patrick.net

MisterLefty says

Your successful work entitles you to outsized rewards.

It depends on whether the relaxing mouse is limiting public choice and preventing competition.

Maybe he got the government to require that the other mice run on the wheel ("for their own good" or some other lame rationalization) or got the government to restrict competition ("no other mice may build running wheels, because it's too dangerous" or some other lame rationalization there too).

Non-productive rent-seeking is the enemy of everyone except Mr. Relaxing Mouse.

But say that the wheel efficiently grinds grain for the other mice, and relaxing mouse was the only one who managed to figure out how to build a wheel to do that. If they all benefit from it, doing less work overall from that benefit, and can all choose to walk away and do their own work nibbling rather than run for ground grain, then it's fair.

Perhaps the mice were smart enough to realize the energy spent to release a pellet was starting out weigh the benefit for doing so.

Would the same test prove the merits of capitalism.
If there were two food bins.
One with regular Purina Rat Chow kibble, and the other with premium fresh morsels of fresh food items. Like fresh fruit, grains, and peanut butter.
The first one will always require only 1 push of the lever but the other food dispenser took increased presses to activate.
I bet they would put more effort into the premium morsels.
Then even have a third bin, an open bin of food that requires no effort at all, but is stocked with Mice least favorite fare but will eat it if forced to.
And have pressure sensors on a mat in front of that bin, that activates a switch that makes the other two food bin release lever harder to press down with more resistance.

MisterLefty says

Your successful work entitles you to outsized rewards.

You can eat, drink and fuck only so much. Having a cool billion in the bank doesn't really increase the size of your stomach.

DASKAA says

You can eat, drink and fuck only so much. Having a cool billion in the bank doesn't really increase the size of your stomach.

Ah, but the taste of power is ever sweet to some, and money is a stand-in for power. That’s why there are so many billionaire media company owners, billionaires interested in politics, and that sort of thing. These are the people we are really in conflict with, who thought they owned America because they owned the media, the Congress, the courts, and the President. Now they don’t own the President any longer, and they’re losing the judges and Congress. They’ve overplayed their hand with the media, using their ability to spread propaganda as a club instead of as a scalpel. Now, most of the public distrusts the mainstream media, and are using alternative sources of news if they care about politics at all.

I'm looking for alternative sources of Media, with some good moderation (publishing well-crafted arguments) and discourse. Any Suggestions?