Re: the future long term financial apocalypse of the USA

On Sat, 25 May 2024, Kevrob wrote:

On 5/25/2024 6:06 AM, D wrote:

  On Fri, 24 May 2024, Cryptoengineer wrote:
 

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:

  On Thu, 23 May 2024, Kevrob wrote:
 

Sign.... D is a libertarian, and would be a fan of Ayn Rand if he's heard
of her.
 

 Rand loathed the Libertarians, as we let into our party all sorts
of folks who loved liberty, no matter what their justification
was for that love.  The Objectivist Popessa wanted everyone who agreed
with limited government to be a "Student of Objectivism." Those who
developed their own philosophical stances were accused of all sorts of
degeneracy, and/or of plagiarizing her.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism_and_libertarianism

 I never understood the popularity of objectivism. It contains nothing
new and is just a collection of various strains of philosophy and
ideology that all existed way before Rand.
 But I suspect she had good skills when it comes to popularizing the
already existing thoughts as well as good cult building skills.
 

I used to be that way.
 But I grew up.
 Pt
 

 I suspect D of not being a minarchist, but an anarcho-capitalist.
I won't be starting any purges.

 It depends. I'm really not a fan of labels, since if I confess to being
X, plenty of people will then fill X with what they think it means and
if that then clashes with what I think it believes we'll just talk round
each other.
 Suffice to say that I hover around the
minarchist-anarcho-capitalist-libertarian-voluntarist spectrum. I think
probably the most useful thing is to ask me what I think about specific
questions.

 To get back to some ObSF, what works do you find resonate? L. Neil
Smith's 'Alongside Night'? Neal Stephenson's 'Diamond Age'?
Something else?

 Well, I do like Rands Atlas Shrugged and We the living, but that is of course not SF.
 

>
You mean WtL isn't?
>
To crib from a comment made about the Foundation series (by the not-so-good Doctor?) the Science in Atlas Shrugged, as a science fiction novel
isn't metallurgy (Rearden Metal) or John Galt's static electricity moto. It is philosophy.

Well, that I can agree with. Don't know what WtL is, but if it is the same as We the Living, then yes, correct.

In terms of SF, Neal Stephenson I appreciate, the early stuff, and Heinlein as well. The moon is a harsh mistress is good.
 Ohh... and then there was another one... Poul Andersons Nicholas van Rijn books, those are quite nice as well. =)
 Anything else, based on that, you could recommend?

>
Have you tried the late L Neil Smith's work?

I haven't. Do you have any good specific recommendations, or is he generally good so I can just pick up something that looks interesting?
Also, what type of books does he write?