Liberty & Power: Group Blog
Friday, October 10, 2008
Horwitz on Stossel on October 17
John Stossel's annual special, this year titled "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics," will include some of the footage from an interview I did with him back in July on my work on Katrina and Wal-Mart. It's on ABC on Friday Oct 17 at 10pm EDT., assuming we aren't under martial law and watching government propaganda by then. Tune in and enjoy.
And catch Bryan Caplan on tonight's episode!
More Naomi Klein Bashing
Well with the economy going nuts, there's always time for a little fun and frolic. In a recent blog post, Will Wilkinson quotes this lovely nugget from Naomi Klein, arguing why Milton Friedman and his ideas are still responsible for the crisis and other evils of corporatism even though he rejected said corporatism:
Now, I admit to being a journalist. I admit to being an investigative journalist, a researcher, and I’m not here to argue theory. I’m here to discuss what happens in the messy real world when Milton Friedman’s ideas are put into practice, what happens to freedom, what happens to democracy, what happens to the size of government, what happens to the social structure, what happens to the relationship between politicians and big corporate players, because I think we do see patterns.
So Friedman and his ideas are guilty because people who supposedly believed them put them into practice in ways that utterly contract them, but that are nonetheless, in her warped logic, predictable applications of said ideas.
Well I'm glad to see that it's now fair game to pin the deaths of 100 million people in the 20th century on Marx. After all, just substitute Marx for Friedman in the above and then just add "and leads to 100 million innocent dead" and see if it isn't just the same.
Even on Klein's own whacked, but now even playing field, I'd say Milton still comes out ahead.
The Stock Market Proved . . . . Or Did It?
On September 29, the day that the House of Representatives voted down a bailout bill for the banks and other financial firms, the S&P 500 opened at 1,209 and closed at 1,106, registering a loss of 8.5 percent. Other stock-market indexes recorded similar declines in share prices.
The media and the politicians were virtually unanimous in interpreting these declines as evidence that the gods did not approve of the House’s action, and in concluding that unless the House sacrificed a goat and passed a bailout bill, there would be Hell to pay. Absent a bailout, the gods would wreak economic disaster on this country and probably on the rest of the world, too, for good measure.
More Reasons to Doubt McCain's Record as a "War Hero" and "Maverick"
A propos of Keith's post, there's a very satisfying demolition of McCain's whole career as "war hero" and "maverick' politician in Rolling Stone.
Drug Czar Sees New Danger
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), John Walters, is upset because videos depicting drug use are appearing on the internet Even though a study conducted by the research firm Nielsen Online found that only 5% of the 6000 teens surveyed had seen such videos on sites like MySpace and YouTube, the Drug Czar still thinks parents should be worried enough to spy on their children.
Perhaps, Walters fears competition in the business of encouraging drug use among the nation’s youth. After all back in 2006 USA TODAY, while covering a General Accounting Office study on the program, reported that the “$1.4 billion anti-drug advertising campaign conducted by the U.S. government since 1998 does not appear to have helped reduce drug use and instead might have convinced some youths that taking illegal drugs is normal.” Also, for all the Drug Czar knows these new videos showing people high and acting stupid will actually discourage drug use.
Lastly, since a great deal of the time, effort and money spent in the government’s war on people who use certain kinds of drugs has always been directed towards demonizing and censoring those with opposing views, Walters’ statement that "Nobody's talking about censorship over the Internet here, what we're talking about is legitimate parental supervision” is likely disingenuous at best.
Cross posted on The Trebach Report
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Barack Harold Obama
I don't think Republicans would be using Obama's middle name if it weren't Middle Eastern-sounding. Do you?
Cross-posted at Free Association.
McCain a Hero?
The more I learn about John McCain the less that I like him as a person let alone candidate. When in boot camp for the Navy we all were required to view a film on the catastrophic fire which occurred on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Forrestal in July 1967. The purpose of the film was to make clear the danger of fire at sea, however, the self sacrifice and heroism of the crew in fighting the blaze also made a strong impression.
