April 15, 2020

COVID-19 and the war on cash: What is behind the push for a cashless society?

fromTheDailyBell: The war on cash is a concerted campaign to shift consumers towards a digital mode of commerce that can be monitored, tracked, tabulated, mined for data, hacked, hijacked and confiscated when convenient.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle                 Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Congress extends recess until at least May 4

fromPolitico: The longer tyrants are socially distanced, the better off freedom-loving Americans are.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

The surveillance state thrives during the pandemic

fromReason: Can we take government officials at their word that they'll eventually abandon their new powers?
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

The real cost of anti-price-gouging laws

fromMises: Given that the rationale for anti-gouging laws is to benefit consumers, we ought to check whether consumers are actually made better off.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Tyrants never let a crisis go to waste

fromTheDailyBell: Here’s a roundup of what’s happening around the world in the name of protecting the people:
The Government is Not Us

Some shirts hide you from cameras—but will anyone wear them?

fromArsTechnica: It's theoretically possible to become invisible to cameras. But can it catch on?
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

April 9, 2020

The crackdown on ‘price gouging’ helps no one, except politicians and the media

fromTownhall: Governments can’t alter the laws of economics any easier than they can the laws of physics. Yet, they seemingly never cease trying, either under some private or public pressure to skew economic outcomes.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Congress proposes 50% tax on guns and ammunition in the US

fromDailyBell: Congress is considering a bill to require citizens to apply for a federal license before being able to purchase a firearm. And the government would have the authority to deny a license without demonstrable cause.
2nd Amendment Assaults

Thermal imaging cameras are still dangerous dragnet surveillance cameras

fromActivistPost: Surveillance cameras in public places can chill free expression, movement, and association; aid in the targeted harassment and over-policing of vulnerable populations.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Feds classifying all coronavirus patient deaths as ‘COVID-19’ deaths, regardless of cause

fromNYPost: Obviously, it is in someone's self-interest to inflate the numbers.
Indoctrination and Censorship

HuffPost’s clickbait headline claims Trump invested in coronavirus cure

fromAccuracyInMedia: The amount of Trump’s investment was estimated between $100 and $1,500, which is far from a vested and significant financial investment in the drug.
Media Bias on Parade

To enforce social distancing rules, cops fined a Pennsylvania woman who was driving alone

fromReason: Not every apparent violation of a quarantine order is a risk to other people, and not all need to be 
(or can be) enforced equally. To a mindless hammer, everything is a nail.
Police State America

April 5, 2020

People's skepticism about Covid-19 is the fault of the lying mass media

fromThe Medium: If outlets like WaPo had done a better job oof consolidating their reputation as a reliable news source, people would believe them.
Media Bias on Parade

Court finds bump stock ban may constitute a taking, because the federal government lacks a police power

fromTheVolokhConspiracy: The Court will allow the federal government to try and explain which enumerated power justifies a taking without compensation.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle               2nd Amendment Assaults

Dump the FDA for a healthier America

fromReason: The agency has hampered widespread Covid-19 testing and the production of both protective gear and hand sanitizer.
Regulation Nation

How 'price gouging' helps consumers during the Coronavirus pandemic

fromReason: Q&A with Duke's Michael C. Munger, who also believes that big cities will see rationing and that higher education will never be the same.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

Five reasons COVID-19 is the best thing to happen to public education

fromTheVolokhConspiracy: While it is disruptive to the economy, as well as public school children and parents, a whole lot of good will come out of school closings.
Indoctrination and Censorship

As gov’t continues seizing power, Covid-19 response goes from hand washing to house arrest

fromTheFreeThoughtProcess: Just because we’re fighting an unseen enemy in the form of a virus doesn’t mean we have to relinquish every shred of our humanity, our common sense, or our freedoms.
Regulation Nation          The Government is Not Us

March 16, 2020

This is a test: How will the Constitution fare during a nationwide lockdown?

fromtheDailyBell: What is about to unfold over the next few weeks is a test to see how well we have assimilated the government’s lessons in compliance, fear and police state tactics.

