I just deleted a rather well-thought out post. damn it.
Actually, I had “cut” it from another post, pasted into its own, and then when “publishing” it, received a WP error that I’ve been seeing frequently.
no third solution
Blogging about liberty, anarchy, economics and politics
Category Archives: metablogging
No Third Solution
People are starting to google “no third solution,” so maybe my blog is becoming more popular. My traffic doesn’t seem to show any upward trend, unfortunately… I get about 1,500 unique visits per month, according to awstats which I use in addition to Google Analytics to track that sort of thing. I have 10 subscribers via Google Reader.
Some people suggest that in order to have security, it’s necessary to concede some liberty in exchange. This is nonsense peddled either by people who want to exercise power over others, or by unthinking drones, people too stupid to really understand what liberty is, what freedom is.
If you don’t have the freedom to voluntarily choose security, you’re neither free, or secure. When “security,” so-called, is thrust upon you by a government, recognize that it is nothing short of extortion. Implicitly, you will always be “secure” from the government’s own violence, so long as you continue to pay your tribute.
If the agency professing to provide you with security is the same agency that skims your paycheck every week, that will freeze your bank accounts if you stop paying for their services, that will throw you in jail if you deny them, and will kill you if you try to defend yourself from its advances, what they are providing is not security in any sense of the word. The guns of government are always pointed first at the very citizens they pretend to protect.Mises said, “The issue is always the same: the government, or the market. There is no third solution.”
Faced with a problem, one can rely on violence (the government) or free association (the market) to find a resolution. There is no third solution, and any co-mingling of the government and the market is ultimately just a bastardized market, not a free market where participants voluntarily interact to exchange value for value. The government makes and enforces rules to which most free people wouldn’t otherwise consent, imposing them generally upon a disenfranchised minority. Maybe it is one man ruling many, maybe it is a group of men ruling over others.
In any case, the cost of government is always and inevitably, freedom foregone.
What to do When you Can’t Refinance
Some people find my blog by searching “What to do when you can’t refinance?”
My previous commentary, “What Should You Do About Your Rising Mortgage Payments?” and What is Your Obligation to Your Lender?, both of which have drawn some criticism, to which I’ve tried to reply (e.g., here).
I’m no financial advisor, but I have an idea of what to do. It depends on whether you can afford your mortgage or not.
If you can still afford your mortgage, keep making the payments. Make cutbacks elsewhere. Buy generic brand groceries. Run your heat/AC less.
If you absolutley cannot afford them (e.g., a mortgagor became unemployed) then by all means, first try to negotiate some sort of refinancing. If that doesn’t work, stop making any payments! Don’t make partial payments if this is a long-term or potentially long-term problem. This will only exacerbate your pain and suffering. You’re going to lose the house and destroy your credit, anyways. Don’t give up any more cash; you’ll need it to make a security deposit on the next apartment or house that you rent.
You should at least be able to get in to a decent apartment. But don’t splurge on this. If your bachelor lifestyle is accustomed to two bedrooms for all of your trinkets and man-toys like playstations and guitars, get a cheaper one bedroom, and economize, for christ’s sake! Then, gut it out. Work hard, weather the storm, and in a few years this trouble will all be behind you.
Then again, understanding time preference, and acting in accordance with its principles and your financial wherewithal is probably what got you into the mess, to begin with!
