Archive for the 'Libertarianism' Category
Milton Friedman vs. Naomi Klein
MichaelW on Jan 02 2008 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Economics, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Milton Friedman Memorial Page, social science
Happy New Year! To start off the year right, let’s have a look at a mock-up of a debate between Naomi Klein, reporter-activist extraordinaire, and Milton Friedman, king of economic liberty (via Instapundit).
This video was put together by Devil’s Advocate at Copious Dissent, where you can find the others in this series.
This […]
MichaelW on Dec 19 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Philosophy
As told by Mother Jones … so yeah, it’s a little, umm, “slanted.” My favorite distortion:
1977: The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, is founded in San Francisco with funding from oil baron Charles G. Koch. The name comes from Cato’s Letters, newspaper articles written by two Englishmen using the pen name Cato the […]
MichaelW on Dec 16 2007 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Humor, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, regulation
Thaddeus Tremayne sees potential legal troubles for St. Nick in the UK:
A frosty reception awaits Santa Claus in Britain this year. It seems that the much-loved benefactor of children everywhere is, in fact, suspected of being guilty of a number of illegal practices.
The jolly fatman’s employment practices are demanding particular scrutiny:
The Equality Commission has also […]
MichaelW on Dec 15 2007 | Filed under: Libertarianism, Media, MichaelW's Page
In case you haven’t already seen it, go ahead and read this journalism professor’s condescending look at blogging. Prepare to wretch.
Supporters of “citizen journalism” argue it provides independent, accurate, reliable information that the traditional media don’t provide. While it has its place, the reality is it really isn’t journalism at all, and it opens […]
“I don’t like other people telling me what to do.”
MichaelW on Dec 05 2007 | Filed under: Environment, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Philosophy, Religion and theology
Amen.
One of the reasons I abhor communitarianism (and tend to see my political philosophy as the opposite of that) is because it vests communitarian thinkers with the self appointed power to tell me (and others) what to do. Provided, of course, that they come up with a claim to do so in the name of […]
Happy Repeal Day!
Lance on Dec 05 2007 | Filed under: Culture, History, Lance's Page, Law, Libertarianism, Society
For information on Repeal Day you can visit www.repealday.org:
The turn of the twentieth century was a dark time in America. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which had been promoting Prohibition for many years, believed alcohol was the cause of many, if not all, social ills. Mistruths like this were spread. Lines were drawn. Bars […]
Lance on Nov 19 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
Doug Mataconis notes this little bit from President Bush’s recent speech to the Federalist Society:
When the Founders drafted the Constitution, they had a clear understanding of tyranny. They also had a clear idea about how to prevent it from ever taking root in America. Their solution was to separate the government’s powers into three co-equal […]
MichaelW on Nov 09 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Glenn Greenwald's Carnival of Fisking, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page
It’s almost too easy.
McQ ably tackles Greenwald’s attempt to play dumb as to how Judge Mukasey could be confirmed by the Senate without having to face a Democratic filibuster.
Every time Congressional Democrats failed this year to stop the Bush administration (i.e., every time they “tried”), the excuse they gave was that they “need […]
Lance on Nov 04 2007 | Filed under: Economics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
Brian Doherty discussing one of his “Radicals for Capitalism,” Milton Friedman, on Reason TV.
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Lance on Nov 02 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
Considering that I voted for Ron Paul for President in 1988, I obviously have less of a problem with him than many, though his foreign policy beliefs are beyond naive. Still, I think this bit from his profile in Time is pretty funny:
Representative Tom Tancredo, another long-shot GOP candidate, tells me that after a debate […]
Lance on Nov 01 2007 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Economics, Education, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media, Milton Friedman Memorial Page
Starting this Friday, November 2nd, Free to Choose Media is continuing the work of its inspiration, Milton Friedman, of bringing the benefits of freedom to the people of this world, including its most remote corners. A new documentary, “The Ultimate Resource” which aired last Spring on HDNet is now coming to a wider audience through […]
Milton Friedman and Phil Donahue
Lance on Oct 30 2007 | Filed under: Economics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media
From the Liberty Papers:
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The Subtle Oil Shock
Lance on Oct 28 2007 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Economics, Environment, Hugo Chavez, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
It hasn’t been all that shocking. Why not? Greg Mankiw supplies a few possibilities. My favorites? Well let us start here:
In contrast to much rhetoric to the contrary, capitalism is the most powerful weapon to achieve energy efficiency we have.
He provides us with some things I am fond of, conjectures. So I will call this […]
Time to praise something admirable in politics and media
Lance on Oct 28 2007 | Filed under: Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media, regulation
It is not often that we hear people willing to face the wrongheaded aspects of a view they hold. Jack Shafer is no friend of Rupert Murdoch, but it is refreshing to hear him take apart some of the main arguments against him and his influence. Kudos to him for taking on the unthinking shibboleths […]
Dale Franks and the YAF
Lance on Oct 28 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Race, Society
Some things really tend to leave me with my mouth refusing to shut in astonishment. Now read this:
The Little Green Footballs blog decided to condemn MSU-YAF for hosting Nick Griffin. In case you do not read Little Green Footballs, the blog is pro-Muslim, left-wing, politically correct, and basically a front for neoconservative foreign policy (instead […]
Libertarians Rising?
