Daily Articles

John Stuart Mill on Slavery and the American Civil War

by Richard M. Ebeling January 21, 2020

One of the most heated and controversial issues today concerns the place of slavery in the history of the United States, and attitudes toward the institution of human bondage in the Western world in general. Another theme in modern political debate is the nature and role of classical liberalism as a force for human freedom and dignity or as a ...

The Long Shadow of World War I and America’s War on Dissent, Part 1

by Danny Sjursen January 20, 2020

“War is the health of the state.” So said the eerily prescient and uncompromising anti-war radical Randolph Bourne in the very midst of what Europeans called the Great War, a nihilistic conflict that eventually consumed the lives of at least 9 million soldiers, including some 50,000 Americans. He meant, ultimately, that wars — especially foreign wars — inevitably increase ...

Understanding the Freedom We Have Lost

by Richard M. Ebeling January 17, 2020

Few people can really understand what life is like in a totalitarian state unless they have lived there or have had the opportunity to visit such a society for an extended period of time. For most Americans it seems like an impenetrable world that is not easily comprehended. How can you imagine living in a society with virtually none ...

Anti-Gun Laws, Sanctuary Cities and the Second Amendment

by John W. Whitehead January 16, 2020

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” – The Second Amendment to the US Constitution We never learn. In the right (or wrong) hands, benevolent plans can easily be put to malevolent purposes. Even the most well-intentioned government law or program can ...

Joseph A. Schumpeter, Outsider Looking In

by Richard M. Ebeling January 14, 2020

Seventy years ago, on January 8, 1950, one of the most famous economists of the 20th century passed away at the age of 66, Joseph A. Schumpeter. During and after his lifetime, he has been identified with two related ideas, the notion of the innovative entrepreneur and the imagery of the competitive market as a process of creative destruction. ...

Why Don’t Conservatives Tell the Truth about Food Stamps?

by Laurence M. Vance January 13, 2020

About two years ago, the Trump administration, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced new guidelines that allowed states to impose work requirements for able-bodied persons to receive Medicaid. Now it has strengthened work requirements for the food-stamp program. Predictably, just as two years ago, Democrats and liberals are outraged. The federal food-stamp program (officially called SNAP, the Supplemental ...

Unlibertarian Libertarianism

by Laurence M. Vance January 10, 2020

Just like liberals, conservatives, progressives, populists, and constitutionalists — but certainly not as bad — libertarians are not always consistent when it comes to libertarianism. In fact, what some libertarians propose is unlibertarian libertarianism. Libertarianism Libertarianism is the philosophy that says that people should be free from individual, societal, or government interference to live their lives any way they desire, pursue ...

Not Losing Sight of the Classical Liberal Ideal

by Richard M. Ebeling January 8, 2020

In the midst of the Second World War, the famous Austrian-born economist Joseph A. Schumpeter (1883-1950), published his famous book, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (1942). He asked the question, “Can Capitalism Survive?” He answered, “No.” He expected some form of socialism, dictatorial or “democratic,” to supersede the private market economy in postwar America. He was proven wrong. Postwar American ...

Australia and New Zealand Show the True Nature of Social Security

by Laurence M. Vance January 7, 2020

Writing at the Christian Post in “Will Social Security Go Broke?” Christian financial advisor Chuck Bentley recently answered a question about Social Security from a “Worried Millennial”: I’m a recent college graduate with my first “real” job. With that comes paying into the Social Security System. My concern is whether or not there will be funds ...

Nullify Government Tyranny

by John W. Whitehead January 6, 2020

“The people have the power, all we have to do is awaken that power in the people. The people are unaware. They’re not educated to realize that they have power. The system is so geared that everyone believes the government will fix everything. We are the government.”—John Lennon Twenty years into the 21st century, and what ...

A Limited-Government Republic versus a National-Security State

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 2, 2020

The worst mistake that the American people have made in the entire history of the United States was to permit the conversion of the federal government to a national-security state. That conversion has played a major role in the destruction of our liberty, privacy, and economic well-being. What is a national-security state? It is a totalitarian-like governmental structure that consists ...

In Defense of the Quid Pro Quo

by Richard M. Ebeling January 1, 2020

For a good part of the second half of 2019, the news has been filled with Donald Trump’s perceived quid pro quo with the Ukrainian government over U.S. military aid in return for investigating Joe Biden, a potential campaign opponent, and his son, Hunter, to give the incumbent president an edge in the coming presidential election. It culminated in ...