How does one become a principled non-voter? It was an evolution that occurred alongside my journey toward voluntaryism. I know plenty of libertarians and voluntaryists that still vote, however, so I don’t believe it’s inevitable that this journey will result as it has for me. So here it is, the step-by-step guide to explain exactly why I didn’t vote this November.
Tag: libertarian
Propping Up State Violence
Libertarian anarchy, which grew out of classical liberalism and pushed it to its logical conclusion in favor of the complete privatization of economic life and the phasing out of the state, continued for a long time to be as cosmopolitan as its antecedent doctrine. But in recent years some anarchists have been misled by twisted and fantastical constructs to suppose that so long as states persist, they ought to employ their powers to keep migrants out and preserve some sort of imagined national cultural purity.
The Trap of Niceness
Many libertarians try to err on the side of niceness. I think that’s praiseworthy. It’s nice to be nice. But, what worries me is that misplaced niceness makes the bad guys believe that they really aren’t doing anything all that bad. If no one is willing to call you out on what you’re doing, then it must not really…
Racist “Libertarian” Nationalists
A Facebook group I was recently added to, with “libertarian” in the name, seems to mostly be a hangout for “white supremacists/nationalists” who want to pretend their stance is somehow “libertarian“. One recent post in the group claimed that since “94% of libertarians” are “white”, a libertarian best serves his/her own interests by making sure to only do business with “white-owned” businesses.
“Sanction”: The Triumph of Ayn Rand’s Worst Idea
Ayn Rand is widely hated. Indeed, if you made a list of thinkers that people “love to hate,” she’d be near the top of the list. Liberals hate her. Conservatives hate her. Socialists hate her. Indeed, plenty of libertarians hate her. It’s hardly surprising, then, that she has not been broadly influential. While she has…
There’s No Place Like Home
Do you only have rights when on your own real estate? What if you don’t own any real estate? Do you then have no rights? That seems to be the implication.
“Birthright Citizenship” Kerfuffle is Mostly a Get Out The Vote Tactic
In a late October interview with news website Axios, US president Donald Trump announced his intention to sign an executive order doing away with “birthright citizenship” — the notion that persons born on US soil are citizens from birth with no need for any naturalization process.
Birthright Citizenship – Just and Justified
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. So says section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. With the impeccable timing we’re accustomed to, Donald Trump says he will sign an executive…
The Pittsburgh Double Bind: Presidents Shouldn’t Be So Important
If we’re going to have a president, why not keep him or her in Washington — at a desk with a stack of paperwork, away from television cameras and smartphones — instead of centering every aspect of public life around his or her actions and utterances?
Yes, Things Have Been This Bad Before; In Fact, They’ve Been Far Worse
The president of the United States is fear-mongering over the approach of a convoy of Latin American immigrants to get his “base” to the polls. His Democratic opponents are pretending that every Republican voter is a potential mail-bomber, for the same purpose.