I could be wrong, but I suspect alchemy gradually evolved into science because of alchemists keeping the stuff that worked and tossing out the stuff that didn’t. The magic failed, but the occasional experiment succeeded, It was a process. No one intended to abandon alchemy; it just happened over time. In a parallel way, politics is alchemy; libertarianism is science.
Author: Kent McManigal
Sorry, Scott: “Climate Change” is a Power Grab
On a recent podcast, Scott Adams almost had a meltdown when confronted by the evidence that many of his listeners believe “climate change” hysteria is all about a power grab by those promoting it. He says this means people have been hypnotized by the media they get their news from.
Awareness Often First Step Towards Liberty
Harriet Tubman, the 19th Century abolitionist, is quoted as saying, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed more if only they knew they were slaves.” It’s the libertarian’s dilemma. People don’t like to notice their chains even when that’s about all it would take to break them. It’s too painful to admit they aren’t as free as they should be, so they don’t.
Bad Decisions
I said that even if a good person becomes a cop, they are no longer a good person once they put on that badge. They can’t be. I said I cared about the person and her family too much to support such a tragic choice. I was scoffed at for saying it was a tragic choice.
Pro-Crime People
I see this delusion all the time. People support the largest organized crime gang in existence– the Blue Line Gang— and pretend it’s because they hate crime. That makes no sense whatsoever.
You Don’t Get to Avoid Consequences
The best you can do, in my opinion, is to not do things that make you feel guilty– which make you feel like you can’t live with yourself– and let the pieces fall where they may.
Pigeons Do One Thing Right
A few days ago I saw a small flock of pigeons flying beside the road. All the pigeons were the same standard pigeon color, except for one. He was light brown with white wings– beautiful, for a pigeon. The different pigeon was still part of the flock. He wanted to belong. The others were fine with…
“Tax Debt”
There’s no more ridiculous a phrase than “tax debt”. You can no more have a “tax debt” than you can be in debt to a mugger who didn’t get all the money he wanted from you during the mugging.
Statist Misrepresents Laissez-Faire
“Sorry, libertarians. You are wrong. We know laissez-faire doesn’t work, because it means there are no rules. You have to have some government, just not centralized control, because that doesn’t work, either.”
You Can’t Have Civil Rights Both Ways
People who want their rights as gun owners respected often advocate a massive government welfare program, carried out through taxation and land theft, in order to build a border wall, which violates the right of association and the right of people to move about freely. They also demand a police state where you can be stopped and checked for your papers.