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The threat isn't coming from big government but vast extranational corporations that control governments and in certain cases have started wars to protect their interests, which are not yours or mine. For instance the second gulf war and the Afghanistan war, instigated by big oil as they couldn't get an agreement from the Taliban to put an oil pipeline through Northern Afghanistan. This to provide the US with an independent oil supply and a reliable supply route. For a historical example see The East India Company

I worked for a highly competitive private business in the food service industry for 35 years in California. We did a great job keeping the customers happy. The competition was tough but so were we. However, our biggest customers like Safeway, Vons, Kroger, Albertsons, Walgreens, Smart n Final, Whole Foods, etc. could have cared less about the service we provided because they knew they would be the priority over all others due to the shear volume of their account and they were right. The problem was that when ever a new company came to town, they would threaten to switch for price alone. We got to where the price was so low we could barely compete against these multinational corporations. I'm not complaining about this in regards to why capitalism works so well, but more how I always felt like I could loose my job at any moment. After time that really does take it's toll. Yes, that constant fear does motivate you to do what ever it takes to survive thus it keeps prices low and service high, always tweaking your business model and service tactics and that is good, to a point. What I found was It started affecting everything in my life. I was always working and spending less time at home with my kids. It made me less empathetic to everyone around me so I not only had the battle at work but it became a battle to be at home. My wife and kids were endlessly supportive but I became more and more frustrated, depressed and disengaged at home. What I was experiencing is not only common throughout the US, it has become pathological. Some people do better than others in that environment (young single males) but look at the corporate/political/Geopolitical condition of the world today, it's ruthless and highly unstable. It made me start to think that there just has to be a better way. It doesn't look like anything will change now since multinational corporations and international banks are running the world corrupting the body politic and most everything else in their path. However, this problem certainly explains why so many people are trending towards socialism / communism as a way to relax the constant fear thus creating more and more susceptibility to the "languasites' Stefan described in podcast FDR3263. I am aware that as long as the current economic structure (fiat money, Keynesian economics and "languasites') are dominant, there is little to no chance of this changing any time soon so my timing on this subject is no doubt out of sync, but I think it is relevant to a bigger picture. Ruthless business models are a big cause of destructive family environments in so many ways it's too much to go into here. People equate this false capitalism as actual capitalism, the cause of their constant anxiety, thus we see the popularity of Bernie Sanders types, along with more and more talk of resurrecting so many historically destructive political systems. The near total loss of freedom seems to be more acceptable than the current work environment and social instability. Capitalism did give rise to this phenomenon even in it's infancy and in it's purest form. I think the purest capitalistic system is susceptible to this regardless of how 'pure' it is. Money corrupts even the most ethical of humans so governmental systems will always have to exist until either the average IQ gets over 110 or the population decreases below levels that existed before Kings, Queens and religion. I have often thought that the only viable government would have be an AI programed in such a way that it's primary objective is for humans to eventually no longer need it, thus no longer needing government to force cooperation. This is based on the idea that it's impossible to bribe a machine but then there is always the programmer. There could be something like a medical cure for low IQ across ethnic lines (as Stefan described in a recent podcast) or a medical cure to the 'virus' of sociopathic and psychopathic disorders though the odds of something like that happening is at best unlikely any time soon. The peaceful parenting model is a necessary imperative but I fear a mufti-generational approach will not be enough to fix anything before we destroy ourselves or render the world uninhabitable. The current social and political situation is dire -- I am not hopeful. (Comments Welcome) Dusty Wiggins 'What this world needs are massive and spontaneous outbreaks of positive creativity.'

The other day my girlfriend and I were talking about what the transition would be like from our current government run economy to an economy without a government. She is very curious about what life would be like without a government but has serious doubts of anarchism ever becoming a reality. I began asking her questions about these doubts and she brought up a good point which is that too many people fear life without a government to ever make the leap. I frequently run into this wall when talking to others which seems to be this underlying fear that people have of chaos ensuing without a government. This brought me to thinking of a new way of easing people into the idea of life without a government and I wanted to hear your thoughts on it. What if we lessened the power of the government to that of a corporation? Consider the government to be a one stop shop for a variety of services. Then everybody who fears life without a government can voluntarily choose to receive the benefits that our government currently provides and they will continue to pay taxes as usual except now it is voluntary. Others, like myself, will no longer be forced to pay taxes but instead can pay only for services that they feel will benefit them. I realize that this situation is really getting rid of government all together and just labeling a corporation as the government but I also feel like it would provide those disbelievers with some comfort during a transition. Any thoughts?