Socialism in 1928 — George Bernard Shaw’s “kindly” version: “Socialism means equality of income or nothing. Under socialism you would not be allowed to be poor. You would be forcibly fed, clothed, lodged, taught, and employed whether you liked it or not. If it were discovered that you had not character and industry enough to […]
Socialism in 1928—George Bernard Shaw’s “kindly” version Read More »
Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany, when he was arguing for his 1883 Welfare-State law proposals: “That the state should assist its needy citizens to a greater degree than before is not only a Christian and humanitarian duty, of which the state apparatus should be fully conscious: it is also a task to be
Bismarck on Welfare and Dependence on the State Read More »
Two liberty-oriented Nobel-Prize winners are suspicious. Friedrich Hayek on nationalism as a halfway-house collectivism: “… it is this nationalistic bias which frequently provides the bridge from conservatism to collectivism: to think in terms of ‘our’ industry or resource is only a short step away from demanding that these national assets be directed in the national
Nationalism — Hayek and Buchanan Read More »
Capitalism versus the Philosophers: An Interview with Stephen Hicks was published at The Foundation for Economic Education. Grégoire Canlorbe, a French intellectual entrepreneur residing in Paris conducted the interview. An excerpt follows. Grégoire Canlorbe: According to a popular opinion, left to its own devices, capitalism inevitably tends to a monopoly economy — an economy in
Does capitalism lead to a monopoly economy? Read More »
2018 Brazil fire at Rio museum. The museum is owned by the government. That government overspends on “important” things but defers maintenance on less important things. “Sorry, we didn’t have money for a sprinkler system. Not our fault.” 2019 French fire at Paris cathedral. The cathedral is owned by the government. That government overspends on
When museums and cathedrals burn Read More »
… that it’s come to this: Politicians feel they can/must nudge them or coerce them into basic intellectual civility. The President of the United States uses the financial big stick: “Many have become increasingly hostile to the First Amendment and free speech. Under the guise of speech codes, safe spaces, and trigger warnings, these universities
Universities should be deeply embarrassed … Read More »
Our head politician wants to use political leverage to fix higher education’s semi-censorship problem. Universities should be ashamed that it has come to this — those universities, at least, that do not have healthy free-speech cultures. Of course politicians already use their power — financial threats and regulatory compulsion — to make universities do what
Politicians Should *Not* Enforce Free Speech at Universities Read More »
In light of this USA Today report — “With women in combat roles, a federal court rules the male-only draft unconstitutional” — a reminder of the three competing positions. Traditional-conservatives: Governments can force anyone to engage in military service for the good of the community. Hence, a compulsory draft is justified. Liberal-libertarians: Governments should protect
Military draft — liberty or equality? Read More »