Fair Taxiation, credentials, guvmint interference

[Rich Graves <llurch@networking.stanford.edu>]

On Fri, 26 Apr 1996 sameer@c2.org wrote:

> > one at all, to a system of fair taxiation, since much of the talk could
> 
>         fair taxation. What a concept. Now why did this person appear
> in my "cypherpunks-people-to-read-file?" I should go figure this out
> and fix it.

That's not what he wrote. He meant fair TAXIation. Michael is criticizing
arbitrary government regulations on transportation systems. See part four
of Hernando de Soto's _The Other Path_ and other publications from
Instituto Libertad y Democracia (Lima, Peru). The original Spanish version
is more complete, with a statistical appendix, but the US paperback
edition, ISBN 0-06-091640-0, hits all the main points.

The issue of taxis that lack government license has also been raised in
New York City and San Franciso in recent years. Might also be in Gabriel
Zaid's La Economia presidencial, but it's been a while since I read that,
and I don't own a copy.

Cypherpunk relevance? In theory at least, the "medallions" that identify
legal taxis are a form of Chaum's credentials without identity.

Loomis is in your "cypherpunks-people-to-read-file" because of the
ZundeLooMirror. He's a good guy, if a bit abrasive. Unfortunately, I found
out too late that the best way to get him to do something stupid and
wrong is to tell him that it's stupid and wrong. That makes you an enemy,
and not worth listening to.
http://www.c2.org/~rich/Not_By_Me_Not_My_Views/rebuttal.html

By the way, I think I know what you mean, but someone unfamiliar with
cypherpunks or you might read this indication that you have a "people to
read" file, and don't care to read people you disagree with, the wrong
way. You're liable to be called a FUCKING CLOSED-MINDED CENSOR NAZI.

-rich