Episode 442 has Skyler giving follow-up commentary on Episode 433, his response to Richard Wolff after his debates with David Friedman and Gene Epstein. This episode picks apart definitions for capitalism and socialism and shows how even the most horrible dictators and slaveowners in human history can be considered capitalists if we pervert words and concepts thoroughly enough.
Tag: history
Hey, Hey, FDA! How Many Americans Have You Killed Since May?
COVID-19 has killed more than 300,000 Americans , more than 2/3 of them since the end of May, by which time the Moderna vaccine was deemed safe. How many of those deaths might have been avoided if FDA had allowed Moderna to begin selling, and health providers to begin administering, the vaccine six months ago?
Take Back Your Own Responsibility
People have the responsibility to run their business without intentionally causing harm. Customers have the responsibility to choose which businesses to use. Anyone who dictates how other people’s businesses must be run is violating their responsibility to not harm others.
Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?
President Donald Trump should pardon Edward Snowden. Who? I know, it’s embarrassing—Assange, Manning, Snowden… Who did what?
Welfare for the Wealthier? What Else is New?
The main function of the state is to redistribute wealth from the productive class to the political class. That’s inherently an upward redistribution, and the “middle class” is half-fish, half-fowl: Partly productive class, partly a hodgepodge of political constituencies well-positioned to grab a share of the grift as bribes for their continuing support.
2020: I’m So Sick of Superlatives
Lately it seems everything has to be described in a superlative manner. Natural disaster. War. Police violence. Political craziness. You name it, we just can’t seem to accept that it’s part of a continuum. Everything absolutely, positively must be the mostest or the worstest of its kind, ever.
Yes, the Election Was Rigged. No, Not Like That.
It wasn’t rigged to benefit a particular person. It was rigged to preserve a system: The post-World-War-Two, military-industrial complex-centered “consensus” system.
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.
Don’t Believe the Hype About ‘Socially Responsible’ Investing
Want to make money and help the world, too? Wall Street says you can!
There Ain’t No Such Thing As a “Must-Pass” Bill
“Congress,” The Hill reports, “is barreling toward a veto showdown with President Trump over the mammoth must-pass annual defense policy bill.” At issue: The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which as usual has little to do with actual defense.