MichaelW on Oct 19 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Society
That voters are increasingly dissatisfied with the two major political parties is undeniable. but does that necessarily translate into more support for libertarians? Michael Kinsley thinks it does:
Many people feel that neither party offers a coherent set of principles that they can agree with. For them, the choice is whether you believe in […]
Speaking of Common Sense
Lance on Oct 17 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Environment, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
While over at Megan’s I noticed a discussion she has about Bjorn Lomborg and her main criticism of him. That is that he doesn’t give enough weight to low probability, but catastrophic events. That is in fact a weakness (and she notes in his defense that it is a very contentious and difficult issue) and […]
MichaelW on Oct 15 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Law, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Military Matters, Notes on the war
Wulf at Atlas Blogged proposes a thought experiment regarding the FISA warrantless surveillance program that has been the subject of much civil libertarian hand-wringing:
Suppose the CIA wants to eavesdrop on Vladimir Putin. They don’t need a warrant. They just listen in on his phone conversations and they are legally within bounds as far as US […]
Enough Already
Lance on Oct 10 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Health Care, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media, regulation
A couple of days ago I linked to McQ and Mark Steyn on the state of knowledge about the “poor family” whose child was used by Senate Democrats in their push to expand the SCHIP program. Here is why:
The media was taking their story and basically pushing the story verbatim, no questions asked, as […]
Libertarian Foreign Policy
Keith_Indy on Sep 07 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Keith's Page, Libertarianism
Michael Young asks some interesting questions…
http://www.reason.com/news/show/120598.html
Why is it that libertarians, for whom the benchmark of political, economic and social behavior is the individual, and American libertarians in particular, find so little to say about the defense of the individual in foreign affairs? Why is it that those who have reminded us of this lacuna, those […]
Trying to find common cause on the size of the state
Lance on Sep 04 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, regulation
One of Matthew Yglesias’ salient virtues as a man of the left is that he is economically literate. I realize that his audience on the left would be much smaller if he spent more time on things like this, but it is exactly the kind of talk that the Democratic party, and the left more […]
Living History
MichaelW on Aug 31 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, History, Investing, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page
Does the blogosphere make history more relevant? Is it possible that Santayana’s famous admonishment is made less likely by bloggers routinely wielding history as a foil to those arguments favoring actions proven desultory in the past? And that’s not to mention how blogs go about correcting historical inaccuracies trotted out by our betters. […]
Katrina’s Wake - A Tale of Two Cities
MichaelW on Aug 29 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Libertarianism, Louisiana Politics, MichaelW's Page
Two years after the devastation of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still rebuilding and the politicization of the storm is still raging (emphasis added):
(CNSNews.com) - In the two years since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, the Bush administration has failed to restore the city because of its reliance […]
Just how close to economic fascism did we come?
Lance on Aug 24 2007 | Filed under: Economics, History, Lance's Page, Law, Libertarianism
We may have been closer than we think in 1935, though Nate Oman believes the threat would have receded in the light of political reality. Whatever the case, the discussion of the case of Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States is well worth reading in understanding legislatively what we came close to passing, […]
The Philosophy of Liberty
Lance on Aug 23 2007 | Filed under: Lance's Page, Libertarianism
Thanks to Tom Palmer:
He also recommends this on Communist Monopoly:
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Lessons From Delaware
MichaelW on Aug 22 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Law, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, Milton Friedman Memorial Page
It’s been said before, and I’ll reiterate it now, that if you want to reduce the amount of influence that money and special interests have over the federal government, then you need to reduce the amount of power that Washington wields. Without the power, the politicians have nothing to sell.
In that vein, Jon Henke […]
The New FISA Law
Lance on Aug 22 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Lance's Page, Law, Libertarianism
I am not qualified to judge this post on its merits, so I would appreciate some comments on XRLQ’s exegesis.
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How High to set the Bar
Lance on Aug 20 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, History, Lance's Page, Law, Libertarianism, Notes on the war
Instapundit today revisits a theme I have touched on a few times over the last year. I have maintained a pretty standard reply to claims about the awfulness of this administration. When I hear about how incompetent, dangerous, uninterested in civil liberties, uncaring about how we treat our enemies or any number of what I […]
Markets are not perfectly efficient! Oh My!
Lance on Aug 13 2007 | Filed under: Economics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
Alex Tabarrok briefly and effectively describes the problem with assertions that market theory itself shows that interventionism is warranted. This is furthering the discussion about Dani Rodrik’s argument about first best vs. second best economists (which does not mean one is better than the other, but their way of looking at things) which Tyler discusses […]
Asking The Wrong Question
MichaelW on Aug 09 2007 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Economics, Foreign affairs, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, social science
“Is government the answer?”
That’s probably not a question unfamiliar to most readers of ASHC, and it’s not the “wrong question” referred to in the title. In fact, I routinely present my arguments with that question as the implied premise. Unfortunately, it’s not the question asked, either explicitly or implicitly, by those who set […]
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