Charity, not theft and slavery

It's hard to imagine, but I've read that back during the barbaric era of government, people in need actually relied on government to steal money to pay for the things they needed, or to force people to provide those things at their own expense against their will! Food, housing, and medical care were considered to be legitimate reasons to steal and enslave!

I can't even wrap my head around something so awful!

I suppose when the people have so much of their money stolen in order to support governments, it makes sense that they'd be too broke to be able to afford such basic things, or to be able to support charities to help others. And, if the people already put up with the theft and aggression inherent in government, it's not much of a stretch to push it to the limit.

I can barely imagine the dependency that "system" created in its victims.

The price in self respect and dignity must have been enormous, not to mention the feeling of being at the mercy of bureaucrats and their whims. Who would have wanted to subject needy people to that?

Fortunately, now everything is so much more affordable without governments meddling and stealing, and people have plenty of money to contribute to charities. It's better all around.

It's natural that I want my neighbors to be healthy. Who wants to be surrounded by sickness and injured people who can't get the care they need? Or people so hungry they can't function, and who think about stealing to feed their kids? I guess this means charity is selfish, in a way. It's still better than the alternative.

Whatever the reason, I'm willing to help support the charity fund at my favorite healer's practice. In the same way, I help support food banks and I give away produce from my garden to people I suspect might need help. And such is the case with the vast majority of the population. It's the right thing to do, it is civilized, and it is also self defensive in some ways.

And if someone doesn't feel they can afford to help, or just doesn't want to for some reason, that's their business, not mine. At least if they keep their own money they are less likely to seek charity for their basic needs. It's a win-win, as are all expressions of the economic means.

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Bon Appetit!

What you eat can kill you!

Sure, that is pretty common knowledge, and scary- but it's also natural and normal. It certainly is no one's business but your own.

You could eat the healthiest diet possible- and choke to death. And few people agree to any great degree what the "healthiest diet possible" really is, anyway. Even now.

Some foods contain bacteria that could make some people sick under the right (wrong?) circumstances. Some foods can contain prions that can cause trouble. Some foods will cause you to get really fat or die of heart disease if you eat too much of them. Some foods probably even contribute to cancer!

Of course, all those things were more of a concern back when The State kept medical care expensive, rationed, and "behind the times", but even now some people eat themselves to death in one way or another.

And that is their choice. Friends and loved ones will sometimes mention the obvious. But if they get too pushy they could find themselves facing arbitration. A person who wants help can find it. If not- that is between them and anyone whom they might hire to insure their life and health, or have other contractual obligations with.

If someone wants to eat something, someone else will be willing to provide it for a price. As long as it initiates no force, obviously. Consensual trade between self-responsible individuals. Let the customer know what they are getting, and finding out the consequences of their food choice is up to them. That's pretty easy, though, with modern technology.

If any vendor of "raw milk products" found herself the victim of a raid by armed thugs, she would shoot back, using equally-effective weaponry, confident that (if she survived the fight with her home-turf advantage) any surviving thugs would find themselves crushed under a mountain of debt and obligation that they would be unlikely to ever fully repay. I've read that this wasn't always the case.

In the case of contaminated foods, liability for any harm caused is good incentive to take pains to prevent it. Therefore several inspection services are available for hire by food providers or their insurers. Competition, and a desire for a powerful reputation, keeps inspectors innovating and pushing the cleanliness envelope- in ways that make the food provider's life and job easier at the same time. It's a good system. And it provides for some spectacularly wonderful things to eat out there! Enjoy!

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Vacation time and Air travel- a Perfect Match

I'm thinking about flying to a tropical paradise for a bit of a vacation. It's about time to sit under a palm tree, on a beach, and sip drinks with tiny umbrellas in them for a week or two. And maybe watch some female humans walk around in skimpy swim suits ... or less. Or maybe I'll go to the mountains. Hmmm.

As much as I enjoy vacations, getting there is half the fun. Well, 10%, at least. Air travel is always great. The suborbital flights and near-Earth shuttles, especially so.

Of course, flying means I need to buy some more frangible ammunition. It isn't required, but in case the unthinkable happens I really don't wish to pay the airline for .45 caliber holes in the aircraft skin.

I think there are still a couple of airlines who forbid guns to their passengers (although I don't know of any who still ban knives on flights). Not that I'd ever consider doing business with any of those. Sure, they have all the best security, but no "security" will ever beat self-responsible passengers and crew.

Living as I do on "Anarchist Standard Time" I generally end up running through the gate at the last possible second- tossing my luggage at the nearest luggage handler (hoping he puts it on the right plane), and sometimes paying the ticket collector onboard instead of buying a ticket at the counter. Yes, it costs a bit more that way, but I can never seem to be on time. I suppose I prefer that to the alternative of waiting around for my flight.

Although, on the occasions where I have missed the flight I intended to take (yes, it happens), I do enjoy browsing around the airport shops. I picked up an old, but very nice, Tommy Gun for a great price at an airport gun shop once. It seems a traveler was short on cash, so he traded for a cheaper carry piece and pocketed the difference, and I (and the gun shop) both made out like bandits on that deal. I never get my ammo at the airport, though. Airport ammo prices are notoriously high.

