Free Talk Live

This seems like a classic case of politicians not understanding unintended consequences. Politicians love to ban stuff, but they never take into account the actual response to those bans, and just assume that if the law bans something people will stop doing it. Instead, they may continue to do the action in an even less socially acceptable way -- and that can put a lot more people in danger.

Reform plans convey doubts about freedom. They say to people that complete and sudden freedom can't really be trusted -- that government force is needed to manage the transition from a controlled society to a free society. Of course, that just feeds into the mindset of people who have become dependent on the welfare state -- people who cannot imagine that they could ever survive without their dole.

One of the more interesting (of many) paradoxes of statism is that people simultaneously esteem and loathe politicians. Most would deny the former sentiment, but a belief that the state is a collection of experts tasked with running society and the economy betrays that denial. Further, this esteem is manifest in their reference to politicians as “leaders,” “authorities,” and “officials.”

Ask the average person what's wrong with government and you'll hear all about corrupt politicians, corporate lobbyists and shady backroom deals. But, of course, we elected those corrupt politicians, and the more you look at the situation, the more it appears that as people, we are just really bad at democracy. After all, science proves that ...

The States People Are Fleeing In 2013

Long-term shifts in the U.S. economy coupled with the recent recession means Americans are more likely to pack up and move for employment-related reasons. Although the total number of residential moves is down, new data shows a clear pattern of the states that people are fleeing the fastest.

Is the free market an individualist or collectivist social arrangement? Don’t answer too quickly. It’s a trick question. Most people — free-market friend and free-market foe alike — will answer “individualist.” And that makes perfect sense. The free market describes a political/legal environment in which individuals are at liberty to engage in any peaceful activity, with only force and fraud prohibited. No one may aggressively interfere with another human being’s peaceful projects.

Commandment #6
Never assume that activism is valuable!

Surely this one has some people perplexed. Maybe another way of stating it is that not all activism is equal. Not all labor is valuable. Marx made a fundamental mistake in economics. He thought all value in the market was created by labor. He was wrong. Most of his other errors came out of this error.

"There are no jobs!" That is what people told me outside a government "jobs center" in New York City. But, 4 researchers quickly found 40 job openings. So what goes on at these government "job centers?" I asked a college intern, to find out. Her conclusions:
--It's easier to get welfare than to work.
--The government would rather sign me up for welfare than help me find work.
--America has taxpayer-funded bureaucracies that encourage people to be dependent. They incentivize people to take "free stuff," not to take initiative.

It would save money, aid global security and be tough on crime. What could appeal to Conservatives more?