Sheldon Richman | The Libertarian Institute

TGIF: The Chicanery Behind Inequality Data

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 29, 2025 | Economics, Featured Articles, TGIF

If self-described progressives decry anything more fiercely than poverty, it is income and wealth inequality. Some have even suggested that they would prefer low-income equality to inequality, regardless of how affluent the lowest level was. What counts is the gap. The terms poor and low-income are relative, of course. We'd be better off talking about the poorer and lower-income. Also, it's better to be poor in America than anywhere else if we factor in immeasurables such as good prospects. However, some people don't understand the point or perhaps don't want to understand it. Reasonable...

TGIF: The Poverty of Poverty Data

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 22, 2025 | Economics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

"Poverty has no causes; prosperity has many. As history attests, poverty is humanity’s default condition.... But prosperity is not natural; it does not just happen." —Phil Gramm and Donald J. Boudreaux To hear some people tell it, America is in the grip of a vast conspiracy in which billionaires get richer, the middle class stagnates at best, and the poor get poorer. Poverty and inequality, by this account, are the shame of America. How can we let this go on! Do not fall for it. Except for the part about billionaires (those who get rich by innovatively serving consumers), the story is hokum....

TGIF: Immigration Control Threatens the Rule of Law

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 15, 2025 | Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Immigration control strikes at the heart of the rule of law. That fact is badly unappreciated, even by some libertarians. If for no other reason, people who cherish individual liberty ought to be appalled by what the Trump administration is up to. Trump did not invent this unequivocal assault on a key protector of freedom—blame Congress for that—but never has the assault been so flagrant in America. To see this, let's look at libertarian political philosopher Jacob T. Levy's 2018 article "The Rule of Law and Risk of Lawlessness." Levy wrote the article in response to the intensification of...

Immigration Control and the Rule of Law

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 9, 2025 | Blog, Justice, Libertarianism

If you think that immigration control does not strike at the heart of the rule of law, you need to listen to this: https://youtu.be/Ierrs3E3Qow?si=8Szi0YiuDfh7Xgte

The Palestinians: The Libertarian Take

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 8, 2025 | Blog, Foreign Policy, Justice

Even if the Palestinians are not a People, they nevertheless are and always have been people—that is, individual human beings with natural rights, namely, the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Like everyone else. But individuals can come to be regarded as a People as a result of a long, continuous way of life in a particular area. This is true of the Palestinians. They are both a People and people. See this.

TGIF: Socialist Confusion

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 8, 2025 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Recent polls indicate that many people under 30 view socialism and communism favorably. (For Marx, those words were synonyms.) It seems that socialism and communism are "in." What's going on? A self-described "democratic socialist," Zohran Mamdani, won the Democratic nomination in the New York City mayoralty primary. He promises to set up city-owned nonprofit grocery stores and plans other giveaways. He favors a $30 minimum wage. He also says billionaires should not exist. Will he set up camps? Members of Congress, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also call...

TGIF: By Right or Permission?

by Sheldon Richman | Aug 1, 2025 | Economics, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

"Trump administration approves sale of CBS parent company Paramount after concessions" —NPR If the deal struck by Paramount and President Donald Trump sickens you, your intuitions and perhaps your principles are in good working order. Make no mistake about what's at the root of such things: ominipotent government. You need its permission for all kinds of things—so much for individual rights. As the NPR story states, the headline termination of The Late Show (which I've never watched) came "amid a flurry of steps taken by Paramount and Skydance Media—which has been seeking to acquire the...

TGIF: What Is Capitalism?

by Sheldon Richman | Jul 25, 2025 | Economics, History, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

So, what is capitalism? The answer will depend on who's being asked. Language, like markets, basic law, and customs, is a spontaneous order. No one plans it. Words drift in their meaning in ways that probably can’t be fully explained. Language is a tool that people use to think and communicate, so it’s adapted according to needs, changing circumstances, and even confusion. That doesn’t mean we can say nothing about words like capitalism. My views on that word have changed over the years; I once contributed to a book called Markets, Not Capitalism. The book was meant to show that the free...