Should the government coercively sanction business owners who, out of apparent religious conviction, refuse to serve particular customers? While such behavior is repugnant, the refusal to serve someone because of his or her race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is nevertheless an exercise of self-ownership and freedom of nonassociation.
Tag: values
At the Heart of the Matter
Send him mail. “Food for Thought” is an original column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Norman Imberman. Norman is a retired podiatrist who loves playing piano, writing music, lawn bowling, bridge, reading, classical music, going to movies, plays, concerts and traveling. He is not a member of any social network, nor does he…
Why Don’t You Steal?
Editor’s Pick. Written by Wendy McElroy. As a starting point, I assume readers do not engage in the initiation of force, including theft. You may refrain from doing so because of a moral code or from a respect for rights. But, at least for me, the admonition not to steal isn’t written in stone. I…
On Self-Interest
Non-libertarians deride libertarians and free markets types as selfish and greedy because we argue that people should be free to keep the wealth they earn completely for themselves. Keeping your wealth to yourself is a personal choice aligned with the values you hold. No less aligning to the values one holds than is the life…
Think About It
Send her mail. “Balancing on My Toes” is an original column appearing every other Friday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Angel M. Ethell. Angel lives in the Chicagoland area with her family: sons Teen (13) and Lil G (2) along with their little sister Cassie Pie (dog), her partner Daddy G and father-in-law Grandpa G. She loves…
On Two Weeks Notice
Why is there an expectation for a departing employee to give two weeks notice, but not for an employer, in our society? Either side determines for themselves that they no longer wish to continue their association. Why is one side expected to “soften the blow,” and not the other? Especially considering the impact of the…
Superman and Freedom
Editor’s Pick. Written by Chris Brown in November 2008. If man is really free, how can we account for his inability to fly, to travel through time, to leap across the ocean, for not being omniscient or omnipotent? In short, wouldn’t man have to be more like Superman to actually be free? Man is constrained…
On Coercion
One might object to the claim that threatening to shoot someone if they don’t give up their wallet is an act of coercion because the act of parting with one’s wallet is a voluntary choice. I think that’s true, as far as it goes, but that’s not what makes the threat coercive. What makes the…
Words Poorly Used #21 — Justice
We often confuse the outcomes of our bungled justice system with justice itself. The procedural system that has been produced by the infinite number of self-appointed chimpanzees through their eternal tinkering with “legislation” (not law) is not concurrent with the value system referred to as justice. In fact, it is too frequently diametrically opposite to…
On Values
Send him mail. “Food for Thought” is an original column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Norman Imberman. Norman is a retired podiatrist who loves playing piano, writing music, lawn bowling, bridge, reading, classical music, going to movies, plays, concerts and traveling. He is not a member of any social network, nor does he…