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Democratic Socialism: Mob Rule by the Ignorant

Democratic Socialism: Mob Rule by the Ignorant

by | Apr 20, 2022 |

Why is politics so negative compared to marketing — its analog in the private sector — even though virtually every candidate echoes the desire to "just get along"? The explanation revolves around two important ways political competition differs from market competition: higher payoffs to negative attacks, and rationally ignorant "customers." Selling your product in the private sector requires a customer to cast an affirmative vote to buy it. Just convincing a potential customer that a rival product should not be purchased does not mean a sale for you. This is because a sales prospect can...

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Drop Your Left vs Right Blinders

Drop Your Left vs Right Blinders

by | Jan 3, 2022 | ,

As a libertarian, I have long objected to being characterized on a left-right political spectrum (as with studies of political affiliations that group libertarians with republicans or conservatives on the right). In response to inquiries about where I fit in that framework, over the years, I have taken to saying that my views were orthogonal (meaning at right angles or perpendicular) to the framework. Since almost no one knows what that word means, those I say it to are puzzled, and ask for clarification, which allows me to explain why I fit in neither category. I had done that for years...

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How Government Jobs Hurt the Economy

How Government Jobs Hurt the Economy

by | May 24, 2021 | ,

It seems that every time something adverse happens in the labor market, it restarts the partisan battle between those currently in and out of power as to who is a better steward of the economy. That was illustrated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics's (BLS) release of the job numbers for April, which made headlines when job growth, which was expected to surge, came in “unexpectedly” low. The 266,000 jobs created were only a quarter of some forecasts, which topped 1 million. Further, March job creation was also revised down by 146,000. And unemployment ticked up for the first time since the...

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Why Central Planning by Medical Experts Will Lead to Disaster

Why Central Planning by Medical Experts Will Lead to Disaster

by | Apr 10, 2020 | , ,

A great deal of the coverage of the COVID-19 crisis has been apocalyptic. That is partly because “if it bleeds, it leads.” But it is also because some of the medical experts with media megaphones have put forward potentially catastrophic scenarios and drastic plans to deal with them, reinforced by assertions that the rest of us should “listen to the experts,” because only they know enough to determine policy. Unfortunately, those experts don’t know enough to determine appropriate policies. Doctors, infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists, etc. know more things about diseases, their...

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Why America’s Founders Didn’t Want a Democracy

Why America’s Founders Didn’t Want a Democracy

by | Dec 18, 2019 | ,

In his book "Liberty in Peril," Randall Holcombe challenges the presumption that liberty and democracy are complementary. When I took history and government in school, many critical issues were misrepresented, given short shrift, or even ignored entirely. And those lacunae undermined my ability to adequately understand many things. Randall Holcombe’s new book, Liberty in Peril: Democracy and Power in American History, fills in some very substantial gaps, particularly with regard to American constitutionalism and how it has morphed from protecting liberty to advancing democracy at the expense...

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The Income Tax: Still the Root of All Evil

The Income Tax: Still the Root of All Evil

by | Feb 26, 2019 | ,

February 25 is a momentous day in American history. It is the day in 1913 the 16th Amendment, authorizing a federal income tax, took effect with the certification of Secretary of State Philander C. Knox. Because of the crucial effects the income tax has had on America, one would hope that there would be some serious discussion of it in the media. But that hope is routinely disappointed. But serious consideration of the effects of the income tax has occurred. For example, in his 1954 book, The Income Tax: Root of All Evil, Frank Chodorov showed how the abrogation of citizens’ property rights...

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Medicare for All: Administrative Costs Are Much Higher than You Think

Medicare for All: Administrative Costs Are Much Higher than You Think

by | Dec 6, 2018 | ,

Even before the new Congress has been seated, some emboldened progressives are pushing for votes to establish Medicare for all. Bernie Sanders argues that 70 percent of Americans favor it, so now is the time. Of course, that support plummets when people are told about its astronomical tax bill and its escalation in government control. But Sanders insists that it will happen because, as the Los Angeles Times described his argument, “the bottom line is that less money will come out of American pockets to pay for healthcare.” Unfortunately for that argument, its basis — that turning from an...

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Peace, Harmony, and Free Trade: 10 Uplifting Quotes by Richard Cobden, the Shining Knight of Classical Liberalism

by | Jun 5, 2018 | ,

June 3rd marks the 1804 birth of “the Apostle of Free Trade,” Richard Cobden. He earned that name spearheading the campaign against England’s protectionist Corn Laws, whose repeal in 1846 spread liberalized trade through much of Europe. Some have said free markets owe him their existence. Cobden recognized free trade as the key to creating material prosperity. But far more, he emphasized the moral superiority of free trade over the injustice of protectionism, in which government uses its power to help one group by unjustifiably harming others. Further, he saw that markets’ exclusively...

