Category: Two Cents

On Socialism

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

As most economists and political scientists agree, capitalism is “the private ownership of the means of production” and socialism is “the public/state ownership of the means of production.” Where they disagree is on which is preferable to achieving their ideal socio-economic outcomes, fair enough, but that aside, what cannot be denied is the fact that each and every person is themselves a means of production. Which begs the question, who owns you? Under capitalism, you own yourself (self-ownership). Under socialism (and it’s variants communism and fascism), you guessed it, the public/state. I don’t know about you, but I reject slavery in all its forms, including socialism. Do you? And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Radical Woke Feminism

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

Alright I’m calling it: Dworkian feminism will marry racial wokeness and conclude that I am a racist rapist because my wife has more melanin in her skin than me. Andrea Dworkin says that in a patriarchal society such as the one we are in, all heterosexual sex is coercive and degrading to women. Since my wife is an hispanic woman from Mexico City, and I am an anglo-saxon man from Utah, our intercourse is an act of rape. Since my wife is darker skinned and I’ve chosen to rape her (over and over.. and over!) our intercourse is also evidence of racism. Ergo, it’s my turn to be cancelled, arrested… and divorced? Oh well, sucks for me. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Capitalism IV

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

It’s vogue these days to claim that capitalism is responsible for the suffering and deaths of more lives than has been communism or socialism. The argument goes that when capitalistically produced food, drugs, medical care, et cetera, are withheld from those who can’t afford it, the resulting suffering and death (which numbers in the billions, orders of magnitude greater than communism or socialism) was thereby caused by capitalism. Interestingly, the same “greed” which produced the aforementioned goods and services supposedly keeps entrepreneurs and capitalists from simply giving it all away. Remove capitalistic “greed” from the world, and not only are those who can’t afford these goods and service no better or worse off, but those who can must now join them in their suffering and death. Gee, if only the world ran on wishes and dreams. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Facemasks

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

I’m not currently wearing a facemask when outside my house, working and what not, nor do I plan on doing so. For me, it’s quite selfish and I may be a murderous asshole for it, but I don’t think so. I simply don’t like wearing a mask, and don’t believe that I must. As long as existing and doing my work flows smoothly, I’ll continue not wearing a facemask. I’m certainly getting looks and snears as I go in and out of restaurants picking up food. In fact, it’s been an interesting exercise in experiencing being someone that others dislike. Is this what it’s like being “the other” and looked at through bigoted eyes? Perhaps, but I’m sure I haven’t experienced anything too close to what unfavored groups have experienced today and in the past. In any event, if you don’t like that I’m not covering my face, simply keep your distance. It’s not difficult, and that’s today’s two cents.

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On Labor Unions

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

There’s nothing wrong with collective bargaining from the voluntaryist perspective. Where labor unions go wrong is in their use of coercion. When collective bargaining breaks down and employers wish to hire competing labor, that is well within their liberty to do so. When labor unions employ threats and violence against so-called “scabs” (those who break away from the union or come from outside the union to work), they are engaging in criminal behavior. When governments protect unions from liability for this, they are aiding and abetting criminals. (But what’s new?) Nobody has the right to use coercion against their competition, not businesses and not workers. If you can’t collective bargain without coercion, then you aren’t collective bargaining. You’re bullying, and you’re a criminal. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Bootstraps

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

Libertarians are often strawmanned as uncaring assholes who think that all that is necessary for anyone, even the most unfortunate among us, to do to succeed in life is to pull themselves up by their own “bootstraps”. It’s simply not true that arguing against welfare statism is akin to being such an uncaring asshole. However, no matter how big and [supposedly] helpful the welfare state is, nobody will amount to anything nor will their lives be at all meaningful if they don’t at some point grab a hold of their bootstraps and pull. Learn this lesson early enough and you might just find that you had what takes within you all along. And that’s today’s two cents.

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