Sheldon Richman | The Libertarian Institute

TGIF: Let’s NOT Go to War with China

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 7, 2023 | Economics, Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman

The word that strikes fear in the power elite is China. It's not fear of an existential threat; rather it's fear that America is becoming second fiddle in world politics. As a result, some believe, or say they believe, that war with China is inevitable. For them, that's a fancy word for desirable. Here's an idea: let's not go to war with China. China has nuclear bombs, although not nearly as many as America has. No good would come from war for the people of China, the American people, or almost everyone else if you don't count the advocates of centralized authoritarian power here and the...

Conversation on Bro History Podcast

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 6, 2023 | Blog, Foreign Policy, History

I had a great conversation on Zionism, antisemitism, and the Palestine question with Henry Szamota and Danny Abdeljabbar on the Bro History podcast, which you can find in all the usual podcast places. Or listen here. I hope you enjoy it.

Interview on Agora: The Podcast

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 3, 2023 | Blog

I was recently interviewed by the hosts of Agora: The Podcast. We talked about the political landscape, my own political development over 50 years, and more. Have a listen here.

TGIF: Beware of All Tribalism

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 17, 2023 | Featured Articles, History, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Tribalism is bad. Sensible people will know what I mean by tribe. It's not a club based on some common preference like stamp collecting or bowling or cooking. It's more than that. It involves a judgment-suspending commitment. Nationalism is a good example. Tribalism is bad because it can erode important social cooperation, which comes in many forms including the division of labor and trade, domestic and foreign. It's also bad because it encourages people to overlook even the grossest injustice that they would not tolerate if their tribe was on the receiving end. We lately have witnessed...

TGIF: Hear, O Israel — Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 10, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, History, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

An older generation of Americans, including Jewish Americans, admire the colonists who resisted the British king and parliament in the late 1700s. Jewish Americans go further and admire the Judeans who revolted against the Greeks and Romans (twice) in antiquity. So isn't it peculiar that they do not applaud the similar Palestinian resistance to Israel's domination? The most we get from U.S. politicians is Bernie Sanders's weak statement about putting conditions on the massive aid to Israel, which is in political disarray because its ruling competition wants to subordinate the independent...

TGIF: Which Way — Capitalism, Socialism, or Something Else?

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 3, 2023 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Big questions are being thrashed out these days. One of the biggest is this: do we want capitalism or socialism? Unfortunately, the online discussions I've witnessed have been, to put it as politely as I can, terrible. (For an example, see this one between Reason senior editor Robby Soave and political commentator Briahna Joy Gray, cohosts of The Hill's online show "Rising.") Let's start with the words themselves. We're in a linguistic mess. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that nearly everyone has his own definition of capitalism and socialism. So when people get together to hash...

Crime and Poverty

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 2, 2023 | Blog, Criminal Justice

“The theory that crime is caused by poverty is not supported by the known facts. The very poor, in fact, tend to be just as law-abiding as the rich, and perhaps more so. To argue otherwise is to libel multitudes of people who keep to decency under severe difficulties, and in the face of constant temptation.” —H. L. Mencken, Minority Report: H. L. Mencken’s Notebooks, 1956

Don’t Be Silent

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 28, 2023 | Blog, Politics

We should reject the fashionable idea that one should never write or post anything that possibly could be used by bad people for bad purposes. That admonition brings two things to mind. First, it fails its own test. If good people avoid a topic because even constructive analysis might be put to bad use, the very avoidance will likely fuel conspiracy theories about how this or that interest group controls the public debate. Thus the fashionable idea is self-subverting — much as the precautionary principle is. Second, it reminds me of what Ludwig Wittgenstein, in a very different context,...