Free Society

The Hypocritical Double Standards of Political Outrage

by John W. Whitehead June 27, 2019

“She was asked what she had learned from the Holocaust, and she said that 10 percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and that 10 percent is merciful, no matter what, and that the remaining 80 percent could be moved in either direction.”—Kurt Vonnegut Please spare me the media hysterics and the outrage and ...

The Omnipresent Surveillance State

by John W. Whitehead June 12, 2019

“You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.”—George Orwell, 1984 Tread cautiously: the fiction of George Orwell has become an operation manual for the omnipresent, modern-day surveillance state. It’s been 70 years since Orwell—dying, beset by fever and bloody coughing ...

What Would a Free Society Actually Look Like?

by Laurence M. Vance June 1, 2019

It is a common occurrence at sporting events. Someone is singing the U.S. national anthem — “The Star-Spangled Banner” — and when he gets to the last line of the first verse (although the song has four verses, the first verse is the only one that is ever sung), the crowd starts cheering and shouting after the singer utters ...

Adam Gurowski: Polish Champion of American Liberty

by Richard M. Ebeling June 1, 2019

America! What a wonderful word. America! A word that has carried with it hopes and dreams, promises and possibilities; a new start and second chances. It has meant freedom, opportunity, and prosperity. Only in America! For many in faraway lands the word “America” still carries with it connotations of a better life, liberty, and enterprise. But what do these ideas ...

The Plague of Meddling Political Busybodies

by Richard M. Ebeling May 29, 2019

Who knows what might be better or best for you? You or those in the government? We all make mistakes and misjudgments, but who is most likely to have a wider and deeper appreciation of your wants and desires, you or a bureaucrat in an often-faraway government agency? Who is more likely to have an insight into the options ...

A Graduation Message for a Terrifying Age

by John W. Whitehead May 21, 2019

“No matter who you are, no matter how strong you are, sooner or later, you'll face circumstances beyond your control.” — Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones Those coming of age today will face some of the greatest obstacles ever encountered by young people. They will find themselves overtaxed, burdened with excessive college debt, and struggling to find worthwhile employment in ...

D Is for a Dictatorship Disguised as a Democracy

by John W. Whitehead May 9, 2019

When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; a culture-death is a clear possibility. — Professor Neil Postman, ...

Tax Cut or Welfare Increase?

by Laurence M. Vance May 3, 2019

The Democratic senator from New Jersey and presidential candidate Cory Booker wants to cut the taxes of 150 million Americans. But is what he’s proposing a tax cut or a welfare increase? After declaring his intention to run for president, Booker unveiled a new proposal called the Rise Credit that would expand the existing Earned Income ...

What 19th-Century Foreign Writers Said about American Freedom and Prosperity

by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 2019

If you look at the results of relatively open and competitive market economies over the years, the decades, and especially the last two centuries, the only conclusion that can reasonably be reached is that free market liberal-oriented societies provide the conditions and opportunities for constant and continuous material and social betterment for the vast majority of those living in ...

When Dissidents Become Enemies of the State

by John W. Whitehead April 18, 2019

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals. In the current governmental climate, where laws that run counter to the dictates of the Constitution are made in secret, passed without debate, and upheld by secret courts that ...

Financial Tyranny

by John W. Whitehead April 12, 2019

If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street, If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat, If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet. Don’t ask me what I want it for If you don’t want to pay some more ‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman… And you’re working for no one ...

Has Modernity Made Us Indecent?

by Richard M. Ebeling April 11, 2019

He dressed decently and had a decent meal before going to work. He showed some common decency toward his next-door neighbor. He did the decent thing to do. From these examples, you might conclude that the word decent refers to following some rule or standard of conduct, or behaving in some proper and ethical way toward others; and you would ...