Historian Mary Hershberger has written a fascinating article titled Investigating John McCain’s Tragedy at Sea, which reviews McCain’s role in the event. After presenting evidence that over the years McCain has been less than truthful about his actions and that he may actually have contributed to the severity of the incident, Hershberger states that, ”Whatever the circumstances of the fire’s origins, McCain did not stay on deck to help fight the blaze as the men around him did. With the firefighting crew virtually wiped out, men untrained in fighting fires had to pick up the fire hoses, rescue the wounded or frantically throw bombs and even planes over the ship’s side to prevent further tragedy. McCain left them behind and went down to the hangar-bay level, where he briefly helped crew members heave some bombs overboard. After that, he went to the pilot’s ready room and watched the fire on a television monitor hooked to a camera trained on the deck.” A little later, while fires were still burning, McCain left the vessel by helicopter for some RR in Saigon. This account of McCain’s involvement does not sound very heroic to me.
Historians Against the War, the Afghan War, and the Coming Great Leftist Crack-up
A few years ago, people used to write about the Great Libertarian Crack-up over issues of war and peace. Could we now be witnessing the first signs of a Great Leftist Crack-up for the same reason?
In a welcome shift away from its Iraq-centric focus, the steering committee of Historians Against the War has stated that "the US and NATO should immediately begin withdrawing their military and political assets from Afghanistan so that the Afghan people can have room to decide their own future. Continued US/NATO action in the country is a large part of the problem and cannot be the solution."
Because both Obama and McCain endorse a surge of U.S. troops into that country, HAW is now on a collision course with the next president. Does this also mean that conditions created by an Obama administration will bring a new spirit of cooperation between antiwar libertarians, leftists, and conservatives?
As many of you know, I write occasionally for the HAW Blog.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
U.S. Forces Pay Homage to George Orwell, As It Were
Suppose you are the publicity officer for a U.S. imperial legion in some God-forsaken hellhole, where your job is to tell the world what the forces have been doing there lately. What they’ve actually been doing, of course, is killing people, with little regard for who they are, and destroying a lot of property, with equal disregard for who owns it. Just “doing our job,” as the soldiers say.
The Data Don’t Justify Financial-Market Panic
As the hysteria has grown in the discussion of financial markets and related government policies, I have been puzzled by the discrepancy between the best available data and the descriptions quoted in the press–statements by financial gurus, traders, and professors, as well as by government officials. To hear these spokesmen tell the story, you’d think that the world will soon go to hell in a hand basket, if it hasn’t gone there already. Yet every time I look for data to check these claims, I find nothing solid to back them up.
Two Unspoken Assumptions in the Credit-Crisis Debate
In the heated, sometimes almost hysterical discussions and debates of the “credit crisis” now swirling through the press, the Internet, and the programs broadcast on radio and television, nearly everybody is making two, usually implicit assumptions:
I. The volume of outstanding credit should never decline.
II. If the volume of outstanding credit has declined, the government should act to reverse that decline.
Neither of these assumptions makes good sense.
Back to the Theme of Frugality
For more commentary, please visit WendyMcElroy.com
I have not sung the praises of frugality lately...but the current economy cries out for optimism and that's what I see in a frugal lifestyle and a personal philosophy of voluntary simplicity.
As always, I start by defining what I don't mean by frugality and voluntary simplicity. I don't mean denying yourself the goods, services and experiences that make your life exciting or satisfying. I love to travel; I am addicted to live theatre and that is expensive; I relax by doing ethnic cooking with costly ingredients (but less costl than eating at restaurants); Brad has every computer gismo he values and none he doesn't; we have dogs and cats which are expensive to maintain but just try taking our buddies away; our house is wired for ether net and we have satellite TV...I could go on and on about the many expenses on which we do not stint. You live once and it makes no sense to deprive yourself of what makes the go-around a joy.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
"American Math Chuckleheads"
That is the title of a column, and accompanying short video, from Rich Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes Magazine.
Karlgaard argues not only that American innumeracy is worse than American illiteracy, not only that the innumerates actually worsen the lives of others while illiterates only worsen their own lives, but also that this pervasive and growing innumeracy in America might even have had something to do with the current banking crisis.
A scary thought.
