When Hugo Chavez began ruling Venezuela, he sounded like a classic bleeding-heart – full of pity for the poor and downtrodden. Plenty of people took him at his words – not just Venezuelans, but much of the international bleeding-heart community. By the time Chavez died, however, many admirers were already having second thoughts about his dictatorial tendencies.
Tag: government
Common Law, Toxic Masculinity, Motivation, Entitlements, & Empathy (28m) – Episode 276
Episode 276 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: the development of common law in a free society; the communication problems surrounding the phrase “toxic masculinity”; the superiority of intrinsic motivation; the preferred entitlements of both small government and big government proponents; whether or not our ability to empathize with others has been stunted; and more.
“Deep State” Isn’t What You Think
You’ve probably been hearing about the “deep state” recently, with some pundits saying it’s a danger and others saying it doesn’t even exist. It’s real, but it’s not the conspiracy theory some would have you believe. Its reality shouldn’t be controversial; it’s there for everyone to see and experience.
The Fired Next Time: A “Shutdown” Proposal
I’ve got a better idea. Instead of taking off work in support of furloughed federal employees, why not seize the jobs those employees are doing and free the employees, and the customers, from the competing manipulations of Donald Trump, Charles Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi?
Government Needs No Money to Curtail Pollution
People often complain that government isn’t spending enough money fighting pollution. Even many economists repeat this complaint. That’s very odd, because standard market failure theory tells us that governments don’t need any money to fight pollution.
The Delphi Technique
Whereas the Delphi Technique is intended for honest and scientific use, most bureaucrats have perfected a sub-technique to foil the use of the technique. It is like the rule of thumb for lawyers — don’t ask any question for which you don’t already know the answer.
Wilson’s Government “Job”
He had been stopped by a cop at some point, and ticketed for something. Probably “driving without a license”, but I’m not certain of that (I do know he never had a driver’s license as long as I knew him). Part of his “fine” was community “service” at the recycling center– I think he was there for a couple of months. (I met him during his stint at the recycling center.)
Venezuela: None of Our Business
How Venezuelans choose to conduct their political affairs never has been and is not now the business of the US government. One need support neither Maduro nor Guaido to reach this conclusion. It’s simply not up to Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Marco Rubio, or any other American politician to run Venezuela.
The FDA’s Assault on Tobacco Consumers
We’ve all heard horror stories about the run-amok regulatory state. Enabled by open-ended statutes passed by Congress and signed by presidents, regulatory agencies have acquired virtual carte blanche to write rules governing peaceful behavior. Even when a seemingly narrow purpose has been set out, regulatory rule-making has engaged in mission-creep with alarming frequency.
Addicts Can’t Think Outside Their Box
No part of statism is a given. Any of it can be eliminated; all of it can be eliminated. That one part of it excuses another part doesn’t mean you have to keep either part. Ditch them both. It’s the sensible thing to do.