"Participation in capitalist markets and bourgeois virtues has civilized the world. It has 'civilized' the world in more than one of the word's root senses, that is, making it 'citified,' from the mere increase in a rich population. It has too, I claim, as many eighteenth-century European writers also claimed, made it courteous, that is, 'civil.' 'The terrestrial paradise,' said Voltaire, 'is Paris.'"| Free Association
If self-described progressives decry anything more fiercely than poverty, it is income and wealth inequality. Some have even suggested that they would prefer low-income equality to inequality, regardless of how affluent the lowest level was. What counts is the gap.| Free Association
"Poverty has no causes; prosperity has many. As history attests, poverty is humanity’s default condition.... But prosperity is not natural; ...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Immigration control strikes at the heart of the rule of law. That fact is badly unappreciated, even by some libertarians. If for no other reason, people who cherish individual liberty ought to be appalled by what the Trump administration is up to. Trump did not invent this unequivocal assault on a key protector of freedom—blame Congress for that—but never has the assault been so flagrant in America.| Free Association
If you think that immigration control does not strike at the heart of the rule of law, you need to listen to this:| Free Association
Even if the Palestinians are not a People, they nevertheless are and always have been people—that is, individual human beings with natural rights, namely, the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Like everyone else.| Free Association
Recent polls indicate that many people under 30 view socialism and communism favorably. (For Marx, those words were synonyms.) It seems that...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
"Trump administration approves sale of CBS parent company Paramount after concessions" —NPR| Free Association
So, what is capitalism? The answer will depend on who's being asked. Language, like markets, basic law, and customs, is a spontaneous order. No one plans it. Words drift in their meaning in ways that probably can’t be fully explained. Language is a tool that people use to think and communicate, so it’s adapted according to needs, changing circumstances, and even confusion.| Free Association
Immigration. Despite other headline-grabbing news, this issue persists. How could it not? Trump's masked goon squad, ICE (Immigration and Cu...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
I sat down recently for a chat with my old friend Bryan Caplan.| Free Association
Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky (1880-1940) was a key figure in the development of the Zionist movement, which led to the founding of Israel in ...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
In a democracy citizens prevent the government from abusing them by staying informed and exercising their “rights” under the system. They m...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
The government is always a threat. This we must never forget. In that light, I want to examine the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Trump...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
The likely temporary Israel-Iran ceasefire notwithstanding, if you need proof of how despicable Donald Trump is, consider this: When asked l...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
The Trump battle cry is America First . Revealingly, it is not Americans First . The former signifies, implicitly if not explicitly, nationa...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
You wanted America First. You got it.| Free Association
Call me naive, but I increasingly suspect that much of today's "left" is not antiwar on principle. Rather, it's anti-American war because, in its view, America (not just the government) is rotten to the core: bourgeois, racist, patriarchal, heteronormative, blah, blah, blah. If left-wingers (Marxists, heavy or light) were in charge, they'd likely support foreign intervention under the right conditions, e.g., fighting apartheid in South Africa (which indeed was bad) or Pinochet (also bad) in ...| Free Association
I wrote this in 2015 to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, or Great Charter. In light of current events—featuring a president who aspires to unchecked power, despairs of the rule of law, and has discussed suspending the right of habeas corpus—the posting of this slightly modified version seemed appropriate. Magna Carta is remembered, somewhat fuzzily, for reining in the power of the government, for substituting the rule of law for the arbitrary rule of a man, and for a faltering s...| Free Association
I don't understand why conventional moralists often see benevolence and self-interest as being at odds. Living--action in pursuit of life-sustaining ends, that is, of values--is a challenge, even a struggle. Success is not guaranteed. "There's many a slip 'twix cup and lip." So why wouldn't reasoning pursuers of self-interest view other beings who are similarly situated with favor? Egoists should rejoice over success stories. Examples of triumph in all constructive realms should inspire becau...| Free Association
A dubious theory held by some libertarians has been knocking about. It goes something like this:| Free Association
Atom| Free Association
(Check back periodically to see what I've added.)| Free Association
After Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a fool of herself by defining habeas corpus as "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country," Justin Amash, the libertarian former congressman, posted an apt quotation on X:| Free Association
When encountering a public problem, people tend to fall into one of two camps: one camp, the larger one, says, "There oughta be a law." The other one asks, "How has the government created or aggravated the situation?" We know which camp Maestro Trump belongs to.| Free Association
Let's hear no more about America First! It's a fraud, a cover for collectivist nationalism, and a distraction from what matters. (It also looks like camouflage for Trump Family First, but let's take it at face value for now.)| Free Association
During Friday's famous White House meeting, VP Vance criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky for his government's abduction of men from the ...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Israel identifies itself as the Jewish state and claims to represent "the Jewish people" everywhere, not only Jewish Israelis. Thus Israel's...| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005 "Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert "All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison "Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman| sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com