Political Theory

It is vital — indeed, it is literally a life-and-death matter — that Americans be able to look as coolly and clear-sightedly, as free from myth, at

The advocates of free-market economics almost invariably pin the blame for government intervention solely on erroneous ideas—that is, on incorrect ideas about which policies will advance the public weal.

More than the anti-Soviet protests of the late 1980s, the Egyptian uprisings reveal what might eventually come home to the American empire itself, under the right conditions and at the right time.

The support of libertarians for big business is another debunked myth. So long as these enterprises are compatible with genuine free-market capitalism, fine. But because so many seek subsidies, bailouts, and other forms of coerced largesse, they do not carry the banner of libertarianism.

The Cold War was an unprecedented form of peacetime socialism, designed to appeal to big business, and Eisenhower became its spokesman. Savvy libertarians knew exactly what was going on and supported Cold War opponent Robert Taft.

[Free Life: The Journal of the Libertarian Alliance, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1984)]

A curious thing is happening in this extraordinary election year. The liberals are beginning to adjust to Ronald Reagan. After all, they claim, he's getting more moderate, he'll have to shift to the center to win the election, and he was a moderate and "flexible" governor of California for eight years. Maybe he won't be that bad, certainly not as erratic as Carter.

The danger looming before the Western world is a possible outcome of the gradual drift of traditionally free-enterprise countries toward a totalitarian concentration of economic power due to reactions to “stagflation.”

If the newly elected budget "hawks" really wanted to impress us, they could refuse to raise the debt ceiling. Then they and their colleagues would have no choice but to start slashing.

What's weird is the world of <i>National Review</i>, where it troubles no one to call for huge spending cuts and slashing government at the domestic level while defending the worst form of global imperialism abroad, complete with reflexive defenses of every violation of human rights and liberty.