Opposition to the importation of Polish hams has been defended on the grounds that it is immoral to trade with thieves or receivers of stolen merchandise — a description that eminently fits the Polish government. It also fits the US government. FULL ARTICLE by Walter Block
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/11514/the-polish-ham-question/
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“Opposition to the importation of Polish hams has been defended on the grounds that it is immoral to trade with thieves or receivers of stolen merchandise — a description that eminently fits the Polish government.”
unless polish hams are somehow special….i doubt that this is any issue to the us – where hams are in abundance.
i am not sure what they mean about immoral to trade with thieves or receivers or stolen merchandise. the entire polish nation?
i expect the histories of some posters here would reveal liars an and they still post. thefts here and there. how immoral.
even a senator from my state was a drunk driver ( i believe on more than one occasion – a d.o.t. computer center employee showed me his driving record) and kept a fat senate pension and health care – while endangering the lives of his constituents and he is still dealt with – or was. no impeachment? was a blow job necessary?
if someone just put stolen goods on someone elses property…what do you do?
this is a pathetic article. block should ashamed for being so dishonest.
Disgusting article. Please no more Mr. Block in the Daily Mises. Poorly written and completely void of historical accuracy. So the United States is the villain? Please… enough already… keep that crap on the Daily Kos and New York Times.
Another Block in the wall, as it were – the wall of logic and straight thinking that helps keep the rightness of libertarian thought clear and obvious to all.
Well, almost all, anyway!
Poland today is definitely more laissez-faire than ObamaNation. No stimulus packages nor monetary pumping here!
Chuck, what are the historical inaccuracies in this article?
Can we have a little more background info here? Why is this story being posted now–something in the news? What does the Polish government have anything to do with this–is ham production state-owned in Poland?
“Disgusting article. Please no more Mr. Block in the Daily Mises. Poorly written and completely void of historical accuracy. So the United States is the villain? Please… enough already… keep that crap on the Daily Kos and New York Times. ”
Neocons would take offence, it is true.
Consistency – especially on economic matters – is not a hallmark of the political class, nor will it be until they can discipline themselves to think, instead of merely believe (i.e: “feeeeeel”).
This article appears to have been written in 1972, which explains the fixation on a communist Poland.
However, as KelThuz has already stated, present-day Poland is much more laissez-faire than the USA; they’re busy privatising all former state services, drastically reducing redtape and reviving the pre-communist tradition of entrepreneurship, for starters (my Polish relatives certainly say as much).
I believe the article is trying to explain the rationale of not trading with ‘evil/communist/dictatorship’ nations, but, it would have been better served with a present-day piece instead.
“… more than 10,000 miles from its own shores …”
Why do you think that’s important? If we agress against a country 10,000 I’m sure you’d be talking about how we deserve the response.
“The way to bring the blessings of laissez-faire to the Polish people is first to secure it for ourselves. ” I guess Walter Block was wrong on that one. All we needed to do was let the whole economy collapse, and we become more statist.
Dresden firebombing was just as bad, if not worse than Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
Nukes aren’t magic. Lots of people have been killed by regular bombs.
In fact its alot more pleasant to be in the immediate blast radius of a nuclear bomb, than to have an incendiary bomb land on your house and burn you to death.
Both Andrew R and John are quite right:
1.ham is not produced by polish state but private sector
2. this article seems to be about Poland from at least 20 years ago and to me as Polish it doesn’t make any sense
“… dropping a nuclear bomb … and to make matters worse, after the Japanese government had offered to surrender.”
Please furnish the source of this statement.
OR
Shut up and stay away.
j.t.f.m.:
I had not heard that before, that “the government” (and that would imply the commanders) had offered surrender. I think that some diplomats had put out feelers. If I were Dr. Block (although most of these quotes I’m sure were were unknown at that time) I would have instead used these to make my point:
http://www.doug-long.com/quotes.htm
mpolzkill,
Interesting reference you gave. Thank you.
I read it all.
I saw many “I think”, “I felt”, may haves, etc. but no definite reference to an offer by Japan to the USA to surrender.
Offers to the USSR and Switzerland seem vague to me; and, if truly made, how was that information forwarded to the USA.
The last statement about TWO bombs being dropped for experimental purposes (or whatever it exactly stated), I do NOT accept, as I believe Japan had rejected the proof of the ferocity of the first ‘secret bomb’.
What might the USSR had done after WWII, if the USA had not dropped the bombs? As it was the Soviets took over much of the world with considerable suffering for millions of people even with the demonstration of the bomb by the USA.
Where might the conflict over the closing of WEST Berlin have led, the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc.
J.T.F.M.
Yes, I don’t know how anyone can say that Japan had definitely offered surrender. Maybe someone else has something on it.
Yes, it was terrible of FDR and Churchill to set Stalin up like that.
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