The most remarkable phrase in the Declaration of Independence, whose anniversary we just celebrated, is the pursuit of happiness. Looking back 248 years, that phrase may strike the modern ear as strange for a political document. But it apparently did not seem that way...
Featured Articles
We Need Rational Patriotism
by Christopher Coyne and Abigail R. Hall | Jul 4, 2024 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
As we observe Independence Day, you will see patriotic displays everywhere. U.S. flags, red, white, and blue clothing, patriotic décor, and calls to appreciate our freedoms will greet us in the news, in stores and restaurants, and even in our workplaces. Some 67% of...
A Social Critique of the Judgment of Imperial Taste
by John Weeks | Jul 3, 2024 | Featured Articles
Taste is existential. For example, if your tastes include Christianity, homesteading, homeschooling, firearms and dining at Cracker Barrel, the “decent and loyal people of America” will fully support the federal government burning your house down with you and your...
The Cato Institute’s Disgraceful Embrace of NATO
by Ted Galen Carpenter | Jul 2, 2024 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Libertarianism
On July 9, 2024, the Cato Institute is holding a conference entitled “NATO at 75, Rebalancing the Transatlantic Alliance.” That title should come as a surprise to committed libertarians. When the modern libertarian movement emerged after World War II, one prominent...
Washington is Sprinting (Not Sleepwalking) Into War With China
by Joseph Solis-Mullen | Jul 2, 2024 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
The narrative that America is "sleepwalking" toward war with China is a dangerously misleading myth. Far from a somnambulant stumble, the United States is being deliberately led by national security and military elites into a conflict with China, with Congress eagerly...
COVID Tyranny and Merle Haggard’s Forgotten Warning
by Jim Bovard | Jul 1, 2024 | Featured Articles
Since the start of the COVID pandemic, many Americans have been appalled at the tidal wave of dictatorial and futile decrees that sought to vanquish a virus. Even more shocking was the craven response by many citizens who believed that groveling to officialdom was the...
How Should a Principled Libertarian Vote?
by Benjamin Seevers | Jul 1, 2024 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism, Politics
The 2024 election is right around the corner, and libertarians have a choice to make. There are many legitimate options; libertarians have historically taken a number of stances, such as abstention, write-ins, voting for principled candidates or the lesser of two...
TGIF: No Cheers for Decolonization(R)
by Sheldon Richman | Jun 28, 2024 | Economics, Foreign Policy, History, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
How can a libertarian oppose decolonization? Colonization not only oppressed conquered peoples, as the staunchest early classical liberals never tired of pointing out, but also burdened the taxpayers of the home country, who were forced to pay through the nose for...