The Libertarian Angle: Conference: Civil Liberties and the National Security State by Future of Freedom Foundation February 10, 2014 Jacob Hornberger and Sheldon Richman discuss FFF's upcoming "conference within a conference" at the 2014 International Students for Liberty Conference. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly.
TGIF: The Cruel Joke of Sacralizing Voting by Sheldon Richman February 7, 2014 By now we’re used to MSNBC’s state adoration, expressed not only on its programs but also through in-house promotions. These are often heavy-handed, such as Rachel Maddow’s spots asserting that only governments can accomplish “great things.” Sometimes the promos are more subtle, such as one currently running. Voiced by prime-time “All In” host Chris Hayes, the spot shows ...
Give America a Raise? by Sheldon Richman February 5, 2014 President Obama said something especially perplexing when he implored Congress during his State of the Union address to “Give America a raise.” Since when does Congress have the power to do that? We live in a nominally private-enterprise economy, so it should strike the ear as odd to hear Obama acknowledge that it’s not a private-enterprise economy at all, ...
The Libertarian Angle: Public Schooling vs. Education by Future of Freedom Foundation February 3, 2014 Jacob Hornberger and Sheldon Richman discuss the public education system. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly.
What Does It Mean to Be Free? by Jacob G. Hornberger February 1, 2014 Johann von Goethe once wrote, “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” Goethe’s statement perfectly captures the plight of the American people in our time. That’s one of the principal challenges that we libertarians face, for if people are convinced they’re free, they have no incentive to break free of their servitude. Even ...
One Moral Standard for All by Sheldon Richman February 1, 2014 Libertarians make a self-defeating mistake in assuming that their fundamental principles differ radically from most other people’s principles. Think how much easier it would be to bring others to the libertarian position if we realized that they already agree with us in substantial ways. What am I talking about? It’s quite simple. Libertarians believe that the initiation of force is ...
How I Learned Not to Shovel by James Bovard February 1, 2014 The Obama administration has touted government jobs and training programs as one of the solutions to America’s high unemployment rate. Such programs can teach young people invaluable lessons — especially about the unreliability of political promises to provide kids with valuable skills. I learned a lot about the nature of government work during the summer I spent on the ...
Corporatism as Theory and Practice by Joseph R. Stromberg February 1, 2014 When I first discovered corporatism, about 1966, it was not exactly a household word. The term was known only to specialists, who mostly looked for it in the recent (pre–1945) past. Between about 1960 and the early 1970s, a few New Left and libertarian scholars stirred up greater (but still quite small) interest in this arcane term. My original ...
How the Castle Crumbled by Matthew Harwood February 1, 2014 Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces by Radley Balko (Public Affairs 2013), 400 pages. “A man’s home is his castle,” the old English saying goes. Since the American Revolution, Americans’ homes have been considered sanctified space. Under the Castle Doctrine, first expressed in English common law, a person’s home — whether it’s a shack or ...
Should Unemployment Benefits Be Extended? by Laurence M. Vance January 31, 2014 Since December of last year, Democrats in the Senate have once again been pushing to extend unemployment benefits that had already been extended many times. Senate Republicans are not opposed on principle, just on how the extended benefits should be paid for, along with some minor details and procedural issues. The question that no one in the Senate ...
Obama and Kerry Jeopardize Peace with Iran by Sheldon Richman January 30, 2014 Barack Obama and John Kerry should make up their minds: Do they want war or peace with Iran? We should hope for peace, but Obama and Kerry make optimism difficult. Ideally, the Obama administration would simply exit the Middle East, taking all its military and economic aid with it. The U.S. government cannot micromanage events there, especially ...
The Libertarian Angle: Gun Control by Future of Freedom Foundation January 27, 2014 Jacob Hornberger and Sheldon Richman discuss the recent shooting a Maryland mall and the ensuing calls for gun control. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly.