Defending the Crony Capitalist in Defending the Undefendable III?

(If anyone else has any suggestions for this book, which I’m now working on, please send them to me)

Letter 1

From: E

Sent: Monday, February 04, 2019 6:58 AM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Defending the undefendable

Dear Professor Block,

I have always enjoyed your series defending the undefendable, and have spent some time thinking of a subject I’ve yet to see in the series. I was wondering your opinion on it.

Defending the Crony Capitalist. Blasphemy I know, but I don’t think it’s as bad as many libertarians might think.

The Crony Capitalist is a business man. He is expected to lower costs, increase efficiency and ultimately profits. Sometimes a business man has to let things go, employees, property, machinery. Sometimes their best move to acquire new properties, tooling or machinery to be able to maximize the profit of their business. If a business man shopping for a new competitive advantage happens across a politician who is offering themselves for sale, why should that business man ignore the potential favorable contracts or legislation might have?

The politician who swears an oath, that means as much to them as an unsigned contract would to Spooner, might offer their position in government to help pass favorable legislation or provide no bid contracts and is the person who is acting immoral in a Crony Capitalist business and state transaction.

The business man never pretended to be acting in favor of anyone but their business, they had never sworn any oath to anyone. The politician swore an oath, told others that they were looking out for their best interest, they promised to represent their constituents.

The business man did nothing wrong. The politician is a scumbag.

Now, I am no academic, and writing for the critique of a Professor let alone such an accomplished authors such as yourself is not something I do very often, so please forgive me for incoherent writing style, I should probably rewrite this. What’s really perplexing me is why I care more about your opinion than I ever did my own professors. So I hope this wasn’t to painful to read. I would really appreciate hearing your opinion on the subject.

With my upmost respect, Godspeed Doctor Block.

E

Letter 2

On Mon, Feb 4, 2019, 8:41 AM Walter Block <[email protected] wrote:

Dear E:

What a splendid idea, and I thank you for it. I would only make one improvement: to distinguish between the offensive and defensive crony capitalist, and defend only the latter. What the difference? The offensive crony capitalist initiates things, he bribes a politician into setting up road blocks against a competitor: for example, what the taxi industry is doing to uber and lyft, what the major hotel association is doing to Air B N B. What’s the defensive one doing? He’s the uber guy who bribes a politician to allow him to set up shop.

Best regards,

Walter

Letter 3

From: E

Sent: Monday, February 04, 2019 11:05 AM

To: Walter Block <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Defending the undefendable

Dear Dr. Block,

Thank you for the reply. I almost want to print and frame it.

I agree with your improvement for the most part but keep coming back to the same thought. The crony might want to have a politician in his pocket, he might be actively seeking one out, but ultimately he cannot buy what’s not for sale. It’s his job to sweeten the pot, to find a way to acquire the goods or service he needs. The politician is supposed to resist temptation. The politician is the one who decides to offer himself for sale. Maybe that doesn’t excuse the crony completely but I can’t place the blame on him.

The sad reality of those world we live in, if I was a share holder in the cronies company, I’d want him to do what he can. Immoral, sickening thought maybe, but in the end we are all most concerned with our own self interests.

Thank you again Professor Block.

E

Taxation Is Theft

Letter 4

On Mon, Feb 4, 2019, 9:19 AM Walter Block <[email protected] wrote:

Dear E:

Please call me Walter. Please tell me a bit about yourself. Age, where you live, what kind of work you do, etc.

Best regards,

Walter

Letter 5;

From: E

Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2019 1:29 AM

To: Walter Block <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Defending the undefendable

Dear Walter,

 First I must admit that feels a bit odd to me. You are a very accomplished man and deserve the respect that comes from formalities at the very least. Then again, one lesson I’ve taken to heart while on the path to my current work view is the dangers that come from hero worship. I’ll call you Walter because you asked me to, but before I typed it I thought in my head “Doctor.”

