We’ve lived through another election season, and this year, as with every years, the candidates competed to tell us about all the ways they were going to use the power of government to make our lives better. Unfortunately, many voters appeared quite sympathetic to the idea that government action can improve living standards and generally make markets work better. That’s the bad news. But, there are also trends at work right now that are bigger than any single election cycle, and while the candidates this year provided little reason for optimism, the voters themselves may be growing skeptical of just how much the government can solve all their problems. Nevertheless, one of the most important things we can do is really explain and understand how markets, and not government intervention, are our best hope for an orderly and prosperous society.
Tag: society
IP is the Enemy of Technological Progress
I was recently asked whether I thought intellectual property (IP) encourages or inhibits innovation. I believe the latter for several reasons, but first, let’s cover some background.
Words Poorly Used – Another Devil’s Dictionary #1
I particularly want to say thanks to my Writers Group friends who sent links that brought about quite a bit of thought in the Forelle cranial vault. Emerging is an homage to Ambrose Bierce, the author of The Devil’s Dictionary.
The Extraordinarily High Burden of Proof for Violating Liberty
There are excellent observations and reasons for a presumption in favor of equal liberty for all – which led me to “therefore I am libertarian.”It is true that the libertarian political philosophy I have grown to believe greatly influences my policy analyses. However, it is not merely an opinion, no different in credibility than any other opinion held for any reason.
So-Called Intellectual Property
Property ownership is central to liberty and civilization. Property rights prevent conflict over the use of scarce resources. Ironically, the term “intellectual property” (aka “IP”) represents a hodgepodge of concepts that generally introduce artificial scarcity and needless conflict.
There are No Good Cops… or Cop Defenders
Faced with the avalanche of despicable and unrelenting boot-licking propaganda from the John Birch Society (JBS) and its local disciples, you might believe that cops were not 53 times more deadly to Americans than terrorism. You might believe that 960 Americans had not already been slaughtered by the American Gestapo in 2016. You might even believe that being a cop was an unusually dangerous job. You might believe these things… but you would be incorrect on all counts.
Statism and War Are One and the Same
Statism and war are one and the same. What is usually called “war” is nothing but statism taken to its ultimate conclusion. And what is usually called “statism” is nothing but war stopped short of reaching its ultimate conclusion.
Arguing for Voluntary Slavery
The libertarian view of “voluntary slavery” or “slave contracts” is mixed. There seems to be a great divide among the academics, such as Walter Block on one side and Murray Rothbard, et al. on the other.
Political and Governmental Corruption Is a Feature, Not a Bug
People do not oppose corruption in politics and government. They oppose only the corruption that does not steer loot and social domination to them. After all, the entire process of so-called democratic government is nothing but corruption writ large and backed by the threat of violent force.
Blurring The Lines
Our society has a bizarre way of handling children. Kids spend the bulk of their time preparing to enter this mysterious “Real World” which they are (more often than not) not allowed to participate in. They are stuffed with facts in a vacuum, sorted by age, neat and still.