I don’t believe the “United States” has very much to do with a good vision of America. The bureaucrats and the enforcers typically just control, manipulate, and harass. The politicians grandstand, and the legislation corrupts and impoverishes. The corporate types join in. But there’s a whole lot more to America than the government, the big corporations, or the culture wars. I catch little glimpses of this “hidden America” here and there.
Tag: america
Moral Approximates
Careful examination of real-world conflict does occasionally uncover not moral equivalents, but moral approximates. Though the two sides’ moral status is not precisely equal, they are morally more-or-less the same.
Freedom for $5.30 — and This Time Mexico Really is Paying For It
No matter how much money politicians like Trump spend trying to restrain and impoverish the people they stole it from, those seeking freedom and prosperity find ways to win through — and to do so for far less.
The Badassity of Migrant Workers
Imagine traveling all the way from Guatemala to Maine to pick blueberries, or from Nicaragua to Alberta to tend cattle, or from Mexico to Washington to harvest hops. There are people who do this, and they are badasses.
Entanglements II
George Washington spoke, “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.” I was reminded of this when I recently read an article covering the revelation of how lost America is in matters of foreign policy.
Caplans of the Caribbean
I just returned from cruising the Caribbean on Anthem of the Seas. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Fortunately, no coronavirus panic marred our vacation, and the concluding scare at the dock turned out to be a false alarm. Though I’d seen a little of the Caribbean before, this trip was a heavy dose: after a stop at San Juan, Puerto Rico, we sailed on to St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts. Here are my social science reflections.
State of the Union: No, Nick, Your Children Owe Nothing
No, Nick, your children don’t owe $70,633 each to the US government’s creditors. Nor do you or your wife Valerie. Nor do I. Nor does anyone reading this column who’s not a current or former president, vice-president, or member of Congress. The only people who owe the $23 trillion “national debt” are the people who borrowed the money.
Nadine Strossen: Resisting Hate Speech with Free Speech (1h34m)
This episode features an interview of law professor Nadine Strossen from 2018 by Thaddeus Russell, host of the Unregistered Podcast. She was the president of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008, and has written, taught, and advocated extensively in the areas of constitutional law and civil liberties. Her newest book, HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, is available for sale.
Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough
The future of parental choice and educational freedom is bright.
If the Only Way You Can Get Your Great Idea Implemented…
Economics textbooks are full of clever-and-appealing policy proposals. Proposals like: “Let’s redistribute money to the desperately poor” and “Let’s tax goods with negative externalities.” They’re so clever and so appealing that it’s hard to understand how any smart, well-meaning person could demur. When you look at the real world, though, you see something strange: Almost no one actually pushes for the textbooks’ clever-and-appealing policy proposals.