This winter, I’m a visiting scholar at the University of Texas. Though Austin is gorgeous, visitors can’t help but notice vast homeless villages scattered throughout the city. Local sources tell me that this is driven by Austin’s repeal of the ban on homeless camping. One of the economists I’ve met here has written a Swiftian proposal for reforming Austin’s approach. The author prefers to remain anonymous, but this is printed with his permission. Engage your sense of satire, and enjoy!
Tag: behavior
Gun Control Doesn’t Stop Shooters
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Lubbock for a while. Before heading home I stopped by a Lubbock Walmart so I could grab a few items without being herded like a cow through a chute. As it happens, I missed a fatal shooting there by moments. I was almost surely still in the parking lot when the tragic crime occurred.
Feeling a Little Extra Freedom Lately
Did you just feel a little breeze of extra freedom? I felt it. Why would I feel a bit freer than I did a couple of months ago? How could this happen? It’s mental freedom. Freedom from caring what government does or says.
COVID-19 Lockdowns: Liberty and Science
The Chinese Coronavirus (COVID-19) hit American shores — officially, anyway, there is significant evidence that it arrived earlier — in late January 2020. The American public was then told that a two-week shutdown of the economy would “flatten the curve,” relieving the pressure on hospital intensive care units and saving lives in the long run. The average American, including conservatives,…
Life-Years Lost: The Quantity and The Quality
A few weeks ago, the NYT reported that “The Coronavirus Has Claimed 2.5 Million Years of Potential Life.” If you read the original study, you’ll discover one crucial caveat: The authors’s calculations assume that COVID victims would have had the standard life expectancy for Americans of their age. They freely admit that this is unrealistic and inflates their estimate.
Being Normal
I’ve always been weird, but at this point in my life I feel like I understand non-weird people quite well. If you’re still baffled, my weird friends, one simple principle captures most of what you need to know.
Impossible Simplicity
It’s incredibly fundamental and basic, isn’t it? Don’t physically attack anyone, and don’t steal or destroy what belongs to them. And aside from those two rules, do whatever the fuck you please. And don’t ask permission.
Every Four Years, The Same Old Thing
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in an infinite presidential time loop? Every four years I watch it repeat, but no one else seems to notice.
The Freedom to Do What Sounds Wrong
Friends of freedom routinely defend the right to do wrong. “If you’re only free to do good things, what freedom do you really have?” Yet on reflection, this sorely underrates the value of freedom. Yes, the freedom to do bad things is important. Much more important, though, is the freedom to do good things that sound bad.
Tolerance, Approval are Different Things
There are things I don’t approve of but don’t have the right to stop others from doing. I may tolerate these behaviors for my own peace of mind while doing what I can to protect myself; including self-defense when necessary.