Let’s see, I am 38 years old from California. I’m a working class nobody who works well many jobs. My primary is managing inventory and ordering for a small chain of gas stations. I work graveyards which I have a love, hate relationship with. I was always a morning person and working all night is anything but natural to me, but it also gives me ample time where I literally have nothing to do but wait for morning allowing me to read and study the subjects I’ve learned to love. This time of year I also prepare tax filings for people. I wear a taxation is theft shirt while with my clients and I’ve also made it a point to never say the words “tax payer,” instead always using the term “tax victim,” my little way of trying to help spread the ideas of liberty. I do my best to starve the beast of every dollar I can, saving my clients as much of their own money as possible. Efforts that thankfully haven’t gone unnoticed, and I’ve been rewarded with some exceptionally wealthy clients that are very happy to pay top dollar for a well done agorist minded preparation of their tax forms.

  Austrian economics is one of those subjects I try to study amazingly enough, at least to me. Economics was not a subject I ever even thought about until well into my 30s. I’ll try to give you the short and sweet version of my back story so you can understand why I’m amazed by my interests in economics. My parents divorced when I was 4. Dad moved to northern California, mom stayed in the south. I was the ping pong kid that was sent back and forth to which ever parent that could afford or find time for me. In the 12 years of government school I attended 16 different schools.

As you might imagine that is a bit hard on a child, always being the new kid and my education suffered from it. Dropped out at 16 and moved out of my mom’s house, sick of not being able to have any control over where I lived and never feeling as if I had ever had a “home.” I finished my GED while working full time at a Mexican restaurant that I only got because I lied about my age. Eventually went to community college, got an associates that I honestly haven’t seen since the day I received it and that was the extent of my formal education.

I’ve worked in just about every field that exists, from strip club DJ to Alaskan crab fishing. Being raised as a nomad made it difficult for me to settle down and grow roots, so I was always on to the next thing. Some of those jobs along the way would have definitely fallen into the undefendable category, and I think that’s what really attracted me to your work. For example, when I graduated with my associates I had maybe $10k in student loan debt. Fearing that debt would tie me down and restrict my nomad lifestyle I decided that autumn to go to Humboldt county known as the Golden Triangle where the majority of the connoisseur grade marijuana in America was grown at the time. I took job trimming the leaves from the buds because I could work as many hours as I wanted, room and board was covered and it paid $25 an hour cash, an amount in 1998 that was not available to me in any more legitimate occupations. I paid off my student loans in about a month, spent a few more weeks to save some money and went off out into the world to find my next adventure.

So I’m pretty awful at making a long story short. I know that your time is valuable and I didn’t intend to give you my life story. If you are still interested I’m happy to give you the long version of the short story on how an Obama voter came to be the agorist tax preparer. Again, I thank you for your time. I very much appreciate it. It actually feels pretty good to have written the story of my first 20 years out like that, even though it was unintentional, I hope it was at least somewhat interesting, and not burden or a total waste of your time. I wish you nothing but the best in life.

Respectfully,

E

Taxation Is Theft

Letter 6:

On Wed, Feb 6, 2019, 2:24 PM Walter Block <[email protected] wrote:

Dear E:

Wow. I read every word. Fascinating. As far as I’m concerned, you are a brilliant libertarian theoretician. If I can help you get into academia, get an advanced degree, do let me know.

Best regards,

Walter

Letter 7:

From: E

Sent: Friday, February 08, 2019 1:13 PM

To: Walter Block <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Defending the undefendable

Dear Walter,

  Your High praise definitely made my day. Working all night and doing taxes all day is starting to wear me down, and that compliment definitely reenergized me.

  I think I might be past my days of pursuing a higher degree. You can do something for me though that I would absolutely treasure. If you ever get around to publishing another Defending the undefendable or maybe even using crony capitalist and Mises University, if you could mention my name, I’d appreciate it for a lifetime. Not that I have any live for ip or anything, it would just be an honor to be mentioned by such a brilliant accomplished man. Believe me, I’ll be watching Mises University on YouTube religiously like I do every year, and I’m always checking the book store at Mises to see if you have published something new.

Thanks again for lifting my spirit.

All the best.

Respectfully,

E

Letter 8:

From: Walter Block [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Friday, February 08, 2019 12:31 PM

To:

Subject: RE: Defending the undefendable

Dear E:

Let me take this under advisement.

Best regards,

Walter

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5:32 pm on May 26, 2019