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I'm not going to spend as much time talking about Hope 102 as I have talking about other Beck University classes. The problem is that professor David Buckner expands on the same flawed premise he came to last week: That a government should be beholden to the same economic rules as individuals. This is bullshit. And so is the idea that the government should be run like a corporation. This is why when people elect candidates on the idea that they'll use their business smarts, we get idiots like this who fuck everything up.

The interesting part of this class for me was professor Buckner continually talking about how “our government has run at a loss for 16 of the last 20 years.” He doesn't mention which president was responsible for balancing the budget, and I'm willing to bet that Beck U students will just naturally assume that good ol' business-minded George W. Bush was the financial genius.

Buckner tells about his conversation with a Canadian. He asked her who pays for her health care. The Canadian, who must be kind of an idiot, responds, "Nobody! It's free!" Buckner proceeds to argue with the Canadian dolt, saying "What about those who never have children, or are never sick? Should others pay for goods and services meant for someone else?” To hear him tell it, the Canadian basically renounces single-payer health care on the spot as a horrible evil when she discovers she's paying for it out of her taxes, as opposed to out of massive premiums that go to a health care provider's profit margin. (And this is another ridiculous premise. What if you have a house fire, Professor Buckner? Why should my taxes pay for firefighters who have never once put out a fire at my house?)

Buckner is a moral absolutist. I'm not even going to get into his mini-rant about how the minimum wage is a horrible idea. He refuses to argue with specific examples, instead launching from the idea that profits are the only recognizable good in his universe, and taxes are the worst kind of evil. There's nothing you can argue with there; it'd be like kickboxing the wind.

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Sigh.

At least the post-class chatroom comments were entertaining:

[Comment From Michael in Vermont: ]
this is a great program... I'm getting tought by a real college profeser.

[Comment From Guest: ]
Man, even I can understand this. Great class

[Comment From Newtie and the Beauty: ]
Prof Buckner, what would be the benefits and drawbacks to repealing Minimum Wage laws?

Buckner:
Removing the minimum wage would allow the markets to move with supply and demand. It would remove the black market and allow incentives to drive real business markets.

[Comment From DiAnn: ]
These principles are so simple, and FACTS don't lie, then why do the Government officials DENY these simple truths???

[Comment From Su: ]
My favorite word is: Beck U!