It is easy to hold fond sentiments of humanity and the majority of individuals when government is small (or non-existent). People are just trying to get along, provide for themselves and carve a small niche in this world. Any shortcomings, delusions, flaws, or misplaced emotions can often be disregarded and ignored. We can see our shared humanity and have empathy for each other’s existence. Once large government comes around things radically change.
Tag: democracy
Trading Places
“What protection teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.” –Henry George When Donald Trump can propose tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, washing machines, and solar-panels without being roundly booed off the stage, one has to wonder if reason has any…
Capitalism vs. Socialism: The Bruenig-Caplan Debate
“Capitalism” and “socialism” – what do these words even mean? You could just say that capitalism is the economic system of countries like the United States, and socialism is the economic system of countries like the former Soviet Union. In that case, I’d say that capitalism is at least ok, while socialism is hell on earth. Perhaps my opponent would even agree! It’s more fruitful, though, to treat capitalism and socialism as positions on the ideal economic system. Something like: the capitalist ideal is that government plays very little role in the economy – and the socialist ideal is that government plays the leading role in the economy. In that case, I say that capitalism is awesome, and socialism is terrible.
Racialism is Bogus
“The Unwelcome Revival of Race Science” is far longer than need be, and carries a certain amount of unnecessary political baggage, but nonetheless, there’s some gold among the dross.
The Tragicomedy of Russiagate
Let’s assume — purely for the sake of discussion since no evidence has been made public — that the Russians did it. Note, first, that the “it” looks like the product of the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. I’m not going to do what Johnstone, Glenn Greenwald, Aaron Maté, and the late Robert Parry have done so well so many times, namely, catalog all the inane acts the Putin-guided Russian intel agencies are said to have committed in order to bring down America. (Start here.) Suffice it to say that if that’s the best Putin can come up with, we have little to worry about.
Raining on the Parade
Some people have proposed that Trump’s parade be postponed until all the wars the U.S. government is waging are finished and the troops are back home. That would indeed be an indefinite postponement, and I wouldn’t want to see a parade even then. But if that’s the price for ending those imperial wars, I’ll take it.
Statist Apologetics
You can’t justify your evil actions by finding others who did worse. You’ve got to straighten up and stop doing wrong even if no one else joins you. Don’t do evil.
My Theory on Democracy
While reading the first few pages of Jason Brennan’s Against Democracy recently, the idea came to me (not directly from what I was reading, mind you) that the advent of modern democracy may have been the result of a desire by the landowning class to control the means of expropriation.
Twit to Twat Tweet
It may seem strange to devote an entire article to one little “Tweet” from “God Emperor Trump” (a.k.a. the Orange Fuhrer), but one in particular is definitely worthy of a little psychoanalysis—a fitting term here, since we will be analyzing a psycho.
Stupider than Sheep
Sheep, we may presume, do not believe that their shepherd, who decides when to shear and when to slaughter them, acts in their best interest and accordingly seeks only to protect, preserve, and enhance the quality of their fold and grazing range. Sheep thereby demonstrate that they are not so easily bamboozled as humans.