Monday, October 6, 2008
2nd Amendment..."Gone With the Wind"
Slightly over 100 years ago, the major architect of the new Empire, Elihu Root, serving in the capacities under TR of both Sec.State and Sec. War, one after the other, used the so-called "Militia Act" to effectively eliminate same, replacing it with the Nat'l Guard. That the Congress was threatened with Martial Law if it did not pass the Bailout Bill, demonstrates our Rubicon was actually crossed years ago. The recent discussion and case on the 2nd Amend., arguing that you could have a gun is almost irrelevant. A bunch of individuals having guns is not what the Amend. was all about, and not the same as a "well-regulated Militia."
The Centralization is fundamental to the overall Empire scenario in everything from finance and economics to so-called Defense, with, of course, other items such as Health and Education (Schooling) thrown in for good measure. A truly bipartisan effort by the two Parties! Several years ago when I spoke to staff members of the NSC in the old Exec. Office Building next to the White House about "decentralized war," they could hardly be bothered. The NeoCon mentality was already alive and well, and little has changed since 1981. They clearly wanted Imperial Strike Forces, essential for any variant of the various "Doctrines" enunciated by every Prez since Harry T.
Now they have made it clear, they will use the troops at Home as well. Too bad we don't have a "No Standing Armies Act" like the Brits passed in 1694.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
So What Did You Expect?
"Fed under pressure to do more on credit crunch."
"New law extends legal mandate for intervention."
"Germany guarantees savings to avert panic."
"Funds dry up in Golden State."
"Iceland in emergency talks to prevent bank meltdown."
"Short Selling Is the Pursuit of Truth"
So says Hugh Hendry, co-founder of London hedge fund Eclectica. This and a great deal more in a very informative article on short selling in Monday's Financial Times.
Metaphors Reveal the Economic Ignorance of Politicians and Journalists
The past few weeks have been a difficult time for economic educators. Never has it been more obvious that all their efforts have been in vain. Neither the politicians nor the journalists, who have been spewing out words at a rapid rate with regard to the so-called financial crisis and the proposed financial bailout, have a clue about the economy.
It’s not simply that these nincompoops use metaphors, rather than more precise terms and ideas, in speaking about the economy. We all use metaphors to some extent; we can’t talk without them. But the journalists’ metaphors are routinely so mixed that one wonders what is going on in their minds. Many, for example, refer in one breath to financial markets that are “freezing up” and in another breath to financial markets that are “melting down.” Which is it? Are these markets cold and immobile or hot and fluid? The speakers know (or fancy that they know) only that something is terribly wrong; they can’t be bothered with understanding exactly what is wrong or why.
A Different Twist on "Obama Nation"
The number of comparisons between Obama and Hilter are increasing, and are numerous already. (A google search on the two terms reveals 3,650,000 hits.)
Most of those are meant either as comedy or are just plain way over the top. But there are some eerie videos making their rounds on the internet.
One was the subject of a recent column by Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post under the headline "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid." (The article contains a link to the relevant video.)
A second shows a group of young men calling themselves "Obama Youth" and marching and chanting, military-style. They enter chanting "Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega"--apparently comparing Obama to the Christ.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Frankly, He's a Criminal and Should be in Prison
If you want to see the criminality of the U.S. government in all its glory, observe that Rep. Barney Frank, one of the men responsible for the current economic debacle, will head the investigation into what caused that debacle.
About the bailout of Wall Street, Frank had the nerve to say, "We were the EMTs rushing to the rescue of an economy that suddenly found itself choking, but now we have to perform more serious reform."
A better analogy would be this: Frank & Co. were choking the American people and while doing so, they picked the people's pockets and handed their money to Wall Street.
When will guys like this finally go to prison?
Cross-posted at Free Association.
My Atlas Shrugged Moment
No, it wasn’t hearing the cowardly politicians mouthing banalities as they endorsed the “rescue” package; no, it wasn’t the slow crash on Wall Street (I don’t actually member how Wall Street fared in Atlas Shrugged).
It was buying gasoline this morning. At the Crown gas station across the street from my office, all the pump handles were shrouded in plastic that said “Out of Order.” So I went next door to the Shell station. There, all the pump handles except for “regular” gas were covered.
