A Few Thoughts on Machiavelli by Joseph R. Stromberg April 1, 2016 The Italian Renaissance politician and writer Nicolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) remains controversial. His defenders see him as a tough-minded “realist” and the founder of proper political science. Some writers find two Machiavellis: an advisor to aspiring despots, or (alternatively) a sincere republican theorist bent on freeing Italy from foreign rule. Either way, Machiavelli’s analysis of such categories as fortune, necessity, ...
Libertarian Angle: Why People Are Supporting Trump by Future of Freedom Foundation March 22, 2016 In this segment, Richard Ebeling and Jacob Hornberger discuss the Republican primaries and why candidate Donald Trump is appealing to so many voters. Go to the podcast.
This Year’s Presidential Politics Equals Continuing Big Government by Richard M. Ebeling March 21, 2016 The daily and unending bombardment of political campaign reporting and news, with its “drama” about who will be the Republican and Democratic Party candidates for the U.S. presidency, hides from view the continuing and real choice facing the American public: freedom or statism, individual liberty or government control. This real underlying question is hidden from view because the media coverage ...
The Futility of Representative Government in an Age of Robber Barons by John W. Whitehead March 10, 2016 “That's the way the ruling class operates in any society. They keep the lower and the middle classes fighting with each other… Anything different—that's what they're gonna talk about—race, religion, ethnic and national background, jobs, income, education, social status, sexuality, anything they can do to keep us fighting with each other, so that they can keep going to the ...
Reality Check: No Matter Who Wins the White House, the New Boss Will Be the Same as the Old Boss by John W. Whitehead March 3, 2016 “The main problem in any democracy is that crowd-pleasers are generally brainless swine who can go out on a stage & whup their supporters into an orgiastic frenzy—then go back to the office & sell every one of the poor bastards down the tube for a nickel apiece.” ― Hunter S. Thompson Politics today is not about Republicans and Democrats. Nor ...
Bernie Sanders: Revolutionary Stuck in Reverse by Will Tippens February 11, 2016 I get why people like Bernie Sanders. He seems like a genuine person. Most of his funding comes from grassroots donors and he has a mostly deserved outsider status. He’s honest about his political beliefs, and isn’t afraid to call himself a socialist. He has all the rancorous charm of Peter Finch in the 1976 film, Network : He’s ...
Circus Politics: Will Our Freedoms Survive Another Presidential Election? by John W. Whitehead January 28, 2016 “Never has our future been more unpredictable, never have we depended so much on political forces that cannot be trusted to follow the rules of common sense and self-interest—forces that look like sheer insanity, if judged by the standards of other centuries.” ― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism Adding yet another layer of farce to an already comical spectacle, ...
The Real Issues You Won’t Hear from the 2016 Presidential Candidates This Election Year by John W. Whitehead November 6, 2015 “Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.”—Gore Vidal The countdown has begun. We now have less than one year until the 2016 presidential election, and you can expect to be treated to an earful of carefully crafted, expensive sound bites and political spin about
The Libertarian Angle – Presidential Race Follies and the Prospects for Liberty by Future of Freedom Foundation September 2, 2015 Each week, FFF president Jacob Hornberger discusses the hot topics of the day. This week, Jacob and guest co-host Richard M. Ebeling talk about the current debates among current candidates in the presidential race The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.
The Libertarian Angle – Trumping the Political Process by Jacob G. Hornberger August 18, 2015 Each week, FFF president Jacob Hornberger discusses the hot topics of the day. This week, Jacob discusses the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.
Obama’s “Cynicism” Racketeering by James Bovard August 1, 2015 Barack Obama captured the presidency in part because of his appeals to “hope and change.” But after more than six years in power, he is now spending far more time denouncing cynicism. As usual, the worst example of cynicism is citizens who fail to trust the government and the Supreme Leader. A presidency built on restoring faith in the ...
Discrimination in Indiana – Private or Political? by Richard M. Ebeling March 30, 2015 Discrimination has become a “dirty word.” It has come to carry the “politically incorrect” connotation of prejudice, hatefulness, racism, and cruel intolerance towards others in society. There is only one problem: which one of us does not discriminate? Indeed, everything we do reflects discriminating choices and decisions. The issue of discrimination has captured the headlines, once again, because of a ...