Underestimating long-term consequences of cryptoanarchy

[Harmon Seaver]

On Sun, May 11, 2003 at 10:36:08AM -0700, Tim May wrote:
> On Sunday, May 11, 2003, at 06:35  AM, Harmon Seaver wrote:
>
> >On Sat, May 10, 2003 at 09:10:01PM -0700, Tim May wrote:
> >>On Saturday, May 10, 2003, at 08:44  PM, Harmon Seaver wrote:
> >>
> >>>On Sat, May 10, 2003 at 10:03:43AM -0700, Tim May wrote:
> >>>>Which is all evolution in action, except that government should not
> >>>>be
> >>>>in the construction and business development business. (I would go
> >>>>further and say that nothing in the U.S. Constitution, which states
> >>>>and
> >>>>localities are bound by, justifies taking money from citizens to
> >>>>give
> >>>>to businesses. No matter "how smart an investment" it looks to be.
> >>>>Ditto for governments running gambling operations, but I digress.)
> >>>>
> >>>  I agree with all the rest of this, however, I think you're wrong
> >>>about the
> >>>gambling. I think that's the only way gov't ought to be allowed to
> >>>fund itself,
> >>>by selling lottery tickets.
> >>
> >>A superficially good idea ("sounds good!"), but ultimately silly.
> >>
> >>Government bans gambling, or heavily regulates it, or declares illegal
> >>the exact odds it grants itself.
> >
> >
> >   You're not making much sense here, Tim. Who said anything about
> >making
> >gambling illegal?
> >
>
> You're being deliberately obtuse. You're on the verge of entering my
> filter file.
>   
> Gambling is not a free market in most U.S. states. Government runs the
> gambling franchise in most states.
> 
> This is what I said.

    I'm being obtuse? Give me a break. I clearly said that "I think that's the
only way gov't ought to be allowed to fund itself, is by selling lottery
tickets." 
    I can't imagine how anyone could read that and think that I was talking
about the situation we live in today. Who cares if gambling is illegal  
today? WTF does that have to do with anything -- I was clearly talking about
some hypothetical future scenario, as in a vastly reduced government where
lotteries were what they used for funding instead of taxes.


-- 
Harmon Seaver	
CyberShamanix
http://www.cybershamanix.com