Hugo-peikon Valtaannousu

At least FoxNews knows how to present their news fair & balanced:



Jään odottamaan Kampanja-blogin reaktiota tilanteeseen. Kampanja on jo pitkään hehkutellut Hugon "imperialismin vastaisella" politiikalla, josta ei käytännössä ole yhtään mitään hyötyä Venezuelalle. Päinvastoin; Hugon politiikka ajaa Venezuelaa kohti eristyneisyyttä ja taloudellista alamäkeä.

Murroksen artikkeli nähtävästi pitää Venezuelaa kovinkin kapitalistisena yhteiskuntana. The Heritage Foundation-aivoriihen taloudellisen vapauden indeksin mukaan Venezuela on taloudellisella vapaudellaan sijalla 144. Fraser-instituutin indeksin, joka on hitusen parempi, mukaan Venezuela on sijalla 126. Venezuela kuuluu siis sellaisten paskamaiden joukkoon kuin Kuuba, Valko-Venäjä ja Pohjois-Korea.

Kommentoin muutama viikko sitten tätä juttua, mutta Lohikosken kommenttimoderointi ei päästä poikkeavia mielipiteitä läpi. Aiemmista kerroista viisastuneena kopioin tekstini:

"Toki se on ele kansainväliselle eliitille, että me teemme niin kuin tahdomme."

Yhtiöiden kansallistaminen on ele siitä, että Venezuelan hallitus ei ole kiinnostunut yksilönvapauksien eli yksityisten omistusoikeuksien kunnioittamisesta. Venezuelan hallitus kuvittelee, että sillä on jokin oikeus ryöstää ihmisten omaisuutta pelkästään siitä syystä, että ryhmä ihmisiä sattuu sitä haluamaan.

Kansallistamispyrkimykset ovat myös askel kohti fasistisempaa Venezuelaa, jossa valtio tekee päätöksiä yksilön sijaan. Tästä tietenkin viestivät myös Chavezin lehdistönvastainen kampanja ja pyrkimykset lisätä presidentin valtuuksia.

"Helsingin Sanomat kuitenkin lainasi kansainvälisen talouden asiantuntijaa, joka sanoi monikansallisten suuryhtiöiden Heinzista Audiin takovan suurvoittoja Venezuelassa."

Mikä olisi tietenkin valtava hyöty Venezuelan kansalle, jos Venezuela olisi taloudellisesti vapaa (eli kapitalistinen) valtio. Venezuela on maailman vähiten taloudellisesti vapaiden valtioiden joukossa. Kilpailua ehkäisevä regulointi ja yksi maailman korruptoituneimpia hallituksia ovat tehneet Venezuelasta Venäjään verrattavissa olevan paskavaltion.

"Chavezin hallituksessa käydään koko ajan karhunpainia siitä keitä hallituksen pitäisi kuunnella - tavallisia ihmisiä vai yrityksiä."

Mitä yli-ihmisiä ne yritysjohtajat sitten ovat? Tässä on pikemminkin kyse siitä, että äänekäs rikollisjoukko on kerääntynyt firmojen tonteille vaatimaan muiden omaisuutta itselleen.

"Chavez on tehnyt merkittäviä uudistuksia maassaan ja antanut miljoonille ihmisille toivon paremmasta."

Chavez ei ole tehnyt mitään merkittäviä uudistuksia. Chavez on ryöstänyt rahaa ja uudelleenallokoinut sitä tavalla, joka ei hyödytä Venezuelan kehittymistä pitkällä aikavälillä. Chavez on kalastanut ääniä ryöstämällä ja jakamalla rahaa.

"Ennen kaikkea sosiaaliohjelmat ovat saanet tavalliset ihmiset saamaan uskon, että he voivat muuttaa maailmaa."

Alkuhurman jälkeen sosiaaliohjelmilla on pikemminkin päinvastainen vaikutus; perustuuhan sosialismi yksilönvapauksien hylkäämiselle kuvitteellisen kollektiivisen edun saavuttamiseksi.

"Bush on ilmoittanut haluavansa lähettää 20 000 sotilasta lisää Irakiin. Luvassa on vain lisää tuskaa irakilaisille."

Kuvitteletko, että väkivalta Irakissa vähenee jenkkien häipyessä? Väkivalta on jo pitkään ollut etnisten ryhmien välistä, siviileihin kohdistunuttu tappamista, jossa jenkit ovat lähinnä sivustakatsojia.

Jenkeillä on vastuu Irakista ainakin siihen asti, että saavat uuden armeijan vanhan tilalle.

Explaining the Difference Between Free and Perfect Competition

Copy/pasted from Pharyngula -

Flex:
"A free-market, by economic definition, requires several conditions. Including:

1. No barriers to entry
2. Perfect information between buyer and seller
3. Indistinguishable products between sellers
4. A very large number of sellers
5. No control of prices"

Me:
Wrong. You're talking about the concept of "PERFECT COMPETITION". Perfect competition is an artificial concept, which is obvious after reading the strict set of "rules" that are required for perfect competition. Perfect competition is a theoretical concept. Perfect competition hasn't necessarily got ANYTHING to do with FREE competition.

Free competition exists when no one uses force or threat of force against persons or their property.

