Hornberger's Blog

Egypt and the Fourth of July

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 16, 2015

Isn’t it amusing that U.S. officials just celebrated the Fourth of July, given that they also ardent supporters of the tyrannical regime that governs Egypt? The Declaration of Independence, which is part and parcel of the Fourth of July, doesn’t mince words. It holds, among other things, that: Every person is endowed with natural, God-given rights which no government can legitimately ...

Greece and America’s Economic Revolution

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 15, 2015

The Greek economic crisis demonstrates how Greece and, for that matter, most of Europe, remain mired in a highly regulated economic system that harkens back to the mercantilist era. Greece’s economic system also reminds us of the revolutionary economic system that our American ancestors implemented when they called the federal government into existence in 1787. And it reminds us ...

Iran’s Criminal Justice System Reminds Us of Ours

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 14, 2015

The judicial procedures that Iranian officials are using in the criminal trial of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian remind us of our judicial system here in the United States. No, not the federal judicial system here within the United States but rather the U.S. judicial system that the Pentagon and the CIA have established and operate at Guantanamo Bay, ...

Obama’s Coziness with Vietnam’s Communists

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 13, 2015

Last week, President Obama hosted Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in a visit to the White House. It was a meeting characterized by friendliness and cooperation between the president and the Communist Party head. Referring to the meeting, the New York Times editorialized that the it made sense because “Mr. Trong is Vietnam’s highest-ranking political leader ...

Economic Ignorance on Teenage Unemployment

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 6, 2015

Do you ever read an article and just shake your head as you’re getting through it? That happened to me a couple of days ago when I read an article in the New York Times entitled “It’s Summer, but Where ...

Who are the Patriots on the Fourth?

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 3, 2015

On the Fourth of July, American statists will be praising the troops, glorifying their exploits in foreign countries, thanking them for defending our rights and freedoms, and expressing thanks to federal officials for taking care of them with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education grants, farm subsidies, drug laws, and the myriad other programs that come with America’s welfare-warfare state. That’s ...

The Key to Prosperity in Greece

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 2, 2015

Libertarians, of course, do not profess to have answers to the many woes produced by statism. That certainly includes the many economic problems produced by Greece's welfare-state, regulated-economy way of life. But there are solid libertarian principles that the Greeks could adopt if they wish to build the foundation of a dynamic and prosperous society. Here are those principles: Leave people ...

The Corrosive and Destructive Power of the Dole

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2015

Imagine you’re on the Titanic and the ship captain says, “If everyone throws his luggage overboard, the ship will be saved” and everyone responds, “No way. I’ve got a right to my luggage. Everyone else can throw his luggage overboard if he wants, but not me.” That pretty much describes the situation in Greece. The government is bankrupt and the ...

The Bankruptcy of Greece’s Welfare State

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 30, 2015

Make no mistake about it: The economic and financial crisis in Greece is rooted in the welfare state, a way of life in which a nation’s government is charged with the responsibility of taking money from people and giving it to other people. It is this way of life — the welfare-state way of life — that has taken ...

Porcfest Was Awesome!

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 29, 2015

It was FFF’s first time at Porcfest, and we’re already talking about next year. FFF’s program director Bart Frazier, FFF policy advisor Scott McPherson, and I participated. And what an awesome time we all had! It was unlike any libertarian conference I’ve ever attended. Porcfest is sponsored by the Free State Project in New Hampshire. There were about 2,000 ...

The National-Security’s State’s Crisis Racket

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 25, 2015

Imagine that Russia announced that it was reconstituting the Warsaw Pact and that Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Grenada, and Bolivia had signed on as members. Imagine also that Russia fomented a regime-change operation in Mexico that succeeded in ousting the democratically elected president of the country and installing a pro-Russia ruler in his stead. Imagine that Russia then embarked on ...

Is the Hallmark Channel Libertarian?

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 24, 2015

Okay, yes, I am a big fan of the Hallmark Channel. After watching one of its Christmas movies a couple of days ago, which I recorded back in December, an important question has to be asked: Is the Hallmark Channel libertarian? The movie is entitled “’Come Dance with Me,” starring Andrew McCarthy and a Canadian actress named Michelle Nolden. Since ...