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Comment by rsync | Hacker News Reader

"I'm shocked to see no one here has even discussed over-regulation as an issue."

I think regulation (and the notion of over/under regulation) is a fascinating and worthwhile discussion to pursue. Honestly, it's something people should be debating.

However, I insist that you describe the low, or no, regulation regimes you have lived under (or visited for significant periods ... months/years).

When and where ?[1]

There is a "must be this tall to ride" barrier for discussing small government and/or over regulation, and this is it. As a community we should insist on this basic test of legitimacy.

[1] Yes, I'll accept NOLA. Maybe even Houston in the 90s ...

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> However, I insist that you describe the low, or no, regulation regimes you have lived under (or visited for significant periods ... months/years).

Seriously? So we can't ever discuss the way things should be without firsthand experience of living under those conditions?

Scenario:

You are a slave living in a mining pit. Each day you look up from your drudgery and see free people picnicking in the grass high on the edge of your pit. You turn to the man chained next to you and say, "I believe a world where we were free would be better than this one. Look at those people up there."

He turns to you and says, "I insist that you describe the low / no slavery regimes you have lived under before we can debate the merits of your proposal."

You stare incredulously at your fellow slave.

The cheap rhetorical trick of dressing yourself in the language of oppression because somebody is paid to make sure that canned goods aren't vectors for botulism is straight-up disgusting behavior that cheapens actual, you know, fucking slavery. I dunno if it's the Austrianized ignore-history,-thinkpiece-as-governance culture that might make this seem like something that is A-OK, but it's super not and you should be better than this.

Will you tell me your story? I’d love to know how you came to this point of view.

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