On Underwriting an Evil
When I vote for the candidate who promises me betterment in my economic condition, I am condoning and encouraging some form of robbery. That does not square with my moral values.
Economic Nationalism Is a Philosophy of War
The eternal mystery of African poverty
The country of Botswana has a per capita income of $13,392 — one of the highest in Africa. (It’s neighbor’s GDPs are closer to $1000/year) This is remarkable because culturally, Botswana is much like any other Sub-Saharan African country in dealing with issues such as the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rate and millions of refuges from Zimbabwe. If you want to know why Africa lags behind the rest of the world, there’s no need to study colonialism, psychology, tribal myths, political bickering, natural resources, or racial IQ levels.
Frank Chodorov, Nonvoter
If we don’t seek to use the vote to steer American society away from the direction in which it has been moving for all these many decades, what do we do instead? For Chodorov, that was a question very easily answered: we put our efforts into education.
About Socialism and Socialists
In every country the socialists have become office seekers, aiming to get hold of the reins of government by parliamentary methods, and for no other purpose than to enjoy the prerogatives and perquisites of office.
Introduction to Libertarian Legal Theory
Libertarianism is both old and new. It is rooted in ancient ideas of natural justice, fairness, peace, and cooperation. You could even say that any civilized society is already somewhat libertarian. After all, civilization requires peace and cooperation, which imply respect for others’ rights. This is what the libertarian seeks.
I Watch Westerns
The characters are rugged individuals — ingenious in their ability to fend for themselves, under all manner of adverse conditions — and asking for help from nobody.
Comparative History and Innumeracy at the Margin
Bryan Caplan and David Henderson have put together a set of very interesting and provocative posts at Econlog that deserve comment. First, Caplan has been reading Ralph Raico’s splendid Great Wars and Great Leaders: A Libertarian Rebuttal, which incidentally is the first book I’ve read from cover to cover on my iPad. Second, Henderson points out the importance of numeracy and innumeracy in shaping our understanding of policy.
Rethinking Charity
Charity is big business. Americans gave more than $307.75 billion to their favorite causes in 2009. That’s impressive, considering the prevailing economic conditions of that year.
Rise of the Free-Market Zombies
If we are going to look at the current, dismal economy and blame somebody’s policies for it, surely we can acquit Ron Paul. That doesn’t by itself prove that Ron Paul’s views are correct, but it certainly casts doubt on Krugman’s constant claims.
