Episode 270 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: what lookism is and why it’s absurd; his view on colonizing Mars and the space program; why parental expectations of children should begin and end with joy; the infinite number of genders in the world; why markets are best suited toward bringing about egalitarian ideals; and more.
Day: January 18, 2019
On Entitlements
An entitlement in the context of government is a promise of something, be it a good, a service, or money. Because government only has resources it has first taken from other people, the fulfillment of entitlements requires future takings.
They Miss Economic Concepts and Incentives
I think I am a better choir director than I am a pest control businessman. However, I make much more as a businessman because the market forces at work value a good businessman more than a great music director. Even if I am better at one task, I am more valuable to people’s subjective preferences at another.
Reflections from my Panama Cruise, II
Falmouth had the most lavish port shopping area; I’d compare it to Reston, Virginia. The area beyond, though thinly inhabited, was fairly poor, but with quite a few middle-class homes mixed in. Our tour guide said that many Jamaicans spend years building their own homes so they can live rent-free (but not property-tax-free) for life.
America’s War Culture
For most of the opinion-making class in America today, war is the default position. Representatives of establishment newspapers and TV news operations are not likely to grill someone who favors U.S. military intervention somewhere — anywhere. He or she will have no burden of proof to sustain. But those who oppose a new war or call for an end to an existing one are sure to be treated like oddballs if not traitors.
Are Your Dreams Keeping up with You?
Whenever you follow a dream, it leads to new observations, discoveries, and relationships. These experiences will modify your sense of what is possible and what is preferable. To chase after a dream is to undertake a surprising and challenging process of personal transformation.
By Excluding The Good Guys
One of the justifications most commonly used by borderists for property rights-violating, violent government “border security”, including theft-funded walls and such, is that it will make it harder for people to cross, and any “friction” applied to the process will reduce the total numbers of people crossing. As a result, they claim to believe this will reduce the total number of bad guys getting into America. Theirs is a faulty argument.