 Uncle Sam empties the barn
by Jim Fedako
"Unbeknownst to Bob, his wife invited her Uncle Sam to visit. Now, Uncle Sam is a real layabout. Sure, he is fun, always ready for a hearty laugh, yet he never works a job. At family reunions and get-togethers, Uncle Sam alludes to "all that money my wife left me." But folks who knew his wife never heard of any family wealth or riches..." (Read more...)
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Has Capitalism Been Invalidated?
by Tibor R. Machan
Wieseltier is clever and keeps talking of an open society, not a free one.
For good reason—openness is a loose idea; a door can be open to a great
variety of degrees. But a free society isn't so flexible. You are free if
you are the master of your life, if you own it, if you have your right to
it fully respected and protected. Otherwise you aren't free and the
society in which you live isn't a free one. Ask any former slave whether
freedom means not having others intrude on one’s life or whether it means
that others intrude only, say, 40 percent. (Read more...)
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Some Fallacies Underlying Tifft & Sullivan’s "Needs-Based Criminology"
by Michael E. Marotta
Within the last week, there were three armed robberies in our neighborhood, two on the street and another on the campus. We learned in this class that the gunmen were motivated by their needs and that their salvation will come by meeting their needs ... (Read more...)
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Some Sense about Advertising, etc.
by Tibor R. Machan
One reason the Obama administration's stimulus policy may not work out so
well is that people aren't forced to respond to stimuli--they can turn
away, refuting the underlying assumptions of what it takes to get them out
there to buy stuff! (Read more...)
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Government Stimulus Packages are Attempts to Deny Reality
by Edward W. Younkins
Many economists and politicians think that the effective way to increase output is by means of a fiscal stimulus package (i.e., by increasing the overall spending in the economy). They do not understand that there must first be a flow of real savings if producers are to fund the purchase of capital goods and other good... (Read more...)
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This is Economic Fascism
by Tibor R. Machan
Fascism is a political system in which a country is lead by a charismatic
leader who has full power to order things about because he (or she) is
taken to know best. Obviously this is a mythical sort of regime, with most
of its essential features impossible to come by. No such leader exists,
period, but there are many who pretend that they are fully qualified. (Read more...)
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ANALYSIS of a QUOTE
by Manfred F. Schieder
This article comprises a full analysis of a quote of mine published by "Rebirth of Reason". It aims to clear some misunderstandings among several readers. At the end the reader will find a theorem or summary of the content, though it is recommended to read the article first. (Read more...)
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Is Atlas Shrugging?
by Yaron Brook
In this video commentary, Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute says don’t go John Galt — it’s “time to fight.” He also discusses the Internet as a virtual Galt's Gulch, and the continuing relevance of Atlas Shrugged. (Read more...)
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Subsidy Versus Investment, Part 2
by Merlin Jetton
This is part 2 contrasting subsidy and investment. (Read more...)
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Government Regulations Revisited
by Tibor R. Machan
Government regulations are more akin to the policies of a police state, where the government regiments the population so as to make sure everyone is acting correctly, properly. (Read more...)
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Who Defines Art?
by Will Heath
Here art is defined as being that which critics say it is. In this case the art is bonsai, but the definition is universally repugnant. (Read more...)
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Executive Compensation
by Tibor R. Machan
I recall when I came West from communist Hungary I enjoyed all the wealth
that surrounded me despite having hardly any of it myself. (Read more...)
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Saturday
February 28, 2009 |
"It's Only Money!"
by Tibor R. Machan
How is it you never hear prominent critics of Western materialism and capitalism defending the likes of Bernard Madoff with the exclamation, "It's Only Money!"? (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand, Human Flourishing, and Virtue Ethics
by Edward W. Younkins
During the last forty years or so, there has been a revival of scholarly interest in the virtues in general and in virtue ethics in particular. Many thinkers have turned their attention to a neo-Aristotelian version of virtue ethics, but none has made a better or more consistent case for a virtuous life than has Rand (... (Read more...)
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Saturday
February 21, 2009 |
Bias at The News Hour
by Tibor R. Machan
Often I check out newscasts from several sources, not just in print and on
the Internet but also on radio and TV. One place where I check things out
fairly regularly is PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) TV's The News Hour
with Jim Lehrer, mainly because I am curious how a program funded to a
considerable extent from money taken in taxes handles controversial
topics. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 18, 2009 |
Subsidy Versus Investment
by Merlin Jetton
Let's start with a firm. It could be a "for profit" or "non-profit" one. The following analysis can apply to either. "Non-profits" have revenues and costs like "for profits." To be sustainable they have to obtain enough revenues to cover their costs. A "for profit" clearly seeks revenues, R, greater than costs,... (Read more...)
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Saturday
February 14, 2009 |
Taxation With No Possible Representation
by Tibor R. Machan
So, one thing that's dreadful about the current administration's--and the
former's--policy vis-a-vis the fiscal mess is that the remedies proposed
all impose massive taxation on future generations, people who haven't the
ghost of a chance to speak up for themselves. (Read more...)
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Common Sense
by Merlin Jetton
'Common sense' as used by Aristotle meant something much different than it does today. His usage was pretty scant, but this essay will give his basic meaning. (Read more...)
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We Need 300 Spartans Again
by Marty Lewinter
America invaded the wrong country (Iraq) after 911. I wish we chose Iran - a world class sponsor of terrorism. (Read more...)
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Great Comment on our “Unregulated Free Market”
by Michael Smith
Over at Econtalk, there's a podcast featuring the University of Chicago's John Cochrane talking about the financial crisis. The talk itself is worth a lesson, but isn't the focus of this link.
The real gem on this page is Michael Smith's reply to Mark K's criticism of "unregulated free market capitalism". It is a memorable response, and deserves to be noted by defenders of capitalism.
(If your particular browser doesn't jump directly to the comment, you may need to scroll down to the post dated February 5, 2009 4:14 PM)
Hat tips should go to Coyote Blog and Cafe Hayek for bringing attention to this post. (Read more...)
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You Should Belong to Washington!
by Tibor R. Machan
All this is advocated, of course, for the laudable cause of reviving the American economy. That kind of supreme objective is exactly what the Soviet government used to justify its disastrous Five Year Plans and what all tyrants use to excuse their system of subjugation. Never mind. (Read more...)
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Turn the tables? Not so fast.
by Marty Lewinter
Many news items about the middle east refer to Israel's "genocide" against the Palestinians of Gaza. This is an enormous distortion. (Read more...)
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Up To No Good (and Knowing It)
by Tibor R. Machan
In my efforts to explain that taxation is extortion and a relic of the
feudal age when it was the rent landowners--mostly monarchs and
lords--collected from people, I have met with much resistance. It is
mostly based on the widespread belief that without taxation the functions
of government could not be paid for. (Read more...)
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The Celebrated vs. The Obscure
by Tibor R. Machan
My impression is that the passage I have quoted above from our new president continues the mis-impression that the worthy kind of work must be physical labor. (Read more...)
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Mideast Mess Makes Me Mad
by Marty Lewinter
Israel wants peace. Too many (but far from all) Muslims advocate the destruction of that small state full of the promise of shared technology, universities, hospitals, and increased prosperity for the entire Middle East. (Read more...)
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