Smith Hayek

Category: Politics

  • Quote of the day – Mistrust the Government

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    Jeff
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    Andrew Napolitano succinctly describes why it is imperative that we should mistrust the government and provides a nice list of the freedoms that we all yearn for: Why We Should Mistrust the Government by Andrew P. Napolitano The reason Obama likes government and the reason it is \”a dangerous fire,\” as George Washington warned, and…

  • Please State Government, may I have ice cream?

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    Jeff
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    Wisconsin is in the midst of a recall process. Petitions have been circulated and are currently being examined to determine if the Republican Governor, Scott Walker, and several Republican state representatives will face a recall election. Today a private group, Verify the Recall, delivered recall signature eligibility reports to the Government Accountability Board (GAB). Those…

  • The Positive Side of Groupthink

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    Jeff
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    When I think about the places I go for information, the people I seek out for conversation, the blogs I frequent, I realize that most of them are places where I find myself saying \”yes, how true\” much more often than \”no, you got it wrong\”. Hopefully now and then I find myself saying \”interesting!…

  • Minimum Wage, Minimum Rights

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    Jeff
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    Minimum wage laws should be abolished. They are morally indefensible because they cause more harm than good. They are economic foolishness because they thwart the price signal that lets workers and employers arrive at the optimal price for labor. First, minimum wage laws increase unemployment. As I argued in a post on unions, it is…

  • The Essence of Libertarianism

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    Jeff
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    If I succeed with this post I will convince the reader that there are a narrow set of clear rules that should guide the debate over the appropriateness of any government activity. I claim that those rules are simple and uncontroversial for most Americans. They are rooted in the core of what it means to…

  • Moral High Ground for Libertarians

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    Jeff
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    I believe libertarians can make a strong claim for occupying the moral high ground on many issues. Opponents often argue against freedom by claiming that only the rich and powerful will benefit. Quite the opposite is true. I\’m going to start a list of examples starting with: An article by Jagdish Bhagwati who argues that…

  • Roger Pilon Explains the Essence of Libertarianism

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    Jeff
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    Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute presented at talk at a Cato event entitled \”The Moral Implications of the Deficit, Debt and the Budget Battles\” on June 9, 2011. His talk was part of a debate with Amatai Etzione that was inspired by Pilon\’s article in the Wall Street Journal. Starting around 30 minutes in…

  • Powerful because of wealth versus Powerful because of influence. I’ll take the former.

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    Jeff
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    Hayek in the Road to Serfdom makes the point that in a socialist economy the only way to advance is through successfully lobbying the government so that your group is accorded greater privileges. If you have the misfortune to belong to a group with little political clout then you are doomed. Even if wealth affords…

  • Obama’s magic math – can I use that at home?

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    Jeff
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    Today President Obama announced a new plan \”for America\’s energy security, including increased responsible domestic production and winning the future through a clean energy economy.\” I find it puzzling that Obama can claim to be fighting high oil prices by supporting several approaches that all work to increase costs. Obama proposes: 1. More domestic drilling…

  • Rights, Wants, Needs, Take Your Pick

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    Jeff
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    We are in a hurry to advance social causes. We can now get 3 square meals a day and have a roof over our heads, it is high time for us as a country to [take your pick] end poverty, provide everyone with clean water, provide everyone with access to great medical care, etc. Those…