An important aspect of the freedom to exercise reason is the freedom of speech: the liberty to express opinions and to persuade others, whether to advertise one’s products, to raise capital, to contract suppliers, or to recruit employees. Taking this freedom away also severely undermines companies’ ability to create material values.
In Germany, it appears that all you need to do to land in jail is be accused by a judge of having a “clear right-wing background.” Has Germany learned nothing from its prior experiences with fascism?
While it is too late to prevent the damage in Fort McMurray now, the solution to minimizing losses from fires in the future is to sell the government forests and let private owners manage them for long-term profitability—by protecting their own property and respecting the property rights of others (through good property management to reduce the fire hazard).
When free speech is gone, all of freedom is gone.
Think of that: the government can take your property without charging you with a crime and then make you pay a bond just to have your day in court.
Geert Wilders is on trial not for his actions, but for his opinions.
You don’t have to like Donald Trump, or his positions, to be uspet about what’s happening to freedom of speech and association in America.
In our post-Soviet era, the Marxian framework and mind games have been transformed into issues concerning “gender” and “race” as well as “social class.”
So which is more effective in keeping us—as customers and employees—safe: the government bureaucrat with no personal incentive, or the businessman, whose profits and reputation depend on the safety and satisfaction of his employees and customers?
If the government subsidizes or operates newspapers, the important role of independent investigation and criticism of government actions—and the hope for changing the government—is lost.
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