Libertas

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  • David Libertas
"The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies" by Bryan Caplan. "The best political book of the year," Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times.

The Myth of Rationality Nov 4, 2018

Libertarians are the most rational voters. This was confirmed by a Yale University study. But before you cheer, the largest mass of voters (independents) proved to be the most prone to impulsive less informed judgments. Hence why rational candidates like Ron Paul lose to emotionally driven campaigns like Trump and Obama. This is what reasoned libertarians are up against: recognizing voters are not attracted to rational arguments and finding ways to make libertarianism emotionally appealing. This phenomenon is thoroughly explored in "The Myth of the Rational Voter" by Bryan Caplan. He provides a compelling theory of why voters consistently vote...

By David Libertas Vote2 0

Is Trumponomics Really That Stupid? Jul 4, 2018

Could there be anything more derptarded than Trumponomics? I knew the tariffs were coming and predicted eventual economic doom. But I didn't expect they would be this stupid. Starting a trade war with China and Mexico was expected. But Canada and Europe? The policy is stupid enough, but so-called "problem" it seeks to solve shows Trump is over 9,000 on the derp scale. Derptastic Solution Take steel tariffs. The idea is that American steel can't compete with cheaper foreign steel, and equalizing them is somehow a good thing. There are two ways Trump could have equalized steel: subsidies or tariffs....

By David Libertas Vote1 2
Perched american eagle with human arm instead of wing holding an AR-15, and an American flag behind it, all behind prison bars

Prison Nation Jun 26, 2018

Not too long ago, judge Aaron Persky was recalled by voters, a feat not accomplished in California for 86 years. At issue is how he sentenced Brock Turner. A student at Stanford University, Turner was caught using his fingers to sexually molest a drunk unconscious woman. Two other students stopped him from taking things further. Judge Persky sentenced Turner to 6 months in jail (3 months credited from jail during the trial), 3 years probation, rehab, and a lifetime as a registered sex offender. This light sentence outraged social media, outraged activists, and ultimately outraged voters. Now Persky has been...

By David Libertas Vote4 0
Support the Assault Trucks Ban. Fully automatic transmission. 30 gallon high capacity tank. Collapsible side view mirrors. Tactical running lights for night operations. Exhaust suppressor (mufflers). Hi impact front windshield. Wide entry side steps. 60 degree turning radius. Driving is a privilege, not a right!

We Must Ban Trucks Apr 24, 2018

2018 has been the year of gun ban hysteria. A recent example was a screed from the Chicago Tribune entitled, "We should be able to eat waffles in peace — but Trump and the NRA accept this kind of terrorism." Here is my sarcastic response, in light of a more recent mass killing in Canada. We should be able to stroll down the street in peace — but Trudeau and the CTA accept this kind of terrorism I shouldn't have to carry caltrops to feel safe strolling down the sidewalk. Nobody should. I shouldn't have to hope I'm walking near a...

By David Libertas Vote6 0
PorcFest gun free zone

The PorcFest Gun Ban Mar 24, 2018

I have a modest proposal for the Free State Project's (FSP) upcoming PorcFest: ban guns. It's not uncommon to see people openly carrying pistols there. You might even see the occasional AK-47 strapped to someone's back. To understand why this should be banned, we need to look back to 2016 and also reflect on the 2018 Parkland school shooting. PorcFest 2016 2016 is the year when the FSP banned Ian Freeman. Ian via his Free Talk Live radio show had been the most important person for promoting the FSP and, other than the "rock stars" with national media attention like...

By David Libertas Vote2 0
Berkley students riot against Milo Yiannopoulos in front of rainbow colored building with signs: "This is war" and "Become ungovernable."

The Left-Wing Cause of Right-Wing Extremism Feb 25, 2018

The niece of Marine Le Pen gave a keynote speech at CPAC this past weekend. For those unfamiliar, Marine leads a party that her father founded as more or less a French National Socialist (Nazi) party. Marine has tempered the party. No longer referring to the Nazi occupation of France as "not particularly inhumane" and homosexuality as "a biological and social anomaly," the party now embraces Jews and gays while espousing strong anti-Islamic nationalism. Though one can be sure elements of the old party still remain. As CPAC listens to Marine Le Pen we are reminded of what has been...

