basic principles

I'm stepping back to cover some basic principles that guide my thoughts on politics and society.

1. TANSTAAFL- There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. This phrase gets tossed about a bit and it relates to the fact everything in life does have some opportunity costs even things that don't cost you money. For example if I am sitting on the couch watching classic "Doctor Who" while chatting with Truthseaker on Yahoo IM- there are tons of other things I could be doing at that point in time but I am not on the simple grounds I would prefer to watch classic "Doctor Who" and chat with Truthseaker. 

2. Voluntary exchange is always better than force- this is one of the many problems with government mandates. If Marry hires Bill and Ted to paint her house for example- you might not like the details of the contract- for example they might agree to do the job for less money than you or a different paint- but you don't right do dictate pay rates- you would have room to complain if they were using a toxic paint that would harm  you and your property. 

3.) Murphy never sleeps- Murphy's law is what  ever can go wrong will go wrong when Murphy is on the job. This is one of the classic problem with all political promises. Every time a politician proposes a new law, program or what not they will always paint a rose picture where the proposal pays for itself and  life is some how better. So you need to think about what they expect things to work and as many ways that things can go wrong- and alternatives to accomplish the goal.

4.) Be contestant but feel free to change your mind as you get new information. This might sound contradictory but it is not. The constancy is about ideology, morality and logic not your opinion on individual positions. As one quote from a  British politician accused of flip-flopping goes "When my information changes my opinion changes- do you do the same sir."