Trenton Hale | The Libertarian Institute

A TikTok Ban Sets a Dangerous Precedent for Free Speech

by Trenton Hale | Apr 29, 2024 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

On April 23, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that included foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan along with a ban on TikTok. The next day, President Joe Biden signed the bill into effect, giving Byte Dance nine months to sell the app to an American company or be banned. While the foreign aid portion of the bill is drawing enormous attention, the TikTok ban cannot be ignored. A TikTok ban has been up for discussion as far back as 2020 under President Donald Trump. Now, a ban is close to fruition. This decision is built on lies and would be disastrous. For starters, TikTok...

Biden’s Yemen Policy Isn’t Working

by Trenton Hale | Feb 29, 2024 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

For the last several weeks, the country of Yemen and their Houthi government have been in the news far more than they were during their war with Saudi Arabia. This is because the Houthis began to attack ships in the Red Sea, a frustrated reaction to the United States’ role in the war in Gaza. The United States has responded by repeatedly bombing the country in Yemen. The decision to bomb was met with support from politicians like Mitch McConnell and Roger Wicker, and commentators like Ben Shapiro, while others like Mike Lee, Thomas Massie, and Rand Paul have questioned it. Some call it...

Why Kentucky Needs School Choice

by Trenton Hale | Jan 16, 2024 | Featured Articles

Republicans in Kentucky’s House of Representatives are pushing for school choice. This comes after Kentucky's Supreme Court ruled that no tax dollars could go to any school besides public schools. Now, the GOP fighting back. State Rep. Josh Calloway introduced a bill that would ask if voters would be willing to amend the constitution to allow “families of limited financial means more educational choices.” The amendment would allow for “a portion of the educational costs for parents of students outside of that common school system.” Change is needed in Kentucky’s education system. As it sits,...

Yes, There Are Innocent Palestinians

by Trenton Hale | Dec 11, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Recently, conservative radio personality Mark Levin went to X to voice his opinion on the ongoing war in Gaza. He linked to an article written by D.W. Wilber, whose background is in U.S. intelligence. In the article, and repeated by Levin, Wilber claims, “So let’s get a few things clear. First of all, there are no ‘innocent Palestinians.’” This take is fundamentally inhumane when considering that many of whom that have lost their lives in this war have been children. As of October 31, 133 babies under the age of one have been killed thanks to Israeli bombs. This represents just a portion of...

Yes, Capitalism Did Reduce Extreme Poverty

by Trenton Hale | Oct 30, 2023 | Economics, Featured Articles

One of the best arguments in support of free market capitalism is how much capitalism has reduced extreme poverty. Between 1820 and 2015, extreme poverty plummeted from 90% to 10% globally in that span. This statistic is one of the greatest accomplishments of mankind and should be celebrated as such. However, some argue that this statistic is not the achievement that capitalists say it is. In fact, they argue this graph is wrong and that capitalism has not been the motivator of cutting extreme poverty. In a paper written by anti-capitalists Jason Hickel and Dylan Sullivan from 2022, they...

The U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan Was Never Necessary

by Trenton Hale | Sep 18, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Twenty-two years ago today, the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 became law following the attacks of 9/11, allowing the United States to invade Afghanistan that October. That war lasted for two decades and led to an opium crisis, the Taliban maintaining their power, and hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Despite the devastation the war caused, many argue that it was justified because of 9/11. There is no doubt that Americans were justified in their righteous anger against Osama bin Laden and the rest of al-Qaeda. However, to view this attack as an act of war rather than a...

Biden’s Unwinnable War in Ukraine is His Weakest Policy

by Trenton Hale | Aug 9, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Many Americans regard Joe Biden’s performance as president to be poor, as noted by his approval/disapproval ratings. While most point to his record on inflation, immigration, crime, and the overall economy to be the lows of presidency, what should be is his poor handling of the Russo-Ukrainian War. In a recent CNN poll, 55% of Americans believe that Congress should not give any additional funding to Ukraine. The ones who do favor more aid to Ukraine want to see more of it through intelligence instead of weaponry. It is not hard to understand why when looking at how disastrous the results...

Bernie Sanders Is Angry About Wealth

by Trenton Hale | May 17, 2023 | Economics, Featured Articles, Politics

Bernie is at it again folks. Recently, the Democratic senator proposed that the government confiscate all the money that a person makes above $999 million. This came about from an interview with Chris Wallace discussing his new book, It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism. This is nothing new for Bernie, as he is known for his criticisms about billionaires. In fact, he has called for abolishing the very concept of billionaires in the past. He argued on the campaign trail in 2019, “There should be no billionaires. We are going to tax their extreme wealth and invest in working people.” The idea...

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