POLITICS

The Outlook for the Future of Capitalism (Part 10 of 10)

Let the advocates of capitalism proceed in the knowledge not only that socialism is dead, but also that what the world still needs to learn is why capitalism deserves to live.

Reason, Not Force, As The Basis of Human Interaction

In a recent lengthy discussion with a friend who is an Obama supporter, she wanted to focus upon economics. Her view was that top economists had endorsed Obama. Why was that not enough for me to support him? One, I refused to discuss economics. I explained to her that...

A Nation of Thieves: Evil Concealed by Money

Evil acts can be given an aura of moral legitimacy by noble-sounding socialistic expressions such as spreading the wealth, income redistribution or caring for the less fortunate. Let’s think about socialism. Imagine there’s an elderly widow down the street...

The Future of Social Security?

The Future of Social Security?

One of the slowly-simmering issues I try to follow is the future of Social Security. Eventually, the current Ponzi scheme is going to go bankrupt, and right now there’s no morally principled reform on the horizon. So one big question is what sort of response to...

Why The Republicans Lost My Vote

Why The Republicans Lost My Vote

  After a resounding electoral defeat, in which voters in this once-red state rejected Republicans McCain, Schaffer, and Musgrave, the Colorado Republican Party will undoubtedly be asking themselves, “Why did we lose?” I want to let them know that...

Getting Beyond Race

Despite the fact that President-elect Barack Obama’s vision for our nation leaves a lot to be desired, the fact that he was elected represents a remarkable national achievement. When the War of 1861 ended, neither a former slave nor slave owner would have...

Planned Chaos: Nazism (Part 9 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Nazism (Part 9 of 11)

The philosophy of the Nazis, the German National Socialist Labor Party, is the purest and most consistent manifestation of the anticapitalistic and socialistic spirit of our age. Its essential ideas are not German or “Aryan” in origin, nor are they...

Planned Chaos: Fascism (Part 8 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Fascism (Part 8 of 11)

When the war broke out in 1914, the Italian socialist party was divided as to the policy to be adopted. One group clung to the rigid principles of Marxism. This war, they maintained, is a war of the capitalists. It is not seemly for the proletarians to side with...

Alan Greenspan vs. Ayn Rand and Freedom

The connection of Alan Greenspan to Ayn Rand, decades ago, is being used to blacken her name and her ideas.   This from the Leftist “Mother Jones” publication is one of the milder expressions: “In a historic moment, former Fed chair Alan...

Antipathy Towards Mark-to-Market Accounting is Misguided

The antipathy towards mark-to-market accounting is misguided. Mark-to-market is entirely appropriate for goods that trade in liquid markets. Open up your brokerage statement. If you see a notation that your account gained or lost X% of value, that is an application of...

Planned Chaos: Trotsky’s Heresy (Part 6 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Trotsky’s Heresy (Part 6 of 11)

The dictatorial doctrine as accepted by the Russian Bolshevists, the Italian Fascists and the German Nazis tacitly implies that there cannot arise any disagreement with regard to the question who shall be the dictator. The mystical forces directing the course of...

Planned Chaos: Russia’s Aggressiveness (Part 5 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Russia’s Aggressiveness (Part 5 of 11)

The German, Italian and Japanese nationalists justified their aggressive policies by their lack of Lebensraum. Their countries are comparatively overpopulated. They are poorly endowed by nature and depend on the import of foodstuffs and raw materials from abroad. They...

Airstrikes Against Iran?

Why do I assume that air strikes against Iran will be ineffective, especially given the sad shape of the Iranian economy and its weak military capability? [1] My answer: because everything Bush has done for the past seven years indicates that the strikes will be...

Capitalism and the Financial Crisis

There has always been contempt for economic liberty. Historically, our nation was an important, not complete, exception. It took the calamity of the Great Depression to bring about today’s level of restrictions on economic liberty. Now we have another...

The Conservative Package Deal

One of the worst mistakes that one can make in about this election is to see the two-parties as standing for a fundamental alternative. The symptom of this is when an opponent of Party A (“don’t vote for McCain”) is accused of advocating a vote for...

Planned Chaos: Socialism and Communism (Part 4 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Socialism and Communism (Part 4 of 11)

In the terminology of Marx and Engels the words communism and socialism are synonymous. They are alternately applied without any distinction between them. The same was true for the practice of all Marxian groups and sects until 1917. The political parties of Marxism...

George W. Bush’s Empowerment of Iran

The recent surge in Iraq has gotten great press lately. Clearly Iraq is calmer than it has been in years. The surge itself, some have claimed, demonstrates how the Bush administration has learned to fight such an enemy. It provides, they say, a blueprint for defeating...

Planned Chaos: Introduction (Part 1 of 11)

Planned Chaos: Introduction (Part 1 of 11)

The characteristic mark of this age of dictators, wars and revolutions is its anticapitalistic bias. Most governments and political parties are eager to restrict the sphere of private initiative and free enterprise. It is an almost unchallenged dogma that capitalism...

Let Them Fail

Everywhere today politicians are blaring that they must save America’s financial institutions, alleging catastrophic risk to the economy were any to fail. Paulson and the entire Bush administration, in a discernible panic, are now pouring $700 billion into the...

The Politics of Health Insurance

The Politics of Health Insurance

There are some noteworthy differences between the health care policies advocated by Senators McCain and Obama. Both candidates, however, share fundamental flaws that make either set of proposals largely undesirable and impossible to implement. Both Obama and McCain...

A Perfect Storm

A Perfect Storm

Some elections are routine, some are important and some are historic. If Senator John McCain wins this election, it will probably go down in history as routine. But if Senator Barack Obama wins, it is more likely to be historic– and catastrophic. Once the...

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