My car takes premium, but as I sat there wondering what to do, more cars began to stop and turn in, adding to the few already filling up. It began to get crowded. I saw what was happening. I bought $20 of regular and left.
North Carolina has a price-gouging law. The governor and attorney general have been threatening gas retailers with punishment if they break the law by charging too much. At least one newspaper is cheering them on. It’s eerie.
Recent Entries
- Horwitz on Stossel on October 17
- More Naomi Klein Bashing
- The Stock Market Proved . . . . Or Did It?
- More Reasons to Doubt McCain's Record as a "War Hero" and "Maverick"
- Drug Czar Sees New Danger
- Barack Harold Obama
- McCain a Hero?
- Historians Against the War, the Afghan War, and the Coming Great Leftist Crack-up
- U.S. Forces Pay Homage to George Orwell, As It Were
- The Data Don’t Justify Financial-Market Panic
News
Roundup
HNN Blogs
- Cliopatria
- Liberty & Power
- Judith Apter Klinghoffer
- How Stupid?
- Mark A. LeVine
- Revise & Dissent
- POTUS
- Gil Troy
Wikipedia
Contributing Editors
- Common Sense
- Stephen Cox
- Gus DiZerega
- Grinder & Hagel
- Gene Healy
- Robert Higgs
- Jeffrey Rogers Hummel
- Karen U. Kwiatkowski
- John Majewski
- William Marina
- James Otteson
- Jim Powell
In Memoriam
Freedom and Standards on Campus
- Grade Inflation
- Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
- National Association of Scholars
- Acton Institute
- Atlas Economic Research Foundation
- Cato Institute
- Foundation for Economic Education
- Historians Against the War
- Independent Institute
- Institute for Humane Studies
- International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
- Liberty Fund
- OnPower.org
- Trebach Institute
Blogs & Columns
- The Adam Smith Institute
- Agoraphilia
- Alan Bock
- A Tiny Revolution
- Antiwar.com Blog
- Austrian Economists
- Beacon
- Booker Rising
- Cafe Hayek
- Cafe Liberty
- Chris Sciabarra
- Colby Cosh
- Cold Spring Shops
- Colossus of Rhodey
- Commons
- Constance Seré
- Crooked Timber
- David N. Mayer
- Diana Mertz Hsieh
- Discriminations
- Distributed Republic
- Division of Labor
- Econlog
- Education Wonks
- Gene Healy
- Gus diZerega
- Hawblog
- History Carnival
- Hit and Run
- James Bovard
- Jacob Levy
- Jesse Walker
- Jim Henley
- John Cole
- Journal of Ayn Rand Studies
- Juan Cole
- JustinLogan.com
- Karen De Coster
- Kevin Carson
- Knowledge Problem
- Lester Hunt
- LRC Blog
- Liberty and Culture
- Liberty Guys
- Liberty Magazine
- Liberty Papers
- Margaret Soltan
- Mises Economics Blog
- NAS Blog
- Peter Gordon
- Positive Liberty
- Progressive Historians
- Proportional Belief
- Radley Balko
- Robert A. George
- Roderick Long
- SCSUScholars
- Sheldon Richman
- Stress
- St. Maximos' Hut
- Third Party Watch
- Tom G. Palmer
- Torch
- Volokh Conspiracy
- Wendy McElroy
- Will Wilkinson
Old Archives
Recent Comments
- Sheldon Richman on Barack Harold Obama
- Bill Woolsey on The Data Don’t Justify Financial-Market Panic
- Russell Hanneken on Barack Harold Obama
- Andrew D. Todd on The Data Don’t Justify Financial-Market Panic
- William Marina on 2nd Amendment..."Gone With the Wind"
- black&whitekiwi kiwi on 60 Minutes Story on Emmett Till Targets Carolyn Bryant
- Jonathan Dresner on Metaphors Reveal the Economic Ignorance of Politicians and Journalists
- Stephen Barber on 2nd Amendment..."Gone With the Wind"
- James Otteson on Metaphors Reveal the Economic Ignorance of Politicians and Journalists
- Laeeth Isharc on Credit is Flowing, Sky Is Not Falling, Don't Panic
Archives
October 2008September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
