The Market Works... Yeah, Right...

[daveon]

Many regular readers will know of my many and varied problems with Rand Simberg.  One of the things I really have a problem with are his vehemently pro-market views - for example, he just called anybody who thinks that government investment can help the economy to be an "economic dolt"

Not liking that description, I feel I must snark at this post.

I've noticed that some of the most aggressively pro-market people on the internet don't actually appear to be all that successful when it comes to making good use of the market.  While I admire their resilience at believing something that so patently isn't working for them, I have to wonder at the thought processes that drive them there.

It's certainly a factor I've seen in other libertarians that they don't like taxation because they feel that they're paying too much, and I've seen them getting really narked at the comments by billionaires that they probably should pay more tax.  There's a good chance, if Rand is anything to go by, he is paying a lot of tax relative to his income.  He probably struggles with his healthcare too.  That doesn't mean that taxation is wrong, nor that some people can afford to pay a lot more, nor that its a problem for the rest of us to help pick up his healthcare tab.

I might think the guys online persona is wonderfully vile, but that doesn't mean I don't feel compassion for him as a human being.

Naturally, there are limits to my compassion.  It's not good that he's struggling with his space business and consulting work.  But that doesn't make him any less of a hypocrite toad for the amount of money he has made contracting for businesses that make buckets of government money.

If you are going to impose your politics on me, the very very very least you could do is live by your own standards.  Except, government money appears to be fine when it's your family you want to feed...  

Comments

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Down in comments Rand notes he made all of $40 on that transaction.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw that, and it really astounded me. Not so much the $40, it's a nice windfall - hope he declares it ;) - but that he was moved to say that it would make a difference because money is so tight.

On the Samizdata blog there's a regular called Paul Marks who was bemoaning his tax and incredulous that I didn't feel badly taxed. We established that, at the time, I was actually paying more in tax than he was earning. He could have paid no tax, and they could have doubled mine and I'd still have had bucket loads more than he had.

As I tried to point out to him. The issue isn't that he's over taxed but that he doesn't earn enough.

If I was really wanting to pour kerosene on the already troubled waters that are Rand's blog I'd point out that his real problem is that he's a grown man in his late 40s or early 50s (I'm not 100% sure which) and he needs to give up on his Heinlein induced fantasies and earn a living for his family and save enough for his retirement. Space isn't going to open up in time and the reality is his consulting company isn't really likely to do anything except be a vehicle for doing work for the companies large enough to be able to afford to pay real contract rates.

Again, the issue there is that it sounds to me like he's probably going to end up being a beneficiary of government money for healthcare and his old age and I still don't begrudge him that, even though he's been fighting against it. And again, like with the NASA and Big Aerospace contracts, I bet he won't be turning it down :(

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

I literally couldn't pick Rand out of a line-up (never met him or saw a picture) but I may know his type. It's the highly educated and intelligent person who, for various reasons, isn't making the kind of money they think they should.

Since they are educated and intelligent, the fact that they aren't as financially blessed as they should be can't possibly be their fault. Therefore, others must be blamed.

The very real-world factors of luck (good and bad) don't seem to be acceptable factors. Although, it is easier to accept luck as an answer if you've had good luck.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Just so you know when the line up comes: http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/004747.html

I suspect that you're on the money, excuse the pun, with the type analysis.

I'd suggest, based on his writing, that he can probably be a little bit prickly in his personal style which led to challenges in the corporate environment. Sadly the internet and a popular(ish) blog with resident peanut gallery won't help that.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

"Prickly" is perhaps not the word I would pick.

There are a lot of that type in IT, although few in management or sales.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

I was trying to be nice :)

Although, to be fair, it's hard to tell what he's actually like in person. I know of many people online who are complete flaming asshats but who are pleasant and mild mannered in the real world. Having said that, given Rand's general politics I do struggle to wonder how he keeps that in check in the real world, or if he just doesn't generally mix with people who would be prepared to disagree with him to his face.

You get a different version of it in Sales. Being an aggressive arsehole can actually be considered a positive trait in Sales Managers.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

One of the interesting features in TurboTax is the summary cover page they print, which includes a line for, "Effective Tax Rate." This year for us it was 7.98%. Last year, which included real income by me, I remember it being 9 and some change percent.

When the Federal income tax rate is effectively less than local sales taxes, it's difficult for me to muster much enthusiasm about "tax revolt."

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... Ours was 16%(ish) this year and I thought that sounded awfully low :)

Part of it might be that we don't have a mortgage.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

"Part of it might be that we don't have a mortgage."

Almost certainly.

If "the govt can't get anything right," then one of the things it hasn't gotten right is suburbia -- mostly funded with the mortgage deduction, and made practical through the Interstate highway system.

But the biggest deductions for the most people are squarely aimed at the middle class: mortgage interest, college tuition, and medical expenses above threshold.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

The "discussion" I've been having "here" is about that. The mortgage tax deduction is a ridiculous tax break, it's pure income redistribution to please a certain segment of the voting classes without making it look like redistribution.

It really does nothing except artificially decrease mortgage payments.

College tuition makes more sense, and, if they were remotely logical, then medical expenses would be completely deductable before any thresholds, that is as long as you have an "insurance" based system.