By David Libertas Vote3 0
I'm not racist: white guy and black guy face each other while divided.

I’m Not Racist Dec 9, 2017

Joyner Lucas recently released the viral music video entitled "I'm Not Racist." It features two caricatures. One is an extremely obese white guy with a MAGA cap looking like he's from a Rust Belt steel mill, and the other a black guy styled like he's fresh from the 'hood. Each takes a turn venting to the other about their views on race relations in a very harsh, often intense manner. Each keeps dropping the line "I'm not racist." It is as if both are racist yet they don't want to be, so they continuously tell themselves this white (pardon the...

By David Libertas Vote3 0
Protesters with sign that says, "Protect my vote."

This Is What Democracy Looks Like Nov 2, 2017

If you want to understand how democracy really works, there's a fascinating referendum underway in Ohio serves as a textbook example of real non-mythological democracy. The myth of democracy is that the people join together in a social contract, relinquishing rights in exchange for government protection, and through the ballot box the people wisely deliberate and enact their will. This farcical social contract idea was thoroughly destroyed long ago by Lysander Spooner. But for now, let's pretend the social contract exists and ask: does the ballot box fulfill it's intended purposes? Democracy: Not the Will of the People It's called...

By David Libertas Vote2 0
Trump with an ancap background.

Trump’s Pro-Liberty Accomplishments Sep 2, 2017

Enough time has passed that we can start assessing Trump's pro-liberty accomplishments. First on the list is that Trump allegedly ended the program of arming Syrian rebels. Assuming it wasn't just turned into a CIA black op, this is a good step forward in reducing the odds of terrorist blowback. Unfortunately, that is the end of Trump's pro-liberty accomplishments. Here is how the rest of his presidency has stacked up. Foreign Policy Failures Trump reversed his pledge to avoid nation building and Middle Eastern wars that are of no interest to Americans by bombing Syrian president Assad. And recently he's...

By David Libertas Vote6 4
Bush, Obama, Trump: sixteen years of war.

The Unknown Cost of Endless War Jul 28, 2017

We are entering the 16th year of the US occupation of Afghanistan. It is not America's longest war. Officially, the US is still at war with North Korea. That 67-year conflict never had an official peace treaty, the last 64 years technically being a ceasefire while the two sides negotiate peace. But in terms of active violence, it is the US' longest war. It is time to ask: what is the unknown cost of endless war? The obvious cost is the carnage, maimed and dead soldiers, cities turned to rubble, families destroyed and pushed into the hands of ISIS by...

By David Libertas Vote1 0
FDA = fail. Poison approved: Olean, NutraSweet, high fructose corn syrup.

The FDA Fails Us All Jun 30, 2017

Do you remember the time you got on board with libertarianism? I remember it clearly. The Libertarian Party intrigued me, but some of the bureaucracies they opposed seemed important. Then I saw one of their presidential candidates, Gary Nolan, back in the old days when the party ran actual Libertarians rather than failed Republicans. He made the case against the FDA. He explained how aspirin comes from before we had an FDA. The problem is it causes birth defects and serious gastric lesions in most animals, making it fail the FDA-mandated animal models for drug toxicity. Never mind the fact...

By David Libertas Vote2 0
March not for science.

The March Not for Science Apr 23, 2017

Yesterday there was an alleged march for science in Washington, DC, and other cities. It was, of course, not about science. Let's explore what this march was really about and what libertarians can learn from it. Marches in support of benign-sounding things like "science" are rarely about that thing. They are usually about leftist causes packaged in a way to sound otherwise. Their real purpose is messaging. The subtext of these events are to create mental associations of conservatives with being opposed to science or opposed to women, to children, to poor people, or whatever the march is about. In...

By David Libertas Vote5 0
Donald Trump riding a missile

The Early Term Abortion of Trumpism Apr 14, 2017

Trumpism is dead. It was given an early term abortion long before it could have been born. Pre-Election Trumpism The most interesting thing about the Trump campaign was his appearance of authenticity. He said things that you just don't say when running for president. I don't just mean his crass manner of speaking but even the substance of his issues: opposing free trade, opposing foreign interventions, and a hard line against illegal immigration. There are certain issues position you just don't openly admit to having when running for president. This is why Bush and Obama both pretended in public to...

