Editor’s Break 108 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: violent radicalism and the religion of Islam; why people become NPCs (non-player characters), and how to avoid becoming one; the ins and and outs of on-demand food delivery and why you should maximize your earnings; and more.
Day: November 12, 2018
On Constitutions
I learned early on in my journey toward voluntaryism that “constitutional limits” were a temporary hurdle at best and totally invisible at worst in “chaining” down the state authority-expanding actions of opportunistic politicians and bureaucrats.
Blindly Trusting the Experts
Years ago, my mother went to amazing lengths to provide formula for my baby brother. She boiled glass bottles; she boiled nipples; she boiled water to make formula, she boiled the spoon to mix it. My wife nursed our children, and my daughter nurses hers; this was “radical” 35 years ago, but is pretty “mainstream” today.
The World Would Be a Great Deal Better
I’m not a moral philosopher or a theologian. I was once a half-decent economic historian, but that’s another story. Anyhow, I’m going to offer you a few words of unsolicited moral advice along with some observations on the nature of the world in which you live. You may not need this advice, in which case I apologize for bothering you, but it’s clear that many people do need it.
The Gift of Gab: Pennsylvania AG Abuses Authority to Chill Internet Speech
On November 8, Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro’s office issued a subpoena to web host and domain registrar Epik, “pursuant to “an ongoing civil investigation.” The subpoena demands “any and all documents which are related in any way to Gab.” The only plausible purpose of this subpoena is to intimidate those who might provide microphones to speakers Josh Shapiro doesn’t want the rest of us to hear.
Theft Makes “Society” Happy
Is it good to take your property from you if doing so makes me feel good, and makes the person I give it to feel good? What if almost everyone says they are made happier when I take your property?
I Kinda Understand Ancestor Worship Now
I remember first hearing about the ancestor worship practiced in some world cultures. I was bemused – clearly this was a silly superstition – one of the sillier religious beliefs that wasn’t mine. But now the phenomenon of ancestor worship is starting to make a little more sense as I get older.
The Siren of Democratic Fundamentalism
Every economics textbook explain how market outcomes can go wrong. Externalities. Monopoly. Asymmetric information. Irrationality. Democratic outcomes can easily go wrong for all the same reasons. Is it possible that Scandinavians simply underestimate the severity of the disincentives their policies generate?