If the people in power decide to rob you and abuse you and violate their own bogus rules, then you can petition a judge to please do something about it. But the judge is appointed by the robbers. And also paid by the robbers.
Tag: rules
In Spite of Threats
On any given day, even in a world pervaded by states and their dictates, nearly everything that people do or refrain from doing is so not because the state threatens them with violence for acting otherwise, but because they find conformity with rules — honesty, promise keeping, careful handling of goods, avoidance of opportunism, and so forth — to be in their interest.
Arbitrary Standards for Relationships
I’m not going to teach my daughters “how a man ought to treat them.” I think these sorts of rules have a lot of downsides that are highly problematic.
On the “Participatory” Part of “Participatory Fascism”
When I use “participatory fascism”—for me a technical term in political economy, not an ideological or rhetorical cudgel—most people react to the “fascism” part and disregard the “participatory” part. Yet that part is critical to one’s understanding of how this system of rule proves so durable and resilient.
SALT Shakeup: So Much for “Their Fair Share”
I’m all in favor of state governments operating as charities, but real charities take actual donations, not donations in lieu of taxes. Why not keep those charitable foundations and use them to replace, rather than offset, state and local taxes? And while we’re at it, how about we push the feds to do the same thing? Want a new aircraft carrier? Hold a bake sale.
McSkillet
When will we build a wall to stop the McSkillets of the world? Why didn’t the heightened activity of ICE keep Rivera away from Mollie Tibbetts? (Although McSkillet killed three times as many as did Rivera.) Wasn’t anybody on duty while Manafort stole $ millions?
A Utilitarian Case for Incompetent Traffic Cops
Thank your lucky stars for inefficient law enforcement. When toleration fails, you’ll always be able to count on some room for social innovation. But when inefficiency fails, we’ll be in a much tighter spot.
The World is a Theme Park
As we cross from one part of a park to another, we leave behind medieval knights and come upon space aliens. In theme parks, we are heroes, and we are surrounded by opportunities for adventure. Theme parks – from the mundane parks of today to the Westworlds of tomorrow – offer us access to romance of the kind most of us don’t see in our everyday lives.
Safety Regulations Could Kill the Scooter Revolution (But They Totally Won’t)
With so many Birds and Limes already scooting around Atlanta’s Midtown district, I decided that I wanted to give one a try. I downloaded the app and headed eagerly over to a Lime scooter parked on the side of the road. I was giddy with excitement, dreams of zipping down Atlanta sidewalks scooting through my head. Then I came upon the Terms and Conditions.
Elections: More than Half of Americans Believe Fairy Tales are Real
According to a new poll conducted by Ipsos in partnership with the University of Virginia Center for Politics, 51% of respondents agree (15% “strongly” and 36% “somewhat”) with the statement “American elections are fair and open.”