The Government is Not Us

Dems try taking advantage of coronavirus crisis to put new mandates on business

fromPersonal Liberty: Politicians will always see a crisis to be a golden opportunity to expand the size and scope of government.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

Life inside the Italian lockdown

fromSpiked: Panic is seldom an advisable guide to action. But, it does provide government with an opportunity to centralize more power.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

VIDEO: Joe Biden - Here's the Deal

fromReason: A fun/frightening look at the deal Joe Biden offers America.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Why ‘price gouging’ actually helps during a crisis

fromLibertarianInstitute: When prices aren’t allowed to move in response to changing economic conditions, those who most urgently need these critical items will likely find the shelves empty.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

Liberty activist ‘murdered as he slept’ by SWAT team seizing his guns

fromFreeThought Project: This case appears to be crystal clear. Police claimed the innocent man’s guns were illegal, raided his home to take them, and killed him in the process. He had harmed absolutely no one.

Police State America

March 13, 2020

Senators push sneaky anti-privacy bill

fromReason: The EARN IT is an attack on encryption masquerading as a blow against underage porn. 

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

To avoid charges of price gouging, eBay bans sale of coronavirus supplies

fromReason: Attempts to impose low prices on emergency supplies often do far more harm than good. High prices bring essential items to where they are needed most.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Walter E Williams: Rights versus wishes

fromCreators: Sen. Bernie Sanders said: "I believe that health care is a right of all people." He's not alone in that contention. That claim comes from Democrats and Republicans and liberals and conservatives. 

Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Bernie Sanders is all but done

fromPolitico: It wasn’t just the results on Tuesday. It was the realization that, for the first time, he had no excuse and nothing better to look forward to. 

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Why you can't solve a public health problem with economic stimulus

fromReason: Is a new stimulus package the right response to a pandemic?   

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Coronavirus vs. the mass surveillance state: which poses the greater threat?

fromRutherfordInstitute: Emboldened by the citizenry’s inattention and willingness to tolerate its abuses, the government has weaponized one national crisis after another in order to expands its powers. 

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

October 29, 2018

5 things Canada got right when it legalized pot

fromReason: Our northern neighbors are handling the transition from prohibition to regulation better than the U.S. in several ways.
Regulation Nation     The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Defaming Muhammad does not fall under purview of free speech, European court rules

fromScienceMag: Forget government permission. Forget those long lines at the pharmacy: Someday soon, you might be making your own medicines at home.
Regulation Nation      Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Walter E Williams: Price gouging during a natural disaster

fromCreators: Price gouging after natural disasters is often seen as evil exploitation by sellers to rip off desperate customers. Let's hold off on that conclusion until after you give thought to some very important questions.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

You could soon be manufacturing your own drugs—thanks to 3D printing

fromScienceMag: Forget government permission. Forget those long lines at the pharmacy: Someday soon, you might be making your own medicines at home.
Regulation Nation

Has America become a dictatorship disguised as a democracy?

fromRutherfordInstitute: We’re living in two worlds, you and I. There’s the world we see (or are made to see) and then there’s the one we sense (and occasionally catch a glimpse of).
The Government is Not Us

More than half of America gets more in welfare than it pays in taxes

fromMisesInstitute: Why exploding debt? More than half of Americans receive more money in various types of government transfer payments (Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Social Security) than they pay in federal taxes.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

September 20, 2018

Bone chilling footage shows the horrific tyranny Google is now secretly fostering in China

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Based on the history of how China treats its dissidents, Google could soon be complicit in the state-sponsored torture and murder of people for their political and religious views. 
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

VIDEO: Colion Noir - The State of Discourse in America

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: From the Rubin Report, Colion Noir joins Dave to discuss the divisive nature of discourse in America, the image of black men and self-empowerment that comes with responsible gun ownership. 
2nd Amendment Assaults     Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Capitalism makes us more humane

fromMises: There is a reason Venezuelans are eating dogs while Americans are saving them from hurricanes. 
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Deep State unmasked: State Department on hidden cam, “resist everything,” “I have nothing to lose”

fromProjectVeritas: Today, Project Veritas released the first installment in an undercover video investigation series unmasking the deep state. 
The Government is Not Us

