Trenton Hale | The Libertarian Institute

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...

A Second Trump Presidency Promise No Improvements on Trade

by Trenton Hale | Mar 6, 2023 | Economics, Featured Articles, Politics

Over the past few weeks, former President Donald Trump has been releasing some of his proposals if he were to return to the White House in 2024. While many of his positions pose great danger to personal liberty, such as his plan to “end crime and keep Americans safe,” his proposals on tariffs are near the top in terms of ignorance. In a video posted on February 27, Donald Trump released his plan to “end our reliance on China.” In the short video, Trump claims that his plan would increase American jobs by the millions and remove our dependence on China. The Trump War Room Twitter account...

How the Media Ignores Yemen

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

Since 2014, the tiny country of Yemen has been devastated by the ongoing civil war following the Houthi takeover of the government. It only got worse in March 2015; President Barack Obama began to aid the Saudi Arabian military intervention in the war. As of February 2022, over 370,000 people have lost their lives thanks to lack of food, medical necessities, and bombings. Despite the severity of the war, the press has covered extraordinarily little of it. Between 2015 and 2019, the media only covered about ninety-two minutes of the conflict. Based on the atrocities, this is shockingly low....

No Matt Walsh, We Shouldn’t ‘Execute Drug Dealers’

by Trenton Hale | Jan 26, 2023 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

Recently, Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire tweeted that Singapore is able have “nice things” (referring to the technological and economic advancements the country has made) because of their severe penalties on criminals, including the execution of drug traffickers. This opinion is not a new one to conservatives, as former President Donald Trump has called for the same thing. This line of thinking is lunatic for a party that claims to care about freedom and the U.S. Constitution—which explicitly protects citizens against "cruel and unusual punishments." For starters, Singapore’s harsh stance on...