Legends and Prodigies

I just got back from the Ludwig von Mises Institute’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. What a truly wonderful event. But, I have to make one point clear: Do not believe for a moment that name of the event implies that the movement started by Mises is 25 years old. It’s not. In fact, the movement is much, much younger.

Mises at 25

I’m blogging only because I couldn’t get a seat at the Ron Paul luncheon today, held as part of the 25th anniversary celebration in New York. It seems that hundreds of people have been hanging out in the streets outside the hotel here in Grand Central station, in hopes have seeing Ron. It is only a slight look at the excitement that his campaign has generated. As regards the luncheon today, it was schedule long before anyone knew of his intentions concerning the nomination.

How about banning tanks, jet fighters and submarines?

The Australian government has decided to fight against energy consumption: by banning “most plasma and LCD HDTVs by the year 2011.” However, rather than punishing consumers and ultimately future innovators, if the goal of a government is to crack down on all “wasted” energy consumption, why not start with the highly unproductive and inefficient construction of military vehicles.

The Confused Socialism of Oscar Wilde

Like many intellectuals at the turn of the 19th century, Oscar Wilde was both interested in the problems of society and a proponent of socialism. Though Wilde was more concerned with criticizing Victorian society via his satirical works than puzzling over the problems of social organization, he did briefly examine social philosophy in his little-known essay, The Soul of Man Under Socialism. Wilde’s approach is hardly praxeological — in fact, he assays the problem of socialism from the perspective of an artist rather than an economist or philosopher — but nevertheless, his essay is instructive, and has much to teach about both the confusion of the intellectuals vis à vis socialism, and, ironically enough, about the problems of state power in general. What makes Wilde’s essay so remarkable is that, even as he errs regarding his arguments, upon closer examination one observes that he in fact possesses deep insights that might remain hidden to the casual reader.

The UAW’s Gamble

At the time I write this, the United Autoworkers Union just ended a seven-hour strike against Chrysler — thus ending the walking off of jobs by workers and the restriction by threat of violence of those who would have tried to take their place. Those are, after all, the two characteristics of a strike. You don’t work, and you physically threaten those who want to. Unions are, as Rothbard noted, the only organization in society besides the government with the legal right to use coercive force on adults. Unions in the United States were given this right with the passage of the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932.

What do spam and the mafia have in common?

A couple days ago, Alexey Tolstokozhev, a Russian spammer was found murdered. The crime scene investigators have ruled it as a probable mob hit (due to the placement of bullets). Alexey was not just any spammer, as it turns out he may be responsible for up to 30% of all viagra and “enlargement” spam. While I certainly don’t condone murdering anyone, the money quote is too good to pass up:

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