The liquor/narcotics/hemp shops in the airport are also popular with those who have an irrational fear of flying- if they didn't come prepared. Some things just go together like peaches and cream, and the airports and airlines recognize that.

I've heard that air travel wasn't always so nice, "back in the day". It's hard to imagine.

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Medical services in Libertopia

A couple of days ago I had a minor health emergency. I'm so glad I live in Libertopia where such things are dealt with easily! And cheaply.

I won't go into details, but I suddenly found myself in need of medical services. Luckily there are health care providers, generally just called "healers" or "doctors" no matter the level of expertise or training, just about everywhere. I hopped in the car and within moments was standing in the lobby of one such place. "Living room" might be the more accurate term. I had used this particular healer in the past and knew her reputation was very good. The healer was able to get to me right away and fixed me right up.

There were no forms to fill out, and all she had to do was to check my medical history online (at my own personal medical page- everyone has one that any healer can access- with permission), check for any conditions that might conflict with the treatment she had in mind, and get on with it. She wrote down the name of the medicine she wanted me to use, and I took that "prescription" to a local pharmacist who sold me the medicine and told me how to use it for best effect. Had I not had that piece of paper from the healer, but only remembered the name of the medicine, that would not have changed things at all.

It cost a half an ounce of silver for the treatment, and a quarter ounce for the medicine I will need for a few days. I tipped the healer a bit more as a "thank you" for good service.

Different cases need different levels of expertise, of course. You don't need years of medical school to fix most problems. Obviously if a patient goes to a healer who doesn't feel confident about fixing their problem, they will be referred to someone who can deal with it. The first healer seen would be liable for restitution otherwise.

No one tells the doctors or pharmacists which medications they are allowed to use or sell, or in what amount. There is no centralized "licensing authority", although there are a few certifications available for healers who want them. An incompetent healer won't get certified because their certification service would lose reputation (and customers). Otherwise it is all based on reputation and individual liability. You harm patients and word will get around and you will have trouble attracting new customers no matter how nice your prices. Plus, you would be liable for paying restitution to those you harmed (or their survivors in the worst cases).

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Staci's Abortion

Here in Libertopia abortion is, obviously, not prohibited. But the pro-life folks are ecstatic. How can that be? Because no longer does abortion "stop a beating heart".

My friend Staci discovered that she was pregnant a few weeks ago. After much deep thought and talking to friends she decided that the best thing for her, and for the fetus inside her, was to end her pregnancy- have an abortion. And, in her case, she got paid for it, too!

She went to the clinic and the fetus was removed (people don't quibble over the terms "fetus", "baby", "human", or "person" with regards to fetuses anymore, and the reason is that it doesn't matter anymore) and placed in an artificial womb, ready to be adopted by one of the thousands (probably more) of people wanting a baby.

In cases where there is severe malformation of the fetus, the best chance for it to have a life is an abortion. the fetus can be placed in an artificial womb and therapies can be tried to repair it. The amniotic fluid can be adjusted and infused with helpful genes and medications; surgery can be performed, and in some cases limb growth can be stimulated.

The fetus can either be left to develop fully in the artificial womb, or if the new parent is a woman, and she wants to, she can have the fetus transferred into her own body. A few people even pay to have the home version of the artificial womb installed in their home so they can watch the fetus develop without going to the abortion clinic. Fetuses are not any more attractive now than they have ever been, so: Ewww! But, whatever floats your boat.

Some clinics pay for fetuses, and some are strictly charity. I say if someone is willing to pay for what you are willing to sell you'd be silly to give it away... but this is Libertopia and as long as you don't attack, steal, or destroy other people's private property you can do what you want.

Anyway, Staci is fine (and has more gold in her vault) and her fetus has already been implanted in a loving mother. Everyone wins.

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Museum of Government- health care

Continuing the history lesson at the Museum of Government.

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"Here we see the progress of the medical arts under government. Surprisingly, medicine advanced much more under the yoke of government than did the last subjects we examined. There are many reasons for this, but they are side-issues which you may choose to research on your own time, since this facility is dedicated to studying the absurdity that was 'government'. Since the long awaited re-awakening of liberty, our only mission is to prevent a return of the parasite-class.

"The artifacts we see before us show the various ways in which medicine was held back during 'The Era of Government'. Using the tired and ragged excuse of 'the public interest' the state took control of medicine while promoting the illusion that it was only protecting its subjects from 'quacks' or dangerous chemicals.

"New medicines were withheld from dying people who had nothing to lose. Proven medicines, some with thousands of years of efficacious use, were prohibited on the premise that some people might enjoy the side effects. Doctors were required to be licensed by the state, which was not prone to try new treatments nor to embrace new ideas, but to cling to obsolete ones. This effectively weeded out the best and brightest potential doctors.

"All of these practices caused the cost of medical services to be artificially inflated. This meant that many people who could not afford the treatments they desired or needed turned to the state begging to be 'taken care of'. Health care became a political issue with many of the professional parasites promising different 'fixes' in exchange for votes or monetary contributions (bribes). Not one proposed the fix that eventually actually worked: getting totally rid of government.

"Can you imagine trying to get rational, affordable health care under those conditions? For many of the tragic victims of state-enforced medical rationing and squelching, neither could they.

"As we move to the next exhibit, resolve to remember the unnecessarily dead and maimed."