The Unbroken Window

Here is a quote from the son of the (then) leader of the Communist world, Nikita Kruschev (who ruled the USSR from 1953 to 1964 following the terror of Stalin):
I had tried and failed to understand what exactly communism was…. I had tried to get Father to shed light on the nature of communism, but [...]

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The answer is probably the same reason why I am fond of FA Hayek. In preparation for an undergraduate seminar I am running on Hayek, I came across a thought that is as powerful as the one I have at the top of the website. Here it is, if not in exact form:
“the main merit [...]

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I like to run along the Erie Canal when I exercise. At several of the access points there are signs posted that say something like “No Parking at All Times.” And of course, several of those signs have had black markers drawn through the “Parking” and replaced with “Wars.” My old neighborhood in (arm)Pittsfield, MA [...]

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My students have an extremely hard time believing that I am a rather reserved and shy person, but I believe that I am.  And certainly I remain very quiet on my political beliefs and economic expertise, particularly in the company of family and friends. Sometimes I get pricked a little bit and decide to comment [...]

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My students have an extremely hard time believing that I am a rather reserved and shy person, but I believe that I am.  And certainly I remain very quiet on my political beliefs and economic expertise, particularly in the company of family and friends. Sometimes I get pricked a little bit and decide to comment [...]

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Team Reebok versus Team Nike is not exactly an appealing political choice for most people. Sure, some voters like the hip Progressive feel of the Team Reebok shoes while others prefer the massive corporate influence of Team Nike.
My sense is that politically we will always have a choice that boils largely to having a world [...]

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A little farther down from some of the more famous passages is this one:
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, [...]

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There are a large number of pieces of legislation on the books that are beyond silly, they are outright unjust and unfair. It may be somewhat shocking how often people choose to obey these rules and regulations, even if by doing so they are violating their own moral principles and hurting their own economic well-being.
Take [...]

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It is simple. It is the institution that has a monopoly on the use of force to achieve its objectives. In short, government is force. There is not a simpler answer. And of course, when classical liberals point this out we are viewed as utopian cranks – as if the government never uses such power [...]

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I recount here a summary of the end of a lecture given in the 1960s by Robert LeFevre.
Of the 56 signatories of the Declaration of Independence (the guys I fondly recall being called the Founding Fathers, the ones who risked everything for liberty), how many subsequently signed the Constitution (drafted roughly 12 years later)? I [...]

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