participant-3927, 12:07 AM, July 21
Can you establish contact ?
participant-4603, 12:13 AM, July 21
Oddly enough, I found out that I have another connection.
participant-3927, 10:15 PM, July 22
I was looking some more about places of interest. I put this kind of query to ChatGPT — find me countries with small population but large land. It suggesed Suriname and Guyana, countries in South America. They have each under a million person population.
participant-3927, 10:16 PM, July 22
A capitalist party could maybe get traction in such places and turn the country.
participant-4603, 10:44 PM, July 22
That’s exactly the kind of thinking I’ve had over the years with respect to country building.
As it turns out, both Guyana and Suriname are in the midst of a massive offshore petroleum boom. We’re talking about multi-billion-pound investments. So, in my view, the pitch should be that this is an opportunity to diversify their economies and avoid Dutch disease, pun very much intended.
The historical irony is rather fitting. Following the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch kept Suriname while the English kept New Amsterdam, which of course became New York. Suriname also has a fascinating and often overlooked history as the home of Jodensavanne, one of the largest and most autonomous Jewish settlements in the Americas, before it gradually declined and disappeared.
The other major consideration is that any development should be genuinely eco-friendly, not to placate the Greens or the Reds, but simply because we’re talking about the Amazon and the Guyana Shield, two of the world’s most environmentally sensitive regions. If it’s done, it has to be done intelligently.
This is, of course, an extraordinarily sensitive subject. That said, there is at least one politician in Suriname who is remarkably receptive to these sorts of ideas. Interestingly enough, she’s also pro-Bitcoin.
participant-3927, 11:38 PM, July 22
If we cordone off Amazon forest, the usable land is a coastal region (wetlands) about the size of Israel.
participant-3927, 11:42 PM, July 22
The coastal wetlands would require engineering to make it usable
participant-3927, 11:45 PM, July 22
The country should redefine its borders making the Amazon terra nullius
participant-3927, 8:35 PM, July 23
Dedicated page for the foundation
participant-3927, 5:22 AM, July 24
Anyone can lookup details on US tax exempt companies, including financials, through this website:
https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
participant-3927, 5:23 AM, July 24
I looked up that in 2024, the Ayn Rand Institute received ~$25 million in donations, and had net assets of ~$70 million. Of the 25m ammount, 150k came from ‘program service revenue’ which is probably tuitions for courses, the rest is donations.
participant-3927, 5:30 AM, July 24
Compare to Cato, which I looked up. It got ~$70m in donations, and had total assets of $170m.
participant-1522, 5:32 AM, July 24
I’d be curious to know what “net assets” means.
participant-3927, 5:33 AM, July 24
For ARI, there were $2.5 million in expenses.
participant-3927, 5:34 AM, July 24
Of this 1.3$ million are the salaries.
participant-3927, 5:34 AM, July 24
Inteseting that in prior year (2023) the numbers are higher. Revenie is 31m (not 25m)and salaries expenses are $5m
participant-3927, 5:35 AM, July 24
Total expenes amounted that year to 10m.
participant-3927, 5:36 AM, July 24
it lists ~50 employees
participant-1522, 5:39 AM, July 24
Where are you going with this exactly
participant-3927, 5:41 AM, July 24
I’m impressed with how much money it got
participant-1522, 5:41 AM, July 24
Are you impressed with what they’ve done with it
participant-3927, 5:41 AM, July 24
Maybe the same donors could donate to Anthem Liberty Foundatiton, if it gets tax exemption status.
participant-3927, 5:42 AM, July 24
We discussed this before. The reality is that no one else is doing anything about Objectivism.
participant-3927, 5:42 AM, July 24
And I now undestand a little why ARI can’t — as a non-profit organization its hands are tied. It can’t support the Capitalist party for instance.
participant-3927, 5:43 AM, July 24
ARI is waiting for others to pick up the flag, it can only provide the education.
participant-1522, 5:51 AM, July 24
I really wonder how certain those rules are regarding politics and orgs not being able to interact. I mean how are you supposed to teach philosophy where politics is an integral pillar without talking about it. Seems impossible.
What I would do if I was those guys. Is I would have people run fakely as candidates and use the campaign and press as a way to promote the ideas. Use those stages they get on as a megaphone and then just drop out of the race at the end. Or take the position but just do your voting online.
participant-3927, 1:47 PM, July 24
The tax-exempt status forbids to run a party or to support any party candidates.
participant-3927, 1:49 PM, July 24
There is another type of corporation, called “political organization”, that is designed specifically for that, but it’s not what ARI is. As you know, there is American Capitalist party run by the Objectivist Mark Pellegrino. Its first convention is planned for this fall.
participant-1522, 2:02 PM, July 24
This what I mean about the rules being vague.
