As I have now finished six of the seven Harry Potter books, and am well into the last, I thought I’d remark on two themes that made me smile, one major and one minor. The minor theme that I very much enjoyed was seeing Fred and George Weasley drop out of school and start their…
Category: Two Cents
On Assumptions about Libertarians
There are two assumptions made by non-libertarians about libertarians that bother me: 1) Bastiat nailed this one when he wrote that non-libertarians assume libertarians don’t want things like universal “education,” welfare for the poor, business regulation, and other such things just because they don’t want them provided by the state. And 2) libertarians are okay with…
On GMO Labeling
No, the government should not require that Monsanto or anybody else label for genetically-modified ingredients. But more, they also should not protect corporate decision-makers from civil suits for mislabeling their products. A genetically-modified carrot is no longer a carrot. When a company that uses modified ingredients calls them their unmodified versions, they are committing fraud.…
On Compassion
What is compassion? I say it’s looking toward someone less fortunate than yourself and feeling desirous to help them in whatever way they need most. Compassion, then, must first be intrinsically motivated, from one’s heart, and second be voluntarily displayed, as a freely chosen course of action. When the action is preceded by a threat…
On Government Bankruptcy
Government is bankrupt in two senses: 1) The individuals calling themselves “government” can’t pay back their debts (wages, entitlements, and bonds) without stealing from other individuals, proving that they are financially bankrupt, and 2) The individuals calling themselves “government” will lie, steal, and murder to maintain their illegitimate authority, proving that they are morally bankrupt.…
On Government Debt
If the only way to pay a debt is to steal the repayment funds from others, should that debt be paid? I’m sure the creditors think so. But what about the “others” from whom the repayments funds are stolen? I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t want someone to steal from me so that…
On Bullycide
Children bullies and children victims of bullies are symptoms. Parents who either neglect or bully their children are symptoms. Teachers who bully children are symptoms. Bureaucrats who bully taxvictims are symptoms. And the problem? The willingness and acceptability of using force against those unwilling to do what they’re told to do by others. It’s unfortunate…
On Nuclear Proliferation
A group of people with a stockpile of nuclear weapons (and other weapons of mass destruction, no doubt) has not the moral authority to dictate to other groups of people about possessing nuclear weapons. I don’t know if the small group of people known as the “government of Iran” seeks to create nuclear weapons or…
On Silk Road II
Though I don’t use recreational drugs, not even alcohol, the shutting down of Silk Road is lamentable. Think about it. What was Silk Road doing alongside facilitating narcotics trade? It was taking drugs off the street. And more, it was reducing drug-war-induced violence. Buyers and sellers were engaging in peaceful trade. There was no violence…
On Forced Chemotherapy
What if your daughter were sick and so-called “experts” were telling you that she needed to drink cyanide, but you understood cyanide to be poison, and these experts are foreign to you and your way of life? You don’t know them, their credentials, how or why anyone considers them experts, and they’re telling you that…