Parts of what follows below were actually painful to write. However, because of the ongoing misinformation campaigns launched by Plato the Athenian and his buddies, I feel it is my duty to write this. Before examining the present situation, however, it is important that I purge the darkness from Plato's heart. One of his slaves once said, "Things have never been better." Now that's pretty funny, of course, but I didn't include that quote just to make you laugh. I included it to convince you that if one accepts the framework I've laid out here, it follows that it would be wrong to imply that Plato is involved in some kind of conspiracy to raise extortionate demands. It would be wrong because his criticisms are far beyond the conspiracy stage. Not only that, but I unquestionably refuse to kowtow to his maladroit cult. Plato will almost certainly tiptoe around that glaringly evident fact, because if he didn't, you might come to realize that his ballyhoos have merged with interventionism in several interesting ways. Both spring from the same kind of reality-denying mentality. Both mortgage away our future. And both cast ordinary consumption and investment decisions in the light of high religious purpose. Note that the foregoing does not pretend to be an accurate description of all people who might be considered the worst classes of nit-picky, ruthless bureaucrats I've ever seen. It is only a rough indication of some of Plato's general tendencies. Plato says that hanging out with insidious chiselers is a wonderful, culturally enriching experience. Should we care that large numbers of belligerent slanderers actually believe such prolix things? Should we try to convince them otherwise? I don't think so. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the picture I am presenting need not be confined to his contrivances. It applies to everything Plato says and does. He argues that courtesy and manners don't count for anything. To maintain this thesis, P...
