The Cambridge economist Joan Robinson (1903-1983) wisely said, "The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of readymade answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists." Excellent point, though I would both broaden...
Bastiat
Two Books That Will Change the Way You See the World
by Keith Knight | Jan 11, 2023 | Don't Tread on Anyone
https://youtu.be/MqH_dqnZmEY Furthermore, those who originally agreed to the Constitution, could thereby bind nobody that should come after them. They could contract for nobody but themselves. They had no more natural right or power to make political contracts,...
TGIF: On Liberty and Security
by Sheldon Richman | Dec 2, 2022 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin's famous words are often quoted because, alas, they are always relevant. Whether Franklin meant what libertarians take him to have...
Our Economic System Is Built To Enrich the 1%
by Jeffrey Wernick | Nov 29, 2022 | Economics, Featured Articles
I would like to attempt to describe our economic model since we abandoned sound money and any constraints upon our ability to print IOUs (or what most refer to as dollars without any understanding of what that really means). Before, there was mandated fungibility...
What Voters Need to Know About Government Supremacy
by Sheldon Richman | Oct 9, 2022 | Featured Articles
[Source for above image) Libertarians make a self-defeating mistake in assuming that their fundamental principles differ radically from most other people’s principles. Think how much easier it would be to bring others to the libertarian position if we realized...
TGIF: Sam Harris on Saving Democracy from Voters
by Sheldon Richman | Sep 23, 2022 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
Neuroscientist/philosopher Sam Harris caused quite a stir recently by defending the social networks' conspiracy (his word) to suppress news coverage of Joe Biden's son Hunter's smoking-gun laptop shortly before Election Day 2020. Harris said the suppression was...
When Goods Don’t Cross Borders, Soldiers Do
by Vibhu Vikramaditya | Mar 15, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
The great free trade and most astute defender of liberty from France Frederic Bastiat said "Trade barriers constitute isolation; isolation gives rise to hatred, hatred to war, and war to invasion." These words ring more true than ever as Russia invades Ukraine and the...
Ten Favorite Books
by Sheldon Richman | Feb 25, 2022 | Blog
Keith Knight, host of the Don't Tread on Anyone podcast, interviewed me about ten of my favorite books. Watch it here.
Bastiat Foresees 1/6
by Sheldon Richman | Feb 8, 2022 | Blog, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics
"As long as it is admitted that the law may be diverted from its true purpose—that it may violate property instead of protecting it—then everyone will want to participate in making the law, either to protect himself against plunder or to use it for plunder. Political...
Ending the 2021 Lockdowns Before They Start
by Ludwig von Mises Institute Editors | Aug 9, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles
Sixteen months ago, in March 2020, we argued for an end to government-imposed shutdowns of businesses, schools, churches, restaurants, and events due to the covid virus: The shutdown of the American economy by government decree should end. The lasting and far-reaching...
The Anti-Capitalist Ideology of Slavery
by Keith Knight | Jul 8, 2021 | Don't Tread on Anyone
https://youtu.be/F6bdrqNX8Qs ... the draft — that obnoxious system of slavery and forced murder. There is nothing anyone even remotely calling himself a libertarian can say about the draft except that it is slavery and that it must be combatted. Murray N. Rothbard...
Wisdom From Great Minds. Jeff Deist & Keith Knight
by Keith Knight | May 10, 2021 | Don't Tread on Anyone
https://youtu.be/ljpRZH4Z_4A To make their rule permanent, the State rulers need to induce their subject masses to acquiesce in at least the legitimacy of their rule. For this purpose the State has always taken a corps of intellectuals to spin apologia for the wisdom...
The Separation of Economy and State. Lawrence W. Reed & Keith Knight
by Keith Knight | Apr 9, 2021 | Don't Tread on Anyone
https://youtu.be/OOucImdODmM ... the existence of free will prevents us from conducting any controlled experiments; for people’s ideas and valuations are continually subject to change, and therefore nothing can be held constant. Murray N. Rothbard Economic...
What is Libertarianism? Ron Paul and Keith Knight
by Keith Knight | Mar 24, 2021 | Don't Tread on Anyone
https://youtu.be/uyFUSeAHXk8 The libertarian creed rests upon one central axiom: that no man or group of men may aggress against the person or property of any-one else. This may be called the “non-aggression axiom.” “Aggression” is defined as the initiation of the use...
Blog
Military Conscription is Slavery: Woodrow Wilson Edition
By the guidelines set down by the Selective Service Act, all males aged 21 to 30 were required to register to potentially be selected for military service. At the request of the War Department, Congress amended the law in August 1918 to expand the age range to include...
The Capitalist Competition Myth
Capitalism involves far more cooperation than competition—think of the number of mutually beneficial transactions you’ve had today compared to the number of competitions you’ve been in today - Chris Freiman, author of Why It's OK to Ignore Politics Democratic...
Blame Mexico? Blame Neocons! Blame Big Pharma! Blame the USA!
ABC News: If fentanyl is so deadly, why do drug dealers use it to lace illicit drugs? I have an alternative explanation. America has been fighting endless wars almost the entire century. Many have come home from these never-ending wars with injuries and pains. Doctors...
My Testimony Before the Maine State Senate
In support of Ld 1054, Defend the Guard legislation: Thank you all so much for the opportunity to testify before your committee today. Today is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of Iraq War II. The consensus now is that we should not have done it. Iraq was not...
These Iraq War Supporters Are Still in Congress
On March 19, 2003 the United States began its military invasion of Iraq. The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq passed Congress in October 2002, with 296 congressmen and 77 senators voting in favor of giving President George W. Bush carte blanche...
Laci Green is Wrong: Democratic Competition vs. Free Market Competition
In environments where there's a lot of competition, people tend to lie out their ass and you can apply this to any competitive situation. Take capitalism. As industrialization took full effect, the Federal Government had to interfere because there was so much false...
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Voluntaryist Handbook
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