tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045671292776339187.post1041647648614422407..comments2023-10-30T01:39:20.065+11:00Comments on MCPlanck Rebooted: The decay of the rule of lawMCPlanckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09239576472889126413noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045671292776339187.post-8334457727736760932011-06-06T21:19:38.914+10:002011-06-06T21:19:38.914+10:00It's a bad sign because it portends the collap...It's a bad sign because it portends the collapse of society.<br /><br />What makes a society cohesive is trust. One of my long standing tests for a functional society is how you respond when the cops kick down your door. In some countries, people reach for a gun to defend themselves; in America, people reach for a piece of paper. Our faith in the Constitution is so great that we will allow strangers with guns to drag us away in the middle of the night. This is how we know America is a high-functioning society compared to places like, say, Colombia.<br /><br />But here we have an example of a bank making a basically criminal attempt to seize someone's house. When they discovered their mistake, they didn't voluntarily retract it - they had to be sued. And after they were sued, they did not pay up until a man with a gun showed up to collect. So much for the rule of law.<br /><br />Who would trust a bank after that? And if you don't trust a bank, what happens to finance? Pretty soon people are taking their money out and hiding it in their mattresses, and shortly after that we have a financial crisis that makes the last one look like a walk in the park.<br /><br />The bank paid up an hour after the gun showed up. This means that they a) had the money on hand, and b) knew they were in the wrong. Both of those conditions were true for five months, and the bank just didn't care. It wasn't afraid of the piece of paper anymore; it was only afraid of a gun.<br /><br />Do you see what I mean about a bad sign now?MCPlanckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09239576472889126413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045671292776339187.post-59927560736441317612011-06-05T13:40:21.879+10:002011-06-05T13:40:21.879+10:00I'm confused about how this is a 'bad sign...I'm confused about how this is a 'bad sign.' Would you please elaborate?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com