I’ve opposed nativist know-nothings for decades, for many reasons. Their theory of wall-building-as-panacea rests on many shifting assertions, including the belief that immigrants necessarily vote for more government, and/or necessarily vote Democrat.
Author: Papa Libertarian
Against Intellectual Property
This will raise the ire of some libertarians, but I can see no merit in arguments that a copy of the product of one’s mental effort is “property.”
Cooperation vs. Interventionism
Henry J. Gomez of buzzfeed recently wrote an article about libertarianism. To his credit, he mostly describes libertarian foreign politics as non-interventionist – except for one awful passage: “libertarians believe […] less-interventionist, more-isolationist themes.” No, no, a thousand times no.
Life Outside the Cloister
Every time a person asks how homeschoolers learn about relationships or socialization, I think that some folks must believe a) that homeschooled kids must be stuck in the home all day, since their own experience is with being stuck in a cloister, and b) they must not realize that lots of life actually happens outside that tiny cloister in which they spent most of their early lives.
Shut Up and Stand on Command
What makes America different from North Korea or Communist China or Thailand? In all three countries, criticism of the government is forbidden, and worship of the symbols of state is mandatory.
Children and Developed Nations
Do developed societies have fewer children? What does it mean to be “developed,” in today’s world? The thing most developed in such nations is the government. It’s big, costly, and intrusive.
Border Collectivization
When you and I separately define the borders of our individual properties, we define them for ourselves only. You and I may allow or exclude whomever we please. We may make different choices for ourselves, but may not impose those choices on each other. National immigration controls take that choice away from us.
Arbitrary Wagon Wheel Education
Have you ever asked yourself why children are compelled to attend some kind of school – including home education – for exactly 180 days per year, and study particular state-mandated subjects, and blah blah blah?
A Poor Way to Measure an Economy
After every disaster, we are told that there will be economic benefits due to the cleanup efforts. It’s obvious that many people will be working to rebuild, and will collect salaries, and will spend on all sorts of things. No doubt, there will be a blip in the local “domestic product.” But if that’s the entire story, why wait for a disaster? Why not take a wrecking ball to your own city, in order to spur demand and production?
Lies, Damned Lies, and Aggregates
“In economic theory, a high level of aggregation conceals a multitude of sins. The more removed a concept is from genuine, individual, economic choice, the more misleading it is likely to be.”