By David Libertas Vote2 0
Trumponomics

Trumponomics Doom in Argentina Mar 10, 2017

Try to think of a country that elected a populist president: someone who wanted to boost manufacturing jobs, insists that domestically-sold products should be made domestically, and threatens to use tariffs to shut off foreign competition. How would that work out? I am, of course, referring to President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina, not President Donald Trump. It's too soon for Trump to have implemented his economic plans, but we can see how Trumponomics will work by looking southwards to Argentina. It is a portent of the doom that awaits us. Argentine Protectionism President Kirchner pushed through laws mandating that certain items sold in...

By David Libertas Vote3 0
Evil Donald Trump

How Evil Is Trump? Feb 24, 2017

Is Donald J. Trump the most evil president to take office? Many of his opponents would have you believe so. The hysteria against trump is beyond any president in modern history, even surpassing the anti-Obama reaction from the fringe right. There's even a dating website for helping Americans meet Canadians for romance so that they can flee to Canada and escape Trump's evil dictatorship. But let's put this into perspective. Has Trump expressed support for secretly infecting blacks with syphilis? If not then he's less evil than countless bureaucrats working in federal health department who did just that for forty years...

By David Libertas Vote4 0
BackWordz

BackWordz Upcoming Tour and Album Feb 4, 2017

Winning the culture for liberty comes before winning minds and elections. In support of that comes "Veracity," the debut album of BackWordz with front man Eric July and an accompanying live tour. BackWordz hit the liberty scene last year dropping several singles on YouTube. Their sound leans towards early oughts metal rock with an interspersing of rap that I for one sorely miss. Good hard driving rock has slowly faded away with greats like Slipknot, Korn, and Tool giving way to abominations like Lady Gaga and the Biebster. Now you can get quality rock without the leftist drivel. (I want to like to Rage Against...

By David Libertas Vote4 0
Your vote does not count. Fart instead.

The True Value of Voting Jan 20, 2017

Today is Inauguration Day! It marks the peaceful transition of violent power over the lives of billions in America and abroad from one person to another. As we celebrate or mourn or shrug off today's inauguration of Donald Trump, let us reflect on the election. I don't mean the campaigning and the candidates, but rather the act of voting. The question we must ask ourselves is which act is more meaningful: voting or farting. A Serious Question! No, this is a serious question! I am in no way being flippant nor facetiousness. The answer to this seemingly ridiculous question reveals...

By David Libertas Vote4 0
Meet Ethan and Emily. Your kids will learn about liberty alongside the Tuttle Twins!

Teaching Kids Economics: The Tuttle Twins Jan 15, 2017

More important than winning elections is winning hearts and minds of young people. Connor Boyack of the Libertas Insititute has made an important effort to this end. A parent dismayed at the lack of books to teach liberty to very young children, Connor has taken it upon himself to create books to teach economics to children aged 5 through 10. In these books the young Tuttle twins go through adventures based on literature with which you may already be familiar: I Pencil, The Creature from Jekyll Island, The Law, and The Road to Serfdom (or in this case, The Road...

By David Libertas Vote4 0
Friedrich Nietzsche gazing upon Trigglypuff

Free Speech, Nietzsche, and the Morality of the Left Jan 7, 2017

I recently watched the documentary film "Can We Take a Joke?" It was made with help from Reason and FIRE. The film explores how our culture has become less and less tolerant of offensive speech from the perspective of controversial comedians. It starts with prosecution of Lenny Bruce, a comedian arrested and charged for saying dirty words. The public reaction, largely from the left, was to defend his act from government censorship. Fast forward to today and now it is the left, especially universities, that are stamping out offensive speech, even comedic speech meant for a laugh without any malicious...

By David Libertas Vote6 0
Hillary Clinton with pile of cash at the Clinton Foundation

Tax Deducting Your Presidential Campaign: the Clinton Foundation Nov 27, 2016

Shockingly, the Clinton Foundation never turned into a major scandal during the election. There was suspicious activity there, but it never had a large "smoking gun" to show criminality. Yet I believe there was a scandal there that the media never pursued. Defenders of the Clintons noted that they never received monetary benefit. This, of course, is irrelevant under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Under that law, if a low level employee of a foreign company donates to my favorite charity in exchange for a favor from me, and that company is even partially owned by a foreign government, then...

By David Libertas Vote2 0

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