Homines libenter quod volunt credunt
Posted in Central Planning, Constitution, Government Gone Wild on Jul 28th, 2018
In thinking about arguments that I have heard made against the NSA’s PRISM program (this program is basically the limitless power the NSA seems to be exercising in collecting an ungodly amount of information, without warrant, from all Americans’ use of the internet), a little conundrum came to mind. One of the things the NSA […]
Posted in Disingenuous, Dynamism - Not, Economic Illiteracy, Government Gone Wild, If I Really Hated the Poor ..., Taxation on Dec 11th, 2017
As you ponder the inane debates about tax “reform” (i.e. deck chairs and symbolism), suppose you take the work of Martin Feldstein seriously. He has previously estimated that the dead weight loss in an economy due to taxation would be up to 30% of the size of the tax take. Now, I suspect the direct […]
Posted in Disingenuous, Government Gone Wild, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Dec 7th, 2017
I will preface this again by arguing that universities, when they are not functioning like kindergartens, are still a shining example of US excellence, sources of research and learning and hopefully positive spillovers, and we probably want to not destroy that. That said, redistributing priorities within many universities is probably in order and this tax […]
Posted in Government Gone Wild, Tribalism on Dec 6th, 2017
Somehow, I do not think that even the current train wreck of both our actual political governance and our political discourse will encourage anyone to actually question whether government should be as big, powerful and as expansive as it is. As one of my favorite Twitter feeds now reminds me, “Eat Arby’s.”
Posted in ethical foundations, Government Gone Wild, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Nov 8th, 2017
I am definitely not getting invited to dinner parties after asking this question. When people illustrate the absolutely brutal record of socialism and communism as implemented in human history, we get the usual, “well, if only MY GUY was in charge” or if “only REAL and TRUE socialism were tried” then it would have worked, […]
Posted in Central Planning, Government Gone Wild, History on Aug 22nd, 2017
I was in the midst of my high school formative years when a couple of watershed moments in world history happened, and these had fantastically powerful and lasting impacts on me. I grew up in New York City during the Cold War, and there were nuclear fallout shelters in our little Catholic school, and the […]
Posted in Government Gone Wild, Government Thuggery, Socialism on May 1st, 2017
On this much celebrated day around the world, I repost my mourning for the hundreds of millions that have been brutally tortured, maimed, and murdered in the name of “the social good” and “brotherhood.” Shame on them. And shame on us for not keeping these lesson at the fore. Of course, the trash I get […]
Posted in Behavior, Disingenuous, Government Gone Wild, Tribalism on Jan 31st, 2017
President Donald J. Trump is your Nudger in Chief. Here are some glowing endorsements. “For generations paternalism has had a bad odor, and individual autonomy has reigned supreme. Sarah Conly’s book will change all of that. She argues in favor of paternalism with rigor and gusto, and persuasively shows how shedding our reflexive aversion to […]
Posted in Disingenuous, Dynamism - Not, Economic Illiteracy, Extended Order, Government Gone Wild, Government Thuggery, If I Really Hated the Poor ..., Immigration on Jan 30th, 2017
In fact I’m not at all clear how my family got to America. I think three generations above me had people illegally sneaking into the US from both Canada and I think parts south. But my family doesn’t quite know. But as sure as the ocean is salty, my kind was not much liked – […]
Posted in Government Gone Wild, Government Thuggery on Jan 29th, 2017
Putting a ban on legal immigrants because of their religion lowers the deplorable President below any action in recent memory by US Presidents. This action certainly ranks right up there with preventing Jewish European refugees from coming to America to flee the terror of 1930s Europe. I have always been a tremendous supporter of civil disobedience. At […]