Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. GOP PRIMARIES

Since voting in the SC primary, my interest in the electoral process has waned considerably. I am at the point where I no longer care to vote. The fact that I voted for Nikki Haley back in 2008 has left a really bad taste in my mouth as she has demonstrated that she is nothing like Mark Sanford except when it comes to her sex life.

I had pledged to vote for Gary Johnson who is running for the LP spot, but I don't feel like wasting my time to actually go to the polls to cast a vote that is meaningless. The bottom line is that a stupid nation cannot elect a smart president. Libertarian pessimism is my modus operandi from now on.

Libertarian pessimism is the belief that freedom is the best way to go, but that people will never choose to be free because they don't want the responsibility that comes with that freedom. The proper response is not to vote or be hopeful but to denigrate the American people for being irresponsible pieces of shit. The libertarian pessimist shines a mirror in their faces and reveals to them the ugly truth of what they are.

Statism is here to stay until it collapses. Any future revolutions will be ignorant revolutions where people call for more socialism. There is nothing I can do to change this reality. I already do all that is within my power. People simply cannot and will not embrace freedom. They will always return to that statist trough again and again even if it is empty.

Freedom is merely the short period where one regime exhausts itself before it is replaced by another just like it. This is essentially the thesis of my book, Libertopia and Leviathan. That one will take awhile to write as I amass the scholarship to defend the thesis.

2. LANCE ARMSTRONG

This shit is really unbelievable. For 90% of people targeted for federal prosecution, jail time is a certainty. It doesn't matter if they are innocent or guilty because the system is so utterly befucked that your only hope isn't an acquittal but a lesser sentence for a plea bargain. Lance did not roll over for the Feds, and they are now dropping the charges. I have mixed emotions.

The libertarian in me cheers this as I think the government should stay out of sports doping completely. This is something best left to athletic leagues and authorities. OTOH, I think Lance is dirty as fuck, and this trial would have finally gotten to the bottom of the allegations against him which I believe to be true. But in the end, I assume Lance is guilty of being a doper and a cheater, but I don't want him to go to jail for this. I just want him disgraced in the public eye. Is this too much to ask?

I wish they would do a reality show where there was a jury that decided things like this for the sake of entertainment. Both sides get to present their facts and a randomly selected jury gets to decide the case. The accused is welcome to come and testify which they probably won't do. This would naturally tie in to a potential title for the show--In Absentia. I think it would be a hit. We could also retry OJ and Casey Anthony.

3. FACEBOOK IPO

My personal belief is that this IPO is ridiculous. Let me explain it as best as I can. Companies issue stock as a way to raise capital. This capital is used to expand the business through the acquisition or construction of greater means of production. For instance, a car company might come out with a killer prototype, so they issue stock to raise money to build a factory to make cars.

Facebook is not like a car company. There is no means of production beyond the servers the site runs on and the people that maintain it. So far, Facebook has shown no need for an infusion of capital. In fact, the operation should largely be self-sustaining and self-financing through the company's revenues. Why do they need to issue stock? What extra capital do they need to operate?

The whole point of this IPO is to allow current shareholders in the company the ability to cash out and walk away. In other words, they need some suckers to buy their overvalued stock. As you can see, the people inside of Facebook are not looking at making their fortunes from the future cash flows of the business. Of course, if I owned Facebook shares, I would sell them, too. But this is a sucker's bet. The people who buy this IPO are fools. We are going to see a replay of the Greater Fool Theory with this one.

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