  Libertarianism, Kiwi-Style
by Tim Sturm
New Zealand’s economy is often viewed by libertarians elsewhere as having been the free market envy of the world, at least until recently, thanks to the reform process of the 1980s and 90s. This is an unfortunate view, firstly, because it is wrong, and secondly, because it distracts attention from recent events going on in New Zealand that libertarians should know about. The New Zealand example is fairly unique in a variety of ways that, while not necessarily making libertarian success much more likely, at least make it an interesting case study. The ultimate goal of New Zealand libertarianism is to establish New Freeland, a full libertarian society built on the consent axiom with individual rights protected in a constitution. The strategy for getting there has been an attack on all fronts, from the intellectual and philosophical fundamentals through to direct political agitation. Its biggest success so far has been firstly in establishing itself as what seems to be a permanent fixture, and secondly in raising the general level of awareness and understanding of libertarian thought. (Read more...)
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Seatbelt, Señor?
by David Bertelsen
Forget the so-called "Freedom Index." If you want to measure economic freedom, yes, well maybe, just maybe, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States are the world's "libertarian paradises." That's if you measure an ideal way of life in dollars, cents and economic freedom. But to me, as a libertarian and an Objectivist, there are other important things that determine how good a place is to live in. Joy, passion, excitement. A sense of living life to the fullest. A healthy cynicism towards government, regulations, environmentalists, religion, opinion polls, vegetarians, animal rights activists, and easy-listening radio stations. All of these things are worth getting out of bed for, whereas the Capital Flows and Foreign Investment Grading Scale strikes me as a bit of a snorer. (Read more...)
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Nader's Delusions
by Tibor R. Machan
Most of us have heard of Ralph Nader, the so-called consumer advocate and, by the lights of most Democrats, the spoiler of the 2000 presidential election. In fact, Nader spoiled nothing much, when the numbers are closely explored, but it is always convenient for the psyche to have on hand some scapegoat on whom to blame one's bad fortunes. The fact is, Al Gore just didn't cut it with enough folks to do what by all political estimates he should have done this time, namely walk away with the prize. (Read more...)
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Libertarianism: An Objective Evaluation
by Logan Feys
"Libertarianism" has driven a wedge through organized Objectivism, dividing it into two disparate camps. On one side of the rift are "tolerationists" who openly embrace libertarianism. On the other are "moralizers" who denounce libertarianism as "an evil doctrine." (Read more...)
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The Twisting of Blame
by Joseph Rowlands
We’re constantly being assaulted by nonsense about big business controlling and manipulating government at the expense of us. Not to fear, though. The defenders of capitalism have stood their ground. They state unequivocally that those businessmen are not elements of capitalism. They are a part of a mixed-economy. That under a truly free market, they wouldn’t be able to buy these favors. This is what I call winning the battle, and losing the war. (Read more...)
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Libertarianism and Moral Disintegration
by Joseph Rowlands
I was having a discussion with a libertarian friend the other day. I was talking about how offended I am at "modern art". How splashing paint onto a canvass was not art. That the creators of such garbage are not artists, but con artists.
He then said something that surprised me. He said that there was nothing wrong with modern art. He didn't know what I was complaining about. After all, the painters weren't initiating force against anyone. (Read more...)
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