The famous line "We have met the enemy and he is us" is from Walt Kelly's comic strip, Pogo. Kelly adapted the line from a U.S. naval commandant who, during the War of 1812 against Great Britain, reported to his superior, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”...
Politics
What Inequality?
by Sheldon Richman | Jun 6, 2024 | Blog, Economics, Politics
According to research conducted by Phil Gramm, the late Robert Ekelund, and John Early, documented in The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate and summarized in this video: The bottom 20 percent of households have an average annual income...
Immigration Talk
by Sheldon Richman | Jun 6, 2024 | Blog, Economics, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics
I talk about immigration with Michael Liebowitz on The Rational Egoist.
A Libertarian Guide to the United Kingdom General Election
by Owen Ashworth | Jun 5, 2024 | Featured Articles, Politics
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has finally announced there will be an election on July 4. This comes after incessant badgering from every part of the political spectrum, all of whom have been calling for an election for months. It was quite a...
Rescind Netanyahu’s Invitation!
by Joseph Solis-Mullen | Jun 4, 2024 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Politics
The recent decision by U.S. congressional leaders to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Capitol has rightly sparked outrage and dismay among those who oppose Israel's genocidal actions in Gaza. Coming as it does in the wake of the...
The Trump Trial and our Injustice System
by Ron Paul | Jun 4, 2024 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles, Politics
I’ve long criticized our current U.S. justice system—on all levels—as becoming much more about political justice than blind justice. The bizarre trial and conviction of former President Donald Trump last week on 34 felonies only reinforces my concerns. The New York...
Democracy and Free Stuff
by Sheldon Richman | Jun 4, 2024 | Blog, Economics, Justice, Politics
Democracy: the matching up of people who want free stuff with politicians who promise free stuff. Problem: free stuff as they all imagine it does not exist. However, it does exist in the market, as explained by Frédéric Bastiat in Economic Harmonies, chapter 8,...
TGIF: Government Undermines Civilization
by Sheldon Richman | May 31, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
The good, great, and prosperous society depends on ever-widening trust among strangers. It's not blind trust -- ways to hedge against cheaters abound -- but trust is vital. It is as vital as respect for private property and privacy. Like the system of private...