What if the people at Ari just took a higher salary and then as individuals funded that person? And then say that person while on tv said “if this makes sense to you, you should be donating to the Ayn Rand institute”.
I have no doubt this would lead to something bad and be abused by bureaucrats.
But the campaign trial and the tv debates people are put on are so important and it’s literally the only thing if at all people listen to. People might not listen to YouTube. Joe Rogan podcast or anything. But ALOT of people pay attention to what is happening right in front of them. It’s literally the cheapest most impactful megaphone there is and all you have to do is fake to run.
participant-3927, 2:06 PM, July 24
How do you know that they don’t do it? All we know is what ARI does publicly.
participant-3927, 2:07 PM, July 24
The American Capitalist party hasn’t been able to grab much attention.
participant-3927, 2:08 PM, July 24
I don’t think money is the issue there.
participant-1522, 2:14 PM, July 24
lol. You know who this guy is? This guy played a character on lost. That’s too funny. Never saw that coming.
participant-1522, 3:15 PM, July 24
I was just reading some of their pages on the website and you know these people still stand for taxes right?
participant-3927, 4:01 PM, July 24
I know. He was Jacob
participant-3927, 4:57 PM, July 24
You can’t get rid of taxes unless you deregulate and abolish many gov. departments (like Milei did, but more).
participant-1522, 8:34 PM, July 24
I understand. This is what they say
“Financing the Government: With a significantly reduced scope, the government would require less funding, which could be achieved through minimal taxation and efficient use of resources.”
So their end outcome is not to end it entirely but to have it at the lowest possible level but still remain.
And they go into the reasoning for this somewhere I saw that the government has a right to make you pay because it provides services. Etc etc. so I don’t know how you can claim to uphold and understand rights and still say this.
participant-3927, 8:37 PM, July 24
You definitely can, and I support it.
participant-3927, 8:37 PM, July 24
The idea that “taxes are theft” is libertarian and anarchist. Taxes are not theft.
participant-3927, 8:37 PM, July 24
What is theft is taxes person A to give that money to person B.
participant-3927, 8:38 PM, July 24
That means B has stolen it from A.
participant-3927, 8:38 PM, July 24
But, tax to fund the necessary functions of the goverenmnt is not theft.
participant-3927, 8:39 PM, July 24
Ayn Rand was advocating a voluntary system only beacues it was a limitation on the power of government. If people don’t support some cause, they simply don’t fund it.
participant-3927, 8:39 PM, July 24
In an interview, she rejected the idea that taxes are theft.
participant-3927, 8:40 PM, July 24
For one, theft is a criminal concept, it has to be illegal. But taxes is the policy by law.
participant-1522, 8:42 PM, July 24
Is hiring a hitman to kill someone for you not murder? Then how would hiring the police to steal instead of yourself not be the same.
The answer to this is you take the budget of government and divide it equally among everyone 18+ and that’s your “bill” or your portion to donate. The next day a list is released of donors and if you’re not on the list then people know you’re a freeloader and treat you accordingly. And whatever money is missing you do a second round of funding.
participant-1522, 8:42 PM, July 24
I’d like to see that interview cause I’ve never seen it
participant-3927, 8:43 PM, July 24
I don’t follow you
participant-3927, 8:43 PM, July 24
we pay police to protect us
participant-3927, 8:43 PM, July 24
the tax is funding the police to do its day-to-day job
participant-1522, 8:49 PM, July 24
Yes. But you don’t pay police to force other people to protect us.
I can’t think of a worse system of giving people the ability to vote to impose force on others to pay for what they think.
Why would a person not donate? What would be the reasons? And if those reasons are rational which I can think of a few that are. You could just vote to force them anyways regardless of their own reasoning and decision.
There’s a better system here that requires no force
participant-3927, 8:51 PM, July 24
well, that’s why Ayn Rand adovcated dor a voluntary system, so that the gov. can’t force funding for whatever crazy idea it has.
participant-3927, 8:51 PM, July 24
but even if it’s not fored by ploice, it’ can still be declared mandatory.
participant-3927, 8:51 PM, July 24
voluantary means not mandatory
participant-3927, 8:52 PM, July 24
And by the way, your proposal is not good. It’s mob rule.
participant-3927, 8:59 PM, July 24
Imagine MAGA comes to your house, forcing you to pony up $1000 to support ICE.
participant-1522, 9:07 PM, July 24
You think my proposal is mob rule? Then what is being able to vote to force people to pay then?