"This does not exist. There are no examples of completely free markets."

True but there are degrees of economic freedom and countries like the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland and Switzerland are usually ranked in top-5 but they are still far from being laissez-faire economies.

"The simpliest example is a company with a monopoly, which has eliminated the requirement for a large number of sellers."

Monopolies (I assume you're not talking about government monopolies - also known as legal monopolies) are not against Capitalism; they're only against the idea of perfect competition which is still only a theoretical concept.

(edit: one should also note that it's the government that has been the most efficient creator of monopolies)

"This is basic economics, as taught to me in my MBA program."

Yet you don't seem to be able to distinguish free competition from perfect competition.

And I don't think I need to remind you that perfect competition is still just an idea (edit: an economic model). In fact, attempts to create an environment for this so-called perfect competition only tend to make things worse and create a situation that's neither free nor perfect.

"Simple: regulate capitalism."

Doesn't work. Doesn't need to be regulated. People who hate property and individual liberties need to be regulated.

"Unbridled capitalism (unrestrained greed) gives us miners who are minors, sellers of stockshares in companies which didn't exist, sludge in our rivers and smog in our air."

Under real Capitalism you are prohibited by law from releasing poisonous material that harms other people or their property against their will. Capitalism is about individual liberties which include PROPERTY RIGHTS.

"Regulated capitalism can prohibit companies from hiring minors without review."

There is no need for minors to work under Capitalism thanks to the amount of wealth it creates. This is exactly what is happening in countries like India and China where free market reforms have made it possible for kids to do something else (although, these countries clearly haven't yet gone far enough; the Chinese countryside, for example, is still heavily Socialist and that's where the poor people are).

"Regulated capitalism can punish those who are caught commiting fraud (which is only possible due to a disparity of information)."

Punishing criminals doesn't require "regulated Capitalism" - just Capitalism.

"Regulated capitalism can have the power of a free market as a goal, even knowing it will never get there, by trying to eliminate the disparity of information between seller and buyer"

Information can be delivered better under free markets. See all sorts of magazines that review and rate without any government interference. Let markets (the consumer), instead of a bunch of government bureaucrats, be the judge.

"help to reduce the barrier to entry of new firms by providing start-up capital"

This only misallocates resources away from those who are able to use them more efficiently.
Under Capitalism there should be no LEGAL barriers for entry, no taxes that prevent you from starting up a firm, no minimum wages that prevent you from hiring, no subsidies that simply transfer money from one person to another etc.

Shortages of Wives and Rabbits

The wonders of "social planning" (the so called "one-child policy") under Communism never cease to amaze me. Governments better leave both social and economic planning to private individuals:

"Chinese facing shortage of wives"

"China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women by 2020, making it difficult for them to find wives, according to a national report. " -BBC

And another sad example of the widely known fact that governments can't calculate:

"North Korea Seeks Giant Rabbits for Meat Production to Alleviate Food Shortage"

"A German pensioner who won a prize and worldwide fame for breeding his country’s largest rabbit — Robert, a 10.5kg (23lb) bruiser the size of a dog — has been offered an unusual opportunity to exploit his talents overseas."

"Karl Szmolinsky has been given a contract by North Korea to supply giant rabbits to help to boost meat production in the reclusive Communist country, which is suffering severe food shortages. The only problem is that such huge rabbits consume vast quantities of food themselves as they grow."

Guess which is the next country to report problems concerning the classic economic calculation problem? Yap - it's the Hugo Land.

Venezuela Set to Become Socialist

"As Venezuela embarked on another six years under Hugo Chavez, the president announced plans to nationalize power and telecommunications companies and make other bold changes to increase state control as he promised a moral radical push toward socialism."

First Hugo steals money from the rich and then increases his power by redistributing that stolen money. And some people actually think that this is a good thing. Now he makes it impossible for private individuals to create wealth (unless you happen to work for the corrupt government) that, if left alone (laissez-faire!), would end up benefiting the entire society. Venezuela - the next socialist experiment. What a waste. Keep your eyes open as Venezuela spends a decade or two under Socialism and then returns right back to Capitalism.

Ségolène Royal - More Socialism in France

The French might elect a president they deserve, Ségolène Royal, a socialist.

"the 53-year-old Socialist candidate pledged to improve social housing for the poor"

Why not just unregulate the heavily regulated and taxed labor market so that the poor can get a job? Or why not just ease regulations concerning city planning and zoning that prevent supply from meeting demand?

"to offer better child care for working parents"

Moneymoneymoney. Why should the public pay the bill when someone decides to have a baby?

"and to exert a strong influence over European Union labour laws."

Oh yeah - as if the labor markets weren't heavily regulated already.

"she promised to address France's shortage of social housing with interest-free loans for people to buy properties, and a tax on buildings left vacant for more than two years."

This woman obviously has no idea why interest rates exist.

"she said. 'I want a Europe that protects against the disorder of globalisation, where the only law is that of the market.'"

How can anyone be that stupid? The globalized world is more prosperous and peaceful than ever before and this idiot wants to protect France from these nasty side effects.

Someone (not sure who) once said: "When goods don't cross frontiers, armies will."

So go ahead and make your lives more miserable. When things go bad you can always blame Capitalism for the fact that economic planning just won't work.