Episode 407 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/shitstatistssay: @TikTokInvestors shares, “So capitalism is an economic system based on infinite ‘growth’ and infinite consumption…”; buttstuff_magoo writes, “In fact, not paying taxes is as communist as it gets. It’s free riding and profiting off of the contributions of others while contributing nothing yourself.”; Stunning_Capital writes, “I don’t see anything un-libertarian about repealing Section 230. These companies are protected from defamation suits on the grounds that they merely provide a public square. Well if they don’t want to provide a public square, that’s fine, but then they should be held liable for defamation just like the rest of us.”; and @omidG9 tweets, “Well one reason congress doesn’t work is libertarians don’t know how to run a government so they just blame the institution instead of themselves”.
Tag: liberty
The Great Barrington Declaration (24m) – Episode 406
Episode 406 has Skyler giving his commentary on The Great Barrington Declaration, “a proposal drafted at the American Institute for Economic Research in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and signed there on October 4th, 2020. It advocates an alternative, risk-based approach to the COVID-19 pandemic that involves “Focused Protection” of those most at risk and seeks to avoid or minimize the societal harm of lockdowns.” Skyler signed the declaration as a “concerned citizen” after recording this episode.
Extremists Should Keep Politics to Themselves
Of all the political ideas I’m puzzled by — which is all of them — the ideas of White Supremacy and White Nationalism are among the most bizarre.
Liberty Quotes: Don Freeman, Devin Lowe, Laurie Anderson, & Albert Nock (35m) – Episode 405
Episode 405 has Skyler giving his commentary on a quote by Don Freeman on the government’s bank account and source of it’s credit; by Devin Michael Lowe on crossing a dangerous border for your children; by Laurie Halse Anderson on censorship; and by Albert Jay Nock on the origins of every state on planet Earth.
Erica Chenoweth: Nonviolent Action Today (53m)
This episode features a talk by university professor Erica Chenoweth from 2017. She talks about the history of nonviolent action for various reasons against governments. Erica Chenoweth is a Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
SC Planned Parenthood, Rape Death Penalty, Betelgeuse, & Blindness Gene Therapy (36m) – Episode 404
Episode 404 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: from PostandCourier.com, “US Supreme Court rejects SC’s effort to cut off public funding for Planned Parenthood”; from alJazeera.com, “Bangladesh approves death penalty for rape cases after protests”; from BGR.com, “Betelgeuse is 25 percent closer than scientists thought”; and from CTVNews.ca, “Gene therapy brings back 8-year-old Canadian boy’s sight”.
Julieta Returns, Child Problems, Sons & Daughters, Bad People, & Financial Responsibility (37m) – Episode 403
Episode 403 has Skyler and Julieta giving their commentary on the following questions from Quora: “If you are giving complete freedom to your child to live his or her life however they want, if some problem arises should they face it alone?”; “Do fathers treat sons and daughters differently?”; “Are parents really responsible if their child becomes a bad person?”; and “How long are your parents financially responsible for you?”
Angry or Rude People, Expenses in Hours, Laser Printers, & Google Calendar (26m) – Episode 034
Episode 034 looks at why we shouldn’t expect an angry person to be able to reason or think clearly, especially children; having empathy and compassion for someone acting rudely, as they’re likely dealing with something difficult; how to calculate your expenses in work hours instead of money, and the benefit of doing so; why a laser printer is more economical for home use than an inkjet; and how Skyler utilizes Google Calendar and Gmail to keep track of recurring tasks, events, and reminders.
“Lawlessness” is Impossible
There is no such thing as “lawlessness”. Law exists whether you follow it or not. Only someone who confuses legislation for law would call the lack of legislation enforcement or the lack of following legislation “lawlessness”.
Aphorisms in Honor of Liberty, Part Seven (27m) – Episode 402
Episode 402 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following aphorisms written by Jakub Bożydar Wiśniewski: “A fool deplores the fact that automation destroys jobs. A person of reason delights in the fact that it makes jobs less automatic.”; “A democratic statist is someone who believes that individual liberty consists in participation in the process of collective self-enslavement.”; “A foolish egalitarian wants to empower the state to prevent the market from making the rich richer. A smart egalitarian wants to empower the market to prevent the state from keeping the poor poor.”; “Happiness is the state of letting go of all expectations while keeping the ability to wonder.”; “Aphorism: the precarious middle ground between brief banality and condensed obscurity.”; “A technocrat is someone too dull to be an inventor, too technically inept to be a scientist, too reality-averse to be an entrepreneur, and too power-hungry to be a consultant.”