On March 1, Nick Hanauer–Amazon’s first nonfamily investor–delivered a speech at a TED University talk about income inequality in the United States. According to National Journal: You can’t find that speech online. TED officials told Hanauer initially they were eager to distribute it. “I want to put this talk out into the world!” one of them … Continued
Author’s note: If you are reading this blog then chances are you support legal equality for homosexual and heterosexual couples, and likely see no role for government to promote specific values or institutions. If so, know that this essay is not for you. It is for the skeptics in your life who remain unconvinced that … Continued
As I recently learned, it is a bad idea to joke about conspiracies. They are serious business to some people. But if you are interested in inventing your own conspiracy theory for fun or profit, there is a time-tested formula: Pick bad thing X that happened (it doesn’t matter what or when). Postulate a conspiracy … Continued
Classical liberals tend to promise too much when we talk about life under our ideal political institutions. This is not unique among ideological groups. Marx labeled his theory “scientific socialism” because he believed that he had discovered the fundamental pattern of history. His was a theory of everything. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis; capitalism passing into socialism passing … Continued
“Public service” sounds like sacrifice: lower pay, fewer benefits, longer hours in a lousy job. This myth must be jettisoned before government can ever shrink. The greatest “special interests” fighting for a larger and larger state aren’t in the private sector–they’re in the government, and they’re called public sector unions. Here’s some useful information USA … Continued
I, Roads But, who would take care of the roads! Or the airports! Or the [insert state-monopolized capital asset here]! And that’s where someone asks you a question that is impossible to answer. The Statist Roads Argument (SRA) rears its silly head. If someone asks you how a pencil is made, I’ve come to realize … Continued
“This was the moment,” candidate Obama proclaimed after winning his party’s nomination, “when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” When he assumed office, President Obama attempted to act on that promise and regulate greenhouse gas emissions. On June 26, 2009, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy … Continued
Has it been worth it? 3,841 days ago, four airliners were hijacked in a beautiful, blue September sky. Two crashed into Towers 1 and 2 of the World Trade Center. A third slammed into the Pentagon. The fourth was destined for the Capitol Building, but its hijackers plowed it into a Pennsylvania field after passengers … Continued
