Robert Higgs: The Ratchet effect In my work, the ratchet effect describes the characteristic way in which government under modern ideological conditions grows during a perceived national emergency. The government's size, scope, and power grow abruptly as the government acts to "do something" to allay the threat. Then, as the threat is eliminated or diminished, the government shrinks, but not all the way to the level it would have reached if the crisis had not occurred. Hence, each crisis shifts the government's growth trajectory to a higher level of size, scope, and power. In my...
legal
Vaccines, Autonomy, and Mandates: A Libertarian Analysis
Prefatory Note Given the subject matter discussed below, I believe it prudent to state at the outset that I am not at all opposed to vaccinations themselves: indeed, I have received a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as all other normal-course vaccinations recommended for someone my age. Yet there are, it seems to me, interesting, difficult questions surrounding the state’s role in promoting or mandating vaccines. The goal here is to start a conversation not about the effectiveness of vaccines, but about the individual’s sphere of autonomy and what kinds of medical decisions are within it, and...
News Roundup 12/27/21
Covid Massachusetts halts all elective procedures. [Link] The USS Milwaukee will remain in Cuba after several sailors tested positive for Covid. [Link] USAID is running out of money to distribute covid vaccinations. [Link] The US donates 1.5 million vaccine doses to Egypt through Covax. [Link] Biden will lift the travel restriction from eight African countries on January 1st. [Link] US News LAPD officers killed a 14-year-old girl. [Link] The Pentagon cuts the cost of living stipend it gives to tens of thousands of soldiers living in high-cost areas in the US. [Link] Stu Scheller - who...
For One Day, Protestors Stopped the War Machine
I’ve attended most of the major antiwar protests in Washington since 9/11. At a 2005 protest, a cop tried to whack me on the head with a wooden pole. At a 2007 protest, I snapped a picture showing George W. Bush hanging next to the U.S. Capitol. But my favorite protest was a potent little ruckus that I almost missed. On a sunny late summer day in 2013, I ambled to downtown Washington to hike with a bunch of folks who enjoyed bantering as much as I did. The route for the jaunt started on the National Mall, passing by the Smithsonian, heading toward the World War II Memorial and points...
The Rittenhouse Prosecution w/Legalman
Legalman came back on the show to discuss the prosecutor’s malfeasance in the Rittenhouse trial. Legalman Twitter The Quash Libertarian Institute 19 Skills Pdf Autonomy Course Critical Thinking Course Donate Patreon...
Do You Have an Obligation to Obey the Law? – Prof. Michael Huemer, Ph.D.
https://youtu.be/guhiKm297DM ... bureaucratic opportunists and unprincipled technicians and would-be technicians find it difficult to engage in any sort of reasoned argument. Argument means principle, and principle is precisely what opportunists are always weak on. ... What bureaucrats and power elites always want is for the opposition to shut up and go away, to obey orders, to accept their assigned tasks. Murray N. Rothbard Libertarian Forum v. 2, p. 970 Michael Huemer is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado. He is the author of more than seventy academic articles in...
S. Dakota Tax Parasite ‘Law Enforcement Officers,’ Terrified of Competing for Jobs in the Market, Sue to Stop Pot Legalization
Oh yeah, no, it's because they are just terribly concerned about the proper process being followed! If there's one thing that anyone and everyone knows about the cops of South Dakota: they don't care about themselves at all! They are only worried what might happen if someone sends the wrong message to the kids! and stuff like that.
Three Pieces Of Legislation That Are Making The Coronavirus Worse
There are 3 pieces of legislation that are making the Coronavirus 10x worse than it ought to be. 1. 1997 Balanced Budget Act: Capped the number of residents and physicians. 2. 2011 Affordable Care Act: Made it illegal for physician ownership of hospitals. 3. Certificate of Need (CON): Mandated approval of all medical facilities through special committees. No competition allowed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmMp6tjqMuQ&feature=youtu.be
Libertarians: Legalize All Victimless ‘Offenses’; Government: No, We’d Rather Legalize Actual Crimes
You cannot make this shit up. What in the world. https://twitter.com/LibertarianRed1/status/1242826661051105281
This Is Not Your Security Force
Cops are simply rabid animals. Must be the illegal anabolic steroids they all take.
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