free in the U.S. (60 percent) is only marginally lower than in the rest of the world (64 percent).

“I am surprised by the number of freeloaders,” said Fred Wilson, managing partner of Union Square Ventures and well-known music aficionado. “The stories to date about the In Rainbows ‘pick your price’ download offer have been much more optimistic. I paid $5 U.S. and had no reluctance whatsoever to take out my card and pay. It’s a fantastic record, the best thing they've done in years. But, this shows pretty conclusively that the majority of music consumers feel that digital recorded music should be free and is not worth paying for. That's a large group that can't be ignored and its time to come up with new business models to serve the freeloader market.”

I'm not surprised by the number of freeloaders -- people have been taking music and artists for granted pretty much since its discovery. In Atlas Shrugged, this fact is illustrated in the character of Halley and his concertos. In recent history, one need only look back to the dawn of Napster to see just how much musicians are taken for granted. It's nice to have numbers to quantify it, however. Too bad the figure sucks for Radiohead. It doesn't bode well for other artists, either.

Was does surprise me is the oxymoron that is the term, "freeloader market." There can be no freeloader market, because freeloaders by definition have nothing they wish to freely offer in return for the product of your efforts. For someone to even suggest the term seriously and sincerely is frightening.

The proper label for this 60% segment of the music-acquiring population? Thieves and looters. Musicians, you would do well to recognize the brutal nature of your "fans" and condemn it. The only new business model that you should seek with regard to these thieves is none at all -- concentrate instead on your paying customers who truly value your abilities instead of taking the product of your efforts for granted.

Folks, music is a process of discovery! Music is invented! Music is the product of minds, and those minds deserve to be fairly compensated for their efforts.

About me, about this blog.

Welcome to JohnstownGalt.

JohnstownGalt the blogger is a 35-year old IT worker hailing from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. That's me. I describe myself as an objectivist, an artist, an atheist, among other things. I am not a Democrat, I am not a liberal, I am not religious. I am strong-willed, independent-minded, and rationally self-interested. I am not your typical Johnstown resident.

I was born here (as I often joke, with an overwhelming suspicion that something was horribly wrong with the world), raised Catholic (a religion I've since renounced, along with every other) by two loving parents near Pittsburgh, PA, mostly, and moved back to Johnstown approximately 14 years ago to work.

Johnstown the city is an incredible place to live and work. It has a low cost of living, no traffic to speak of, relatively low crime (if you disregard the drug problem), fabulous year-round scenery, and an overwhelming desire to destroy itself by hitching itself to the wrong wagons, making the strangest political bedfellows and doing its best to drive those who have actually been improving the region out of the area. For an objectivist, it's kind of like living in a little miniature Atlas Shrugged.

Ah, Atlas Shrugged.

Aside from scripture, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged the book polarizes people like no other work of literature. You either love it or you hate it because it's dead-on correct, and you either recognize that fact or wish to evade it. No other work of fiction -- not even holy scriptures -- peg existence, humanity, truth and morality so well. (It's also completely internally consistent, which is more than you can say for any work of scripture.)

I had the opportunity to read this book while away at a week-long conference I attended at the behest of the powers that be at my place of employment at the time, at which I met and dealt with a number of lobbyists, political appointees and their pork-teat-suckling, pull-mongering compatriots in both the private and public sectors. The coincidental timing of those two events could not have been better. Reading the book on the airplane and in the evenings and being able to see facets of it unfold during the days was like sharing a private joke with Rand herself. The experience changed my life, and help me to fill in a lot of the pieces I'd been missing in my own private search for answers to life, the universe and everything. I grasped the philosophy easily, and adopted it. Since, I've not treated a personal relationship, professional relationship, or even a newspaper article quite the same way again.

Ah, the newspaper.

The Tribune-Democrat is Johnstown's newspaper. As far as newspapers goes, it's a little pricey for how thin it is most days, but it's a fair paper. It keeps me up-to-date and informed, gives me a little daily intellectual workout, and above all, lets me work up a little health anger at what goes on in the region, state, nation and world.

The Trib, like most papers, has a readers' forum, to which I occasionally submit articles. It's also no source of entertaining and enlightening opinion from others in the region, most of which I disagree with. I have three main complaints about the reader's forum, however:

1. You're limited to 250 words.
2. They edit submissions _very_ poorly.
3. You can only submit 1 letter every 30 days.

Hell, I could submit 12 essays a week if I had the time and they'd let me.

Which brings me to JohnstownGalt the blog.

JohnstownGalt takes its name from John Galt, one of the protagonists of Rand's novel. Most critics like to call him a "superman," or a "hero," but he wasn't. As the book points out, he's an ordinary man, one capable of living as man should, according to his reason and towards his own
ends.

When the mood strikes and I have the time and energy to do so, I'll be posting my objectivist , "ordinary man's" take on news and opinion covered in the local media. It's my goal to write at least three times a week, but I'm not going to guarantee that quite yet. I fully admit that I'm doing this for the sole purpose of amusing myself by standing and shouting from my own little soap box. If you find it entertaining, informative or outrageous, more power to you. I just think it'll be fun to deliver an objectivist take on Johnstown and Johnstowners.

More to come shortly

I've just set this blog up. I'll post something soon.