Both Albert Jay Nock and Frank Chodorov, in my view, had the idea that mass conversion of society to voluntaryism was impossible, since the state always rigs the game so that the majority of the people are being fooled. It is “the vote” itself which snookers them.
Tag: money
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.
A Campaign Finance Proposal: Let’s Do Away with SOTU
It’s not very often that I agree with any politician, let alone Pelosi. When I do, it’s usually on “even a stopped clock is right twice a day” grounds. This matter included. I don’t really care WHY she withdrew the invitation. I just hope it stays withdrawn. Forever.
Lordstown
The now impoverished home county of my paternal ancestors experienced a moderate oil boom in the early decades of the 20th Century. Then the oil became uneconomical to extract — end of oil boom.
You Will Never Succeed If You Can’t Forgive Yourself
“Forgive yourself.” I used to think that this was advice for the weak. Even now it seems like an easy way out from guilt or failure. But I’m learning something about growth and improvement: getting back on the horse after failure is half the battle. And for any person trying to mount back up after a failure, the greatest obstacles are usually just guilt or shame.
Good and Decent Neighbors
Many of us are trusting our neighbors much more than we should. We suppose that these neighbors would never burglarize our homes in our absence or accost us on the street and thrust upon us the choice, “Your money or your life?” And in most cases we are probably right to make these assumptions.
On Freedom
Here’s a memetastic peeve of mine: the bumper stickers and signs that say “Freedom is not free.” Talk about an equivocation. What is being implied by this statement is support for the armed forces and law enforcement.
On Entitlements
An entitlement in the context of government is a promise of something, be it a good, a service, or money. Because government only has resources it has first taken from other people, the fulfillment of entitlements requires future takings.
Reflections from my Panama Cruise, II
Falmouth had the most lavish port shopping area; I’d compare it to Reston, Virginia. The area beyond, though thinly inhabited, was fairly poor, but with quite a few middle-class homes mixed in. Our tour guide said that many Jamaicans spend years building their own homes so they can live rent-free (but not property-tax-free) for life.
America’s War Culture
For most of the opinion-making class in America today, war is the default position. Representatives of establishment newspapers and TV news operations are not likely to grill someone who favors U.S. military intervention somewhere — anywhere. He or she will have no burden of proof to sustain. But those who oppose a new war or call for an end to an existing one are sure to be treated like oddballs if not traitors.