Monthly Archives: July 2013

Murray Rothbard in 10 Great Quotes

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The ‘Great Authors in 10 Quotes’ is an ongoing series meant to expose libertarian-leaning readership with some of the most noteworthy thinkers in the classical liberal, libertarian, and anarchist traditions.  The challenge is finding material deep enough to reflect an author’s thought, while still being accessible for a brand new reader.  We encourage readers to leave comments linking to other written works and videos by the author.

Murray Newton Rothbard (1926 -1995) was the single most influential figure of the post-WWII American libertarian movement.  Rothbard synthesized concepts from Austrian economics, classical liberalism, individualist anarchism, and other sources to codify much of the thought underlying contemporary libertarianism.  Rothbard was a student of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises and former associate of libertarian intellectuals such as Ayn Rand and Karl Hess.  Rothbard published more than 20 works on libertarian topics ranging from economics, to history, to proposals for social activism.

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Can I watch an adult movie, please?

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Dave Cameron makes me feel like a child again. According to his new idea ‘every household in the UK is to have pornography blocked by their internet provider unless they choose to receive it’. This basically means that I have to ask for porn which reminds me of funny old times when I had to hide to watch some naked ladies. That brings so many memories…  Continue reading →

Robert Sarvis Only Sensible Candidate on Drug Policy

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Any voter in Virginia looking for a candidate friendly to drug policy reform should look no farther than Robert Sarvis. The Libertarian Party nominee for the state’s gubernatorial race has chosen drug law reform as one of four major issues to highlight on his website, and makes it clear that he understands the far-reaching social harms of the war on drugs. These include enrichment of organized crime, by the same mechanism which operated under alcohol prohibition, as well as the militarization of our police forces and an accompanying erosion of civil liberties. The drug war also continues to be a major contributor to long-term poverty and unemployment, by giving those arrested on drug charges criminal records, diminishing their often already limited job prospects.

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What Has the Coalition Done for Us?

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The UK’s coalition government is hardly popular. Dissatisfaction with an incumbent establishment is normal, and the current climate of political disillusionment and economic sluggishness exacerbates matters. Furthermore, rulers require consistent and constant criticism and scrutiny. However, the coalition seems to be subject to particularly intense criticism. It has made many mistakes, and many of its policies are misguided at best, but it is unfair and unproductive to dismiss its achievements. It is worth appreciating the positives, if only to more legitimately criticise the mistakes and to be aware of how much worse things could be.

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Government Still the Problem

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Mark Stoval

I once read a quote that summed up the problem with the Occupy Wall Street movement very well. It went something like this: “Blaming Wall Street for controlling Congress is like blaming the other woman for controlling a cheating husband.” So many on the left (and the “occupy” movement in particular) are refusing to look at the real force behind their problems. Large corporations and industries hire lobbyists and throw money around D.C. for a good reason. They do so because they can count on special favors in return. The federal government of the U.S., that is, does not always adhere to the principle of equal treatment under the law.

The “progressives” can not seem to distinguish free-market capitalism from corporatism, and criticize the latter, which is closer to our current system, as if it were the former. But of course, if we truly had a free market, there would be no profit at all in special interest groups lobbying for special treatment, as the government would simply refuse to intervene.

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Women Care Less About Politics?

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In a study conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council, women are found to be less knowledgable about politics and current events. When asked questions like, who is Angela Merkel, who is the Secretary General for the UN, and what is the Copenhagen summit, men outscored women by a long-shot. This is true regardless of whatever gender gap exists within the individual’s country of origin.
Another interesting factor mentioned by the study is that women are more likely to say they don’t know their opinion or stance on whatever issue. I think that this is not necessarily a bad thing. I would argue that it is better to take the “I don’t know” opinion when you do not know or understand the facts instead of pretending to be an expert on everything that comes your way.
The findings of this study, to me, is saddening but not surprising. For the past few years I have been an ardent news and political junkie. I have been following the news, discussions, blogs, and twitter accounts of people who, like me, take great pleasure in discussing opinions and issues with others. What I have noticed, though, is that men seem to dominate the discussions and have the larger presence in political sphere than women do.

Why Bailouts Hurt The Economy

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Bailout Economy Cartoon

Written by: Jason Lu

My inspiration to write this article comes from the recent announcement of bankruptcy in the city of Detroit. This is the first bankruptcy of a city of this scale. While many citizens may be eager for the government to do something, I am not.

Ask anyone for their solution, and it would be something like “give Detroit a couple billion dollars” because it will solve their bankruptcy problem. Unfortunately, this is similar to stuffing a napkin in an overflowing sink. It will solve the overflowing problem in the moment, but very soon, if you don’t fix the pipes, the sink will burst and even more water will be flowing out. Detroit will soon burst it’s sink if we don’t solve the root of the problem: unnecessary spending.

Detroit went from an industrialized and booming nation to a ghost town. This is not because of some social or economic phenomenon, it is because of the local and federal government’s idiocy. The auto-industry moved to other countries because of the regulations and taxes that this country burdens on them. Without this trade that Detroit was founded upon, a lot less money flowed in.

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Why the Free Market is Superior to the State

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This is the first part in a series I am doing over the course of the next few weeks about why the free market is preferable to government. I want to make each entry brief and concise, which might be difficult considering I am drawing from various classically liberal, libertarian and anarchist intellectual giants, such as Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard and others, but I will try my best.

The first thing to do is outline your goal(s). What is humanity trying to achieve? What is the purpose of private property? What is the reason for a single currency? Well the reason these kinds of things naturally come about in a free society is because people are greedy, self-interested beings who want to have as much stuff as possible. Now this isn’t a bad thing; in fact self-interest is largely a good thing, which serves a vital role in a free market. It seems the ultimate goal is really just productivity. How can we put our scarce resources to use in the most efficient and productive way? This is the major task of economics.

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