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The Fed’s Men Behind the Curtain
The debate about the Fed is under way, and thank goodness. But as with many policy debates, there really shouldn’t be a debate at …
Power vs. People in the Digital Age
The government seems determined to turn out the lights on the digital age. And this is with or without SOPA or the other bills …
Violating Rights in the Name of Property
You know that anti-piracy video you sometimes see at the beginning of movies? It explains how you wouldn’t steal a handbag, so neither should …
Protesting Government Digitally
There’s been a long debate over digital technology. Does it help or harm the cause of liberty, individualism and human rights? People who say …
Blackout Wednesday: The Time Has Come
The two dominant trends of our time are, on the one hand, the darkening of the physical world ruled by governments and, on the other hand, the re-enlightening of the world thanks to the spontaneous order of digital media controlled by everyone else. Governments are seeking to drag it down and shut off the lights. The protests against these proposed controls constitute a mighty statement that we will not let the raiders, the barbarians, the vandals, have their way.
What Does Liberty Really Mean?
It is at times useful to imagine how a truly laissez-faire society, one entirely emancipated from the shackles of state coercion, might exist and …
Mere Mortals at the Fed
The secrecy of the Federal Reserve is legendary, but pressure in recent years has led to some opening up. Already in the last 12 …
The Nickel-and-Dime Protection Racket
Governments at all levels in the United States have begun to master the art of extracting as much money from the public as possible in every conceivable situation, over and above what we normally cough up to states at all levels year-round (which is commonly 40% of our income).
The Nearest Thing to a Permanent Thing
You can find a coin shop in nearly every town in the United States. The proprietor is unlike any you will find in any …
Money or Capitalism in Crisis?
We are living under a form of monetary prohibitionism today, forbidden to use any means of payment other than that maintained by the state. And it is not unlike the alcohol prohibition of old. It redistributes wealth, steers gains to the unscrupulous, strengthens the state and promotes various forms of criminality.
The Monetary Metal that Just Won’t Die
For more than one hundred years, governments have been trying to kill gold’s role in the monetary system. They’ve dreamed of a day when …
Elections and the Illusion of Choice
The political season has unleashed its predictable frenzy, much to delight of people who make a living off it. But to what end? There …
There’s No Such Thing as a Stable State
Twenty years ago, and much to the shock of just about everyone, the mighty Soviet Union, the very embodiment of Hegel’s view of the …
The Genius of the Price System
The other day, a local hamburger joint was advertising a 99 cent hamburger, and I took the offer. It was great. I wondered: how …
Nicaragua and the Cold War Political Theater
Some friends and co-workers spent their holidays at Rancho Santana in Nicaragua, where you can live like a king on a pauper’s salary. The …
Truth in Advertising
If you are a visitor from another planet and you want to find out about real life on Earth, what do you watch on …
The Race for the Coolest Stuff
A staple of action/thriller movies like the Mission: Impossible and the James Bond series is that the government agencies have all the cool gadgets, …
Two Views of the Internet
The barely-defeated legislation called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) hit out of the blue and caused a global scramble among the smart set to …
The Elves of Capitalism
One reason that the Brothers Grimm fairy tales have such appeal — more so than the folklore that came before — is that they …
Who Should Control the World?
In the days following the gift-giving holidays, many millions of people stand in judgement over the quality of the gifts they gave and the …
The Hidden Cost Of The Payroll Tax
The best part of the chaotic debate in Washington about the payroll tax is that this wicked institution is finally getting the public attention …
The Regulatory State Does Not Like You
Two important regulatory rulings have been issued in the last day that will have a profound effect on your life, both immediately and over …
What is Laissez-Faire?
There stand two broad schools of thought: those who believe in state control of one or many aspects of the social order and those who believe in laissez-faire, that is, that attempts at state control are counterproductive to the cause of prosperity, justice, peace and the building of the civilized life. Laissez-faire says that the artists, merchants, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, investors, and property owners — and not the cartelizing thugs of the state — ought to be permitted to drive the course of history.
Victory in Iraq?
There is no peace treaty, no humbled enemy, no national glory and certainly no newfound freedom. The “liberation” of Iraq leaves a widely hated …