Alright, now we're getting somewhere!

"Then lets just have one rule: no monopoly on the use of force. I say no entity is allowed to assert that right."

"India is a fine example of the state granting monopolies."

Oh man, if you think the Administration that didn't even propose single payer health care is "leftist", you seriously do not understand the term.

That may be true, but dismissing those who disagree with you as "leftists" isn't "setting those straight" or "knocking them out of the park"- it's admitting defeat.

If the argument is that those with the money have already bought out the government, and that the government's ability to destroy comes from its ability to tax and spend, then there is no such difference.

"All I am asking you to do is be consistent: apply your fears to government as well."

"No government, no impunity to buy."

"Alternative media exists"

"It also greatly entertains me to set those straight who do not understand objectivism or economics."

"Institutional capture sounds like a recipe for failure for a company."

Thanks. I'm sure i do it myself all too often, but it drives me crazy when people who don't even agree on the basic facts of the world presume to ascribe nefarious motives to me.

But we see all the time that lower-priced brands of extremely similar goods do not outsell the higher priced ones. And there are certainly many factors in that, and I know which one you'll cite, but there's also advertising, brand loyalty, the power of habit, etc.

"The state must prevent new companies and individuals from entering the market."

"Why wouldn't someone open up new stores to compete with the now unethical store?"

All taxes are coerced, so this is essentially an argument for no government.

"The world you describe is one run by Progressive democrats, which have no desire to lift the poor out of poverty, because then they lose most of their voting block."

"The government has a specific role, which is to protect the rights of citizens and to enforce contracts."

"I looked at history and I have concluded that monopolies can only survive if it is supported by the state, or if the state is the monopoly itself."

My point is, government debt is a pretty poor metric, too. I categorically reject the idea that there is a moral dimension to government debt, and I note that most people who subscribe to such a notion seem to blanch at the thought of raising taxes to compensate for it. Government debt is a policy tool that can be…