In 1943, as collectivist policies were ascendant, an extraordinary thing happened. Three women published three books that year that would jolt Americans from their socialist stupor and remind them of the fundamental American values of individual liberty, limited government, free-market capitalism, and entrepreneurship. This Women’s History Month is an ideal time to reflect on how Rose Wilder Lane, Isabel Paterson, and Ayn Rand helped to catalyze the 20th century libertarian movement.
Tag: corruption
What’s Wrong with the Welfare State
What is wrong with the welfare state? The two biggest flaws stem from its nature as a government institution.
Allan’s Journey, Bitcoin, Face Masks in One Lesson (1h6m) – Episode 443
Episode 443 welcomes Allan Stevo to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: writing for over a decade and a half; what libertarianism means to him; free thinking and heterodoxy; being impressed by Ron Paul and working to promote his campaigns; Chicago corruption is acceptable as long the streets get cleared of snow; started a bitcoin exchange in New York City in 2013 (documentary), killed by BitLicense awhile later; hosted a bitcoin debate between Andrew Schiff and Jeffrey Tucker; his praise for Irwin Schiff; writing for LewRockwell.com; his new book Face Masks in One Lesson; the Lesson; the convenience of phrases like “I can’t safely wear a mask” and “I have a medical exemption from the County”; dealing with other patrons attacking you for not wearing a mask; safety reasons not to wear masks, including criminal deterrence; the importance of strengthening your resistance muscles; and more.
Be Grateful for Capitalism This Thanksgiving
If government controlled the production of turkeys and toilet paper, this would be a very unhappy holiday.
Impasse
I’ve spent over 30 years arguing about ideas. During those decades, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve changed my mind. I’ve changed minds. Normally, however, arguing about ideas is fruitless. Tempers fray. Discussion goes in circles. Each and every mental corruption that Philip Tetlock has explored rears its ugly epistemic head. You even lose friends.
Aphorisms in Honor of Liberty, Part Six (25m) – Episode 385
Episode 385 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following aphorisms written by Jakub Bożydar Wiśniewski: “A fool believes that the market makes profits corrupting. A person of reason knows that it makes corruption unprofitable.”; “A democratic state is a device for feeding off society by pitting it against itself.”; “A fool finds intolerable the inequality of wealth between the capitalist and the laborer. A person of reason finds intolerable the inequality of rights between the state and the individual.”; “Happiness is the ability to stay intrinsically motivated to exist.”; “Aesthetic maturity is the ability to deliberately ignore the fashionable without turning it into a fashion statement.”; “A successful prediction is a mental journey to the least impossible of the future worlds.”
Politicians vs. Small Businesses
It’s bad enough when politicians kill businesses with COVID-19 shutdowns. It’s worse if they kill a business because the owner won’t give money to their friends.
Placing The Solutions Off-Limits
“How can we solve this or that problem? Oh, and you’re not allowed to change anything that matters! That would be crazy!”
Found somewhere on the internet
“How can we solve this or that problem? Oh, and you’re not allowed to change anything that matters! That would be crazy!”
How often do you see this kind of thing from statists? All the time? I do.
They’…
Your New Ideology Probably Won’t Make You Better
It’s no new insight to say that the loudest proponents of virtuous utopia often lack virtue themselves. I only want to confess to the same sin.
The Deeper the Disagreement, the Higher the Stakes, the More Important the Honesty
Man, I thought the culture wars were bad when I was a kid. It’s cliche to say now that people are more divided along political lines than ever, so I’ll spare you. You know it. And that divide is particularly evident when people try to communicate with each other.