>
On Jun 23, 2007, at 8:13 PM, Vitaliy wrote:

James Newtons Massmind wrote:
>>> I will never sue
>>> anyone anyway: I'll be damned if I'll put money in a
>> lawyers pocket;
>>> apologies to the few good lawyers who I know frequent this list.
>>
>> Never say never. ;) With all its shortcomings, the legal
>> system does have its uses.
>
> Compared to the value of an education in con artistry, the value of  
> the
> legal system is minimal. I would much rather learn another way that  
> I can
> be
> tricked (and then learn how to stop that) than I would be paid back  
> for
> being stupid enough to have been tricked in the first place. Or  
> should I
> say
> "uneducated" to make it easier to swallow?
>
> The current system, with consumer protections, malpractice and  
> lawsuits
> rewards idiots for being dumb. The world should be based on buyer  
> beware,
> know your vendor, and build relationships. A society of sheep must  
> begat a
> leadership of wolves and that is what it has done.
>
> Indian gaming and the lottery do the country a great service by  
> separating
> fools from their money. Crap products and scams from no-name  
> manufacturers
> could be doing the same service and SHOULD be, not only allowed to,  
> but
> encouraged by all responsible adults. Yah sure, go ahead and buy that
> widget
> from flibiknight.com at 1/10 what I charge. Let me know if you have  
> enough
> money left afterward to pay my rate and buy my reputation.
>
> Why is my inbox filled with spam from drug vendors advertising meds at
> 1/10th the price? Because the real drugs are subject to lawsuits  
> and so
> must
>> be priced to build that in, and because the public assumes the  
>> product is
>> good no matter the source.
>>
>> Same for doctors in Mexico or charlatans or others who profess to  
>> cure
>> illness for rock bottom prices. They exist because the real  
>> doctors must
>> pay
>> the "stupid patient tax" imposed by malpractice insurance and  
>> because the
>> patients do not take the time to get to know, and trust, (or  
>> switch) their
>> doctors. Due to the cost, they can't afford to.
>>
>> If the doctors had to actually compete and develop reputations, earn
>> patients by word of mouth and stand on their record, and the shady  
>> ones
>> could no longer depend on the insurance to protect them... there  
>> would be
>> a
>> difference.
>>
>> Insurance and lawsuits are wrong. Period. They may help an  
>> individual, but
>> they damage the group.
>
> I must respectfully disagree. Both the legal system and insurance are
> beneficial to the group, when implemented properly.
The phrase "implemented properly" begs the question.  Any scheme is
beneficial if "implemented properly".  What is your scheme for making  
lawyers
and insurance against lawsuits beneficial ?
>
> I believe we've touched on the subject of "wolves" in a lawless  
> society.
> Dishonest crooks and ruthless sadists are the only people who  
> benefit from
> anarchy. Even if we talk just about consumer protection (forgetting  
> about
My idea of a wolf is a U.S. Senator.  The Alpha wolf is GW Bush.   
People who
denigrate anarchy must explain to me ( please ) how decision making  
in the
whitehouse is functionally different than anarchy.
> murder, rape, and robbery for a moment) society as a whole suffers,  
> because
most murder, rape, and robbery is conducted by the state and given a  
charming
label like " saving the village", "bringing democracy" , defending  
freedom.  The
folks who are raped, robbed and murdered don't usually appreciate the  
irony.
> lack of consumer protection increases the cost of each transaction,
> translating into higher cost for the buyer, and lost sales for the  
> seller.
The best consumer protection comes by way of the consumer being  
vigilant.
Because who but the consumer will know what is important in a  
transaction ?
Price, warranty, reliability, selection, ....... ?
>
> Insurance has a sound statistical basis. It's a way to manage risk  
> -- a loss
> that is devastating to an individual, can be easily bourne by the  
> group.

Insurance is great to protect income streams or hedge against natural  
disaster.
If it is merely a way to transfer large amounts of money into a  
shyster piggy bank,
it is not insurance, it is the same as a "protection  
payment" [ called " the krysha" in Russia ].

Best Cedric

>
> Vitaliy
>
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