In his famous "you didn't build it" speech, President Obama cited the Internet, fire departments, the GI Bill, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hoover Dam as examples of government action that helps business owners.
Each needs addressing, but let's start with the Hoover Dam.
The president is riffing off of Rachel Maddow's MSNBC commercial in which the TV pundit dressed in her best black T-shirt and hoodie, points up at Hoover Dam and says words to the effect that the ... (more)
“[T]he majority has at all times a right to govern the minority, and to bind the latter to obedience to the will of the former…. In a general sense the will of the majority of the people is absolute and sovereign, limited only by its means and power to make its will effectual.”
- Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, III, 327, 330
"The scientific concept of dictatorship means nothing else but this — Power without limit, resting directly upon ... (more)
Voluntaryists have a unique outlook on government. They view the State as an invasive institution. It imposes a coercive monopoly over defense services and collects its revenues via compulsory taxation. Theodore Lowi, a professor of political science at Cornell University in the early 1980s, authored a book, INCOMPLETE CONQUEST (1981), in which he observed:
Every action and every agency of contemporary government must contribute to the fulfillment of its fundamental p
Due to their "protected status," great whites are not allowed to be killed in Australia, same goes for New Zealand, South Africa, and even in America. Penalties differ, but in New Zealand if you dare to kill one of these beasts you face a potential $250,000 fine and 6 months in prison.
Since early 2011 the mainstream press has expressed moral panic over an alleged “War on Cops.” That panic was sparked by a rash of police killings in January 2011. According to a March Christian Science Monitor article, 24 cops were killed on the job compared to only 15 during the same period in 2010. Speculation as to cause included rising anti-government sentiment, or disrespect for law enforcement.
The panic itself apparently fostered a “shoot first” mentality among police, ref... (more)
One month ago, Eric Holder testified before Congress that the Dept. of Justice is only targeting medical marijuana businesses that violate their state's laws. Anyone who didn't realize it was a lie should be getting the message right about now.
The federal government is moving to shut down the nation's largest and highest-profile medical marijuana dispensary operation, filing paper
Driving into work the other morning, I reached over and gave my windshield a quick spritz. Nothing. Oh, sure, the wiper fluid came out just fine, the blades slid across my windshield as they should, but it was to no effect. So I sprayed again and again; eventually, my window was clean, but it took far too long and much more fluid than should have been necessary.
Just as I was thinking I'd been duped by the manufacturer, I thought of Jeffrey Tucker: "If some product annoys you ... (more)
People tell me that I get overly worked up about small government regulations. But small matters. The building of civilization is revealed in small steps, tiny, bit-by-bit improvements in the things we have and do. In the same way, seemingly small government regulations can cause a reversal of the magnificent world that enterprise has built. Under the right conditions, these can create human catastrophes.
So I offer the following scenario, based on real events very recently in nor... (more)
I find it fascinating how American television sportscasters steadfastly hew to the official line regarding the continued occupation of Afghanistan. During virtually every game, the sportscaster will make some reference to U.S. soldiers who have died or lost limbs during the occupation. The sportscaster will remind us that the fallen and wounded have made heroic sacrifices to “defend our freedom” here at home.
Do you ever wonder whether these people really believe this claptrap? Af... (more)
The War on Drugs is a monstrous evil that has ruined more lives than drugs themselves. Taking drugs harms the person who partakes, but not those who abstain; the War on Drugs harms everyone, even those who abstain from taking drugs.
Yet the Drug War enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, is supported by the majority of Americans, is cheered by most religious people, is espoused by most parents with young children, is championed by liberals and conservatives alike, is enc... (more)
There's a fun little debate series over at U.S. News & World Report featuring some of the usual suspects squaring off over whether the drug war is the best or worst thing in the world (well, it can't be both). My favorite part is Kevin Sabet's attempt to make the drug war sound about as wholesome as a hug from a nun, which he accomplishes by pretending no one ever... (more)
Upon arising this morning I discovered a small Yankee War Flag had been planted in my front yard. A tag on the flag stick listed your email address so I must assume you are responsible for this trespass. I noticed other flags had also been placed on properties up and down the block. Did it ever occur to you to ask permission of the property owner before placing a flag, or any other object for th... (more)
Some US flags were recently burned in a local suburb- an activity you would certainly wish to see more of. But in this case, the flags were not the property of those doing the burning.
While reading the report and sifting through the usual extremist, collectivist, claptrap phrases such as, “it’s everybody’s flag in America,”... (more)
We’ve seen another “patriotic” holiday come and go, and with it the same obligatory maudlin comments from local TV news anchors about troops overseas “defending our freedom.” Just like we saw on Memorial Day, and just like we’ll see again on Veterans’ Day.
Grade AAA, prime, unadulterated, 99 and 44/100% buncombe, of course. Soldiers don’t “defend our freedom.” They serve the state and fight its wars, and the state isn’t exactly interested — the understatement of a millennium — in ... (more)
On July 2, 2012, the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY in favor of my client who transported 83lbs of marijuana in her mini-van from Douglas, Arizona to the Phoenix area. She was relieved and overjoyed. I was overjoyed too, but left wondering how many like her are living in cages for unknowingly driving a relatively harmless plant destined for adults who want it. The outrageous aspects of this case are too numerous to describe in one article. However, one point is clear; so long as ... (more)
There’s no way around it: I have to go through waterboarding. Actually, my daughter and I have to go to the local Department of Motor Vehicles to get her learner’s permit. We’re excited, but bummed about the prospect of waiting in one of those DMV lines. But wait – isn’t this the computer age? It’s been years since I’ve been in one of those buildings; maybe today things will be different!
1:15 – We arrive at the DMV. Office hours are posted: Monday through Friday 8:00-... (more)
It is the strangest dysmorphic transformation of any holiday in history. The day that overthrew a government, July 4, 1776, now celebrates the power of a government that is far more vast, predatory and imperialist than the one overthrown.
Not only is the real meaning of Independence Day forgotten; it has been turned on its head. The ethos of the real July Fourth celebrated sedition as essential to life and liberty. The ethos of the July Fourth that people celebrate today bolsters ... (more)
