Decades before the socialists gained power, Eugen Richter saw the writing on the wall. The great tragedy of the 20th century is that the world had to learn about totalitarian socialism from bitter experience, instead of Richter's inspired novel. Many failed to see the truth until the Berlin Wall went up. By then, alas, it was too late.
He represented the liberal movement that embraced all civilized nations. Malice has now been replaced by neglect.
"All the portions served out are of the same size. One insatiable fellow today who asked for more was rightly served by being heartily laughed at. For what more deadly blow could be leveled at one of the fundamental principles of equality?"
"There can be no such thing as a Keynesian state on the gold standard, any more then a cocaine addict or compulsive gambler can be on a strict budget."
Sadly, the Federal Minimum Wage Act of 2007 and the proposed Free of Fees for Carry-On Act are but two of a myriad of examples of how legislators exploit private business in the name of protecting their constituents.
"Everyone who opposed his views, according to Laffemas, was selfish, ignorant, and/or a traitor, and should be dealt with accordingly. All who disobeyed the regulations and prohibitions should suffer confiscation of their goods as well as death."
Freethought, de Cleyre wrote, was "the right to believe as the evidence, coming in contact with the mind, forces it to believe. This implies the admission of any and all evidence bearing upon any subject."
"In 1943 the Census Bureau divulged data that was used to identify Japanese Americans, who were then confined in concentration camps for the remaining duration of World War II — a fact that was suppressed by the bureau for over 50 years."
In my last Plumb Line (February 1979), I wrote of the problem that the space cadet wing of the Libertarian Party poses to the party’
"Most of the essays in this book imagine radical new possibilities of living outside the status quo. Or perhaps we should say statist quo…"