How would they force me if they can’t tax? They’d have to hurt me and violate my rights. Or they’d have to boycott me essentially by spreading the word I refused to pay for crime enforcement. Which then if im actually wrong and other people see it that way then they make my difficult.
Which is their choice
participant-3927, 9:10 PM, July 24
the tax is not a result of voting. it’s not decided by a vote.
participant-3927, 9:11 PM, July 24
Psychological war to force people to pay is even worse than the law
participant-3927, 9:12 PM, July 24
If you want a voluntary system, then the ones suggested by Ayn Rand, are much better.
participant-1522, 9:14 PM, July 24
This isn’t “psychological warfare”. Say I’m your mechanic. And I find out you didn’t donate to the government. Guess what? I don’t want to trade with you. Etc etc. and multiply that by everyone else you do business with. And everyone else you hang out with.
It’s the exact same way you treat other people you don’t like or don’t agree with.
participant-3927, 9:16 PM, July 24
The government decides it needs a lot of money. It announces that instead of $5 it wants $500 from each person. Now, a populist president has convinced a lot of people in yoru city that it’s good cause. Now, they are gonig to pressure you to pony up $500.
participant-1522, 9:18 PM, July 24
Why do they need the money? If the government is only doing police, military and court. What could possibly justify that amount of money? If it’s rational then I’d be for it. If it’s not I’m not
participant-3927, 9:21 PM, July 24
even with these three functions, there’s plenty of ways to derail the country. For instance, a war.
participant-3927, 9:21 PM, July 24
Or: tripple police salary
participant-3927, 9:21 PM, July 24
Or: tripple the amount of police per city block.
participant-3927, 9:22 PM, July 24
Or: increases costs for law courts.
participant-1522, 9:24 PM, July 24
Why would I not donate to these things. But to go from 5$ to 500$ that still isn’t that much.
Why would I not donate to have a war ended as fast as possible?
Either way the relationship gets flipped on its head. Now the government has to be transparent with me. Has to tell me the truth. To sell it to me. And make me seem like the bad guy for not doing it. And in a rational society it would only be rational reasons people would care about.
participant-3927, 9:24 PM, July 24
Ended? Maybe started.
participant-3927, 9:38 PM, July 24
More interesting is what to do in a new state. Should it have taxes ?
participant-3927, 9:38 PM, July 24
Probably not
participant-3927, 9:38 PM, July 24
We can set it up as a voluntary system from day one.
participant-3927, 9:39 PM, July 24
But if it’s not possibel, we can have a small tax
participant-1522, 9:41 PM, July 24
I think in a rational state. With rational people. All these fears go away. Cause everybody isn’t an idiot and knows what’s going on. Basically anything reasonable is possible when you don’t have a bunch of fuckin sheep
participant-3927, 9:41 PM, July 24
we will have a lot of sheep
participant-3927, 9:41 PM, July 24
these are immigrants from other countries, in the millions.
participant-3927, 2:39 AM, July 25
I didn’t realize this, but “Anthem” is now in public domain
participant-3488, 5:22 AM, July 25
The Anthemism website now features an online book reader, that allows to read the novella “Anthem” by Ayn Rand. The name and ideas in this work have been used to form the concept of “Anthemism”:
https://anthemism.org/reader/anthem-ayn-rand-novella/
participant-3927, 5:24 AM, July 25
participant-3927, 5:24 AM, July 25
looks like this
participant-3927, 5:25 AM, July 25
I took source .txt from Project Gutenberg, made my own .epub, then imlemented the website reader with epub.js — all using Cursor code generator. It took me several hours.
participant-3927, 2:44 PM, July 25
I have also hosted in the same way “The Jewish State” directly on teh website. The link to launch the reader is in the Libarry page.
participant-3927, 2:44 PM, July 25
@participant-4603 I can host your book too, that way.
participant-3488, 4:59 PM, July 25
From the last page of “Anthem” by Ayn Rand:
“Here on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating, beating louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will carry the best of the world’s blood to my threshold. And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake.”
participant-4603, 5:36 PM, July 25
You’re more than welcome to do so, it’s probably better to grab the 414 page second edition, you’re also welcome to grab How to build New Countries. They are both free.
participant-3927, 7:03 PM, July 25
Do you have it as .epub ?
participant-4603, 7:13 PM, July 25
Yes, I sure do.
participant-3927, 7:16 PM, July 25
Send me, I don’t see it on the website
participant-3488, 8:29 PM, July 26
The Anthemism.org website now features a roadmap.
