Terrific news. I’m about to be a millionaire, check out the email I just received:
I am Aisha Al-Gaddafi, the only biological daughter of Former President of Libya Col. Muammar Al-Qaddafi. Am a single Mother and a Widow with three Children. I have investment funds worth Twenty Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ($27.500.000.00 ) and i need a trusted investment Manager/Partner because of my current refugee status, however, I am interested in you for investment project assistance in your country, may be from there, we can build business relationship in the nearest future.
What would you think of someone who read this email, then concluded the daughter of Qaddafi’s daughter wanted to hand millions of dollars over to a 26 year old (me) she has never met nor knows anything about?
Do you know who Qaddafi’s children are or what his estate situation was?
No you don’t, but you understand that if someone did have this much money and leverage they would not have the incentive to risk everything for the sake of arranging a partnership with a stranger via email. Knowing what you know about how the world operates, how people respond to incentives and risks, how people value large sums of money, how people value experience in business, there is no way such an email could be legitimate. You likely have also heard about such an email scam dozens of times.
This is the proper way to approach any government “solution” to a “problem”.
Yes terrorism, disease, ignorance, and poverty exist. But knowledge about incentives and countless historical examples tell any reasonable person they should always oppose any government swindle claiming more spending and regulation will solve these issues.
Terrorism: Pearl Harbor was provoked by FDR to pull America into war evidence can be found in the McCollum Memo. 9/11 was blowback from the U.S. Military bombing Iraq throughout the 1990’s from bases in Saudi Arabia and sanctioning the country leading to untold civilian deaths, as well as U.S. arming Israel with weapons used against Palestinians.
Disease: Yes COVID-19 was bad, and arguably the result of a government lab-leak, but lockdowns, mandates, and money printing did not save any lives. Anyone who wanted to stay home, mask, and vaccinate always has had the right to.
Ignorance: The assumption is ignorance exists, therefore the state must coercively fund and monopolize compulsory education. After 12 years and untold thousands of dollars spent per student, people graduate without a basic understanding of history, science, economics, philosophy, logic, civics, or humility. Nor is there a causal correlation between more spending on schooling and a more intellectual and moral population.
Poverty: Government officials promised the 1960’s war on poverty would lower medical costs via Medicare and Medicaid while decreasing the overall poverty rate. The U.S. government spends roughly $6 Trillion annually and we have seen no drastic decrease in the poverty rate. In areas where government is most involved such as housing, health care, and schooling, we have seen prices increase at a faster pace than areas where there is less government involvement. More regulation and spending leads to less incentives for producers to please consumers and more focus on pleasing politicians yielding fewer choices and higher prices for employees and consumers.
If government “solutions” were so beneficial, taxation would be as voluntary as church donations.
In short, just as you have a solid intellectual foundation for rejecting all “here’s a million dollars” emails right off the bat, you are equally justified in rejecting all government intervention.
