Benjamin Franklin once said, “There never was a good war, or a bad peace,” but he could just as accurately have noted that there never was a good state… Because every state will always be at war with anyone who desires freedom, liberty, and independence.
Tag: poverty
Trading Places
“What protection teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.” –Henry George When Donald Trump can propose tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, washing machines, and solar-panels without being roundly booed off the stage, one has to wonder if reason has any…
Capitalism vs. Socialism: General Thoughts on Bruenig
Bruenig builds her case on quotes from famous, pre-modern philosophers, interspersed with philosophical jargon. She references virtually no facts from the last two hundred years. When people who agree with me make arguments like this, I cringe. How can anyone expect to figure out anything about the real world using this fruitless method?
Capitalism vs. Socialism: Reply to Bruenig
Since Elizabeth Bruenig has posted her whole opening debate statement, I thought I’d reply point-by-point. She’s in blockquotes; I’m not. Before I get started, though, let me say that personally, Elizabeth seems a gracious and kind human being. Still, even if I were an avid socialist, I’d be baffled by the way she tackles the issue.
Danilo Interviews Mary J. Ruwart, Author of “Healing Our World” (1h5m) – Peaceful Anarchism 034
Peaceful Anarchism 034 features an interview of Mary J. Ruwart, author of Healing Our World: The Compassion of Libertarianism, by Danilo Cuellar. Topics include: justice, the not so wild Wild West, prisons, the broken window fallacy and the state, modern poverty, economic freedom, battered citizen syndrom, neighbors, economics, private security, love, charity, and many more.
Consolidation
I went to a “consolidated” high school. Franklin County Consolidated High School still bore that label when I transferred to it, in its second year. The process adjective was soon dropped as the little previous schools were forgotten. Names like Elkhorn, Bald Knob, Thornhill, Peaks Mill, and Bridgeport preceded that ugly, stark consolidated moniker. Economies of scale were sought. Franklin County beefed up its bus fleet, too. Many students now spent more than an hour a day riding on buses.
Capitalism vs. Socialism: The Bruenig-Caplan Debate
“Capitalism” and “socialism” – what do these words even mean? You could just say that capitalism is the economic system of countries like the United States, and socialism is the economic system of countries like the former Soviet Union. In that case, I’d say that capitalism is at least ok, while socialism is hell on earth. Perhaps my opponent would even agree! It’s more fruitful, though, to treat capitalism and socialism as positions on the ideal economic system. Something like: the capitalist ideal is that government plays very little role in the economy – and the socialist ideal is that government plays the leading role in the economy. In that case, I say that capitalism is awesome, and socialism is terrible.
Against Argumentative Definitions: The Case of Feminism
What would a non-argumentative definition of feminism look like? Ideally, feminists, non-feminists, and anti-feminists could all endorse it. If that’s asking too much, all these groups should at least be able to accept the proposed definition as a rough approximation of the position they affirm or deny.
Danilo Interviews Antony Sameroff of the Scottish Liberty Podcast (1h4m) – Peaceful Anarchism 031
Peaceful Anarchism 031 features an interview of Antony Sameroff, host and founder of the Scottish Liberty Podcast, by Danilo Cuellar. Topics include: his journey to libertarianism, the humility of voluntaryists, minimum wage, his podcast, capitalism, the state, profit and loss, poverty, selfishness, thinking like an economist, and more.
Unsung Heroes of the Market
Now, you may be thinking: why are you going on and on about such utterly mundane transactions? Why are you celebrating this Lucio guy, who after all is pretty much the same as countless millions of other merchants around the world? But that mundaneness, mis amigos, is precisely the point.