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News

This Week At The Libertarian Institute

The Empire never sleeps – but neither do we. Missed a story? We got you covered. This week in review at the Libertarian Institute: News   June 24, 2022 – Senate Dems Press Biden to Investigate Killing of Palestinian-American Journalist Ahead of Israel Trip Senate...

News Roundup 6/24/2022

US News The State Department will pay employees who alleged they suffer from ‘Havana Syndrne’ six-figure payouts. State is making the payments in accordance with the HAVANA Act. [Link] Haiti At least eight prisoners died from starvation in a prison in Haiti. [Link]...

State Department ‘Illegally Obstructing’ Afghanistan Probes, Watchdog Says

The US government’s top oversight official for Afghanistan has accused the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) of stonewalling ongoing investigations, saying they have refused interviews with staff and even failed to provide “basic information” to assist the probes.

Blog

Week of Action on Yemen

Scott Horton and the Libertarian Party, among others, are whipping up support for a week of action to end US involvement in the Yemen War. And you can help. H.J. Res. 87 was introduced on May 31. The bill would "direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from...

Actually, Socialism IS When The Government Does Stuff

https://youtu.be/_-6CyEYetxM How is something to be owned by “the community as a whole?” Ownership means that you get to decide what is done with something. If you and I disagree on who gets to eat your apple, then whatever you decide will take precedence, because it...

The Scott Horton Show

Conflicts of Interest

Don't Tread on Anyone

6 Progressive Myths About History (w/ Lawrence W. Reed)

https://youtu.be/HsXj83JNUb4 In May 1939, Treasury Secretary Henry J. Morgenthau Jr., one of Franklin Roosevelt's best friends, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee: "I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as...

Liberty Weekly Podcast

National Review Senior Editor Turns Rothbardian Ep. 220

https://youtu.be/sJXF9jgj1L4 Managing Editor of the Libertarian Institute and longtime friend and guest of the show Keith Knight joins me in this week's episode to review an article by Joseph Sobran. Sobran was the Senior Editor of the National Review, but questioned...

Patrick MacFarlane on the Hrvoje Moric Show Ep. 219

https://youtu.be/yI1ND-TJR8g This week's episode is a mirror of my recent appearance on the Hrvoje Moric Show on Tnt Radio. We discuss the war in Ukraine, China, and the brave new world we are sleepwalking into. Hrvoje is the host of Geopolitics and Empire Podcast....

Empire of Death: America’s Moral Bankruptcy Ep. 218

https://youtu.be/7yZEk73JdVo In this episode, I take a deeper dive on my latest editorial up at the Libertarian Institute, share my experience at Chillderburg, introduce my new newsletter website, and thank several outlets that have started reprinting my Libertarian...

An Economic Reckoning ft. Clint Russell Ep. 217

https://youtu.be/B4rBZcugFw0 Clint Russell joins me in this week’s episode of Liberty Weekly. Clint is the host of Liberty Lockdown, a podcast that took the liberty scene by storm during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Before Clint launched Liberty Lockdown, he was a private...

Year Zero

A Deep Dive w/Monica Perez

Monica Perez joined me for an in depth conversation on culture, religion, ESG, WEF, the future, and how the 21st Century is different than the 20th Century. Monica Twitter Discord Libertarian Institute 19 Skills Pdf Autonomy Course Critical Thinking Course Donate...

Love and Fear w/Courtenay Turner

Courtenay and I talk ESG, intentional communities, motivations, elites, and the future. Courtenay Twitter Courtenay Turner Podcast Discord Libertarian Institute 19 Skills Pdf Autonomy Course Critical Thinking Course Donate Patreon...

Shadowy Figures Surrounding 9/11 w/Adam Fitzgerald

Adam Fitzgerald joined me to discuss the less talked about aspects of 9/11. We spent most of our time discussing the characters involved and around the event. We could have gone for hours on this subject, but as you will hear, I hit a wall at the 2 hour mark. Adam...

A Conversation with Patrick MacFarlane

Patrick joined me again. In this episode we discuss Ukraine Russia, China, culture, democrats, republicans, and traditional family. Liberty Weekly Discord Libertarian Institute 19 Skills Pdf Autonomy Course Critical Thinking Course Donate Patreon...

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