https://youtu.be/NWssd_IuklE To the extent that the years between the end of World War II and today are a story of competing economic visions, the short version is this: Karl Marx was wrong, and Milton Friedman was right. Market-oriented reforms over the past several decades have cut severe poverty around the world by more than half. As late as 1980, more than 40% of the world’s population lived in severe poverty, according to World Bank figures. Now, that share is less than 10%. There is simply nothing else in the history of the material affairs of the world that can compare to that. -...
poverty
Poverty, Churchill, Free Markets, Iran, and Shortages (Weekly Roundtable)
https://youtu.be/L1cGI5U_UaA
The Evil of Economic Regulation
In the Yucatan, we stayed at several all-inclusive resorts. These resorts were a good fit for my family: When you’re travelling in a Third World country with four kids during a pandemic, you want a convenient supply of abundant and tasty food – and enough variety to please each and every picky eater. (Me included). Since portions were smallish, we routinely ordered 12-15 dinners for dinner, all at zero marginal cost. At least in Mexican resorts, tips are appreciated but not expected. Economically speaking, there’s a straightforward win-win case for these Mexican resorts: Not only do...
COI #212: Biden Is Using 1/6 as Propaganda for the New Terror War
On COI #212, Kyle Anzalone discusses the inflated claims of violence and insurrection regarding 1/6. By comparing the riot to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, the administration is attempting to generate fear for their new domestic terror war. Kyle talks about the lockdowns' impact on the global poor. A new study shows an increase in poverty - those living on less than $2 a day - for the first time in 20 years. Nearly 100 million people were added to the number of humans struggling to live. Kyle updates the US occupation in Iraq. Over four straight days, US forces were targeted with rockets or...
News Roundup 12/28/2021
Covid The CDC says people who test positive for covid but do not have symptoms only need to quarantine for five days. The CDC then recommends five days of mask-wearing. The World Bank says nearly 100 million people fell into poverty during the covid pandemic. [Link] The State Department sends over 600,000 Pfizer covid vaccines to Nepal through Covax. [Link] US News Biden extended the student loan payment freeze to May 1, 2022. [Link] Las Vegas will pay over $500,000 to Jason Funke who was shot in the back by a police officer. The officer is still employed. [Link] Cedric Lofton was killed...
COI #183: Biden Admin Works to Prevent Diplomacy with Iran
On COI #183, Kyle Anzalone discusses how the Biden administration has prevented a return to the Iran Nuclear Deal. Iran recently made an effort to re-engage in the Vienna talks, but the US met this offer with sanctions and threats. Iran has been clear, it will not return to the negotiating table under American pressure and threats. Kyle breaks down recent testimony by Gitmo detainee Majid Khan. Khan said his torturers needlessly shoved medical equipment into his anus and sexually abused his genitals. Khan also detailed the waterboarding and other torture he suffered. His testimony was so...
Natural Resources Make Countries Rich – DEBUNKED
https://youtu.be/NUjIIBjxQAE Indeed, even the capacity to discover natural resources depends upon institutions; countries with market-oriented institutions are far better at discovering their natural resources than countries with non-market institutions. Jason Brennan, Ph.D., Why It’s OK to Want to Be Rich (2021, Routledge) p. 115 Jason Brennan, Ph.D., is the Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, USA. He is the author of 14 books, including In Defense of Openness...
I Did Not Come To Lead Lambs, I Came To Awaken Lions
Not speaking clearly may be the first problem of politics. It is much like the old axiom, often misattributed to Burke, that for evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothing. In much of the world, conservatism has been living in fear since the last century. In Latin America, social-communism remains a plague because too many of its nations are beaten down day after day by years of compliance, of life without freedom, of criminal inertia and “populist” mafias. From Venezuela to Argentina, they have had no chance of standing up to the Bolivarian monster of the sickle, the...
Five Myths About Drone Warfare
Myth 1. It's "precision bombing" Myth 2. Drone warfare is ethical Myth 3. If the war is legal so is the weapon Myth 4. Drones are a triumph of technology Myth 5. Drones are effective Aerial bombardment has not created peaceful states, nor defeated IS, nor stopped the violent deaths of innocents, nor abated sectarian conflicts, nor alleviated suffering. These wars have led to endemic anarchy, mass exodus of civilians, death, poverty and generations living with the trauma of war. They have contributed to the rise of theocracy and jihadism. Wars rage, as millions are...
TGIF: Get Rich Quicker!
"I have observed that not the man who hopes when others despair, but the man who despairs when others hope, is admired by a large class of persons as a sage.” --John Stuart Mill, 1828 We mustn't let the wrongdoing of politicians and bureaucrats blind us to the good things going on in the world. Outside the political realm, many things are doing pretty darn well. The long-term trends for many indicators have been positive for the last couple of centuries. Short-term disturbances, most often the result of political mischief, are temporary, and the progress resumes when the politicians...