Philadelphia will dismantle Its asset forfeiture program and pay $3 million to victims

fromReason: Government's favorite legalized theft program gets shit-canned in Philly. Let's hope justice is a concept that catches on. 
Police State America     Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Three cheers for price gouging during Hurricane Florence

fromReason: So called "price-gouging" is really supply and demand. High prices attract much needed resources to the area and improve the lives of the suffering. Would you rather pay $3 for a bottle of water or have none at all? 
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

September 18, 2017

Should you tell the cops you have a gun?

from Reason: Some gun owners argue that disclosure is considerate and prudent, while others worry it will escalate a routine traffic stop into a tense, unpleasant, and possibly life-threatening encounter.
2nd Amendment Assaults

25 most commonly used recreational drugs in America

from St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The drugs Americans prefer most. Of course, all of them are either illegal or severely restricted and heavily taxed. Government reverence for the pursuit of happiness is not exactly that of the founders.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Irma watch: How likely are prohibitions on ‘price gouging’ to help the poor?

from The American Spectator: Some gun owners argue that disclosure is considerate and prudent, while others worry it will escalate a routine traffic stop into a tense, unpleasant, and possibly life-threatening encounter.
Economic Policy: Statism vs The Free Market

Gun rights top media poll

from The Daily Caller: Lost in the storm of hurricane coverage, a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll demonstrates Americans’ growing support for gun rights. 

2nd Amendment Assaults

John Stossel: The best part of the Constitution

from Reason: Stossel shares his thoughts about Constitution Day (September 17).
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Will Las Vegas be ‘Amsterdam on steroids’? Door opens for pot lounges

from NBC News: What happens in Vegas will still stay in Vegas — but perhaps no longer behind closed doors, at least when it comes to pot.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

September 7, 2017

National Guard Authorized to Seize Guns Ahead of Hurricane Irma

from The Daily Bell: Is this a testing ground to see what the U.S. National Guard can get away with?
2nd Amendment Assaults

Laws against 'gouging' are simplistic and wrong

from Reason: So-called price gouging helps send important signals to buyers and sellers. It is a necessary function to attract resources to where they are most needed.
Economic Policy - Statism vs The Free Market

Berkeley wimps out on free speech

from the NY Post: You really didn't think a leopard could change its spots, did you?
Indoctrination and censorship

CNN gets embarrassed again trying to tie Trump to Russia

from The New York Times:  CNN's elite reporting team has been exposed again. Story retracted.
Media Bias on Parade

Government barriers to private solutions hinder hurricane relief efforts

from Creators: "Raising prices of goods and services to the highest level the market will bear is not only what entrepreneurs do on a daily basis but also the mechanism that gives people access to a supply of goods they wouldn't otherwise have access to."
Economic Policy - Statism vs The Free Market

September 5, 2017

Prices should rise during crises like Hurricane Harvey

from Reason:  Prices serve an important function. They attract resources to where they are needed most. This is not price gouging, it is the beauty of capitalism at work.
Economic Policy: Statism vs The Free Market

Trump quietly nominates mass surveillance advocate to “protect” your privacy rights

from Activist Post: Like those who came before him, Trump is an authoritarian and as such wants to empower the state at the expense of the individual. The government is not us.
The Government is Watching Every Move You Make

The Utah nurse is not alone — police have a history of abusing professionals rendering aid

from The Free Thought Project: The Body Cam footage of a nurse being violent arrested for doing her job and refusing to break the law may be shocking, but it's not uncommon. Badges do not put one above the law.
Police State America

REPORT: America’s top universities deny students fair hearings

from FIRE: A new survey reveals that the overwhelming majority of America’s top universities fail to provide students accused of serious misconduct with the most basic elements of fair procedure.
Indoctrination and Censorship

New York Yankees Don't Understand The Free Market

by Anthony L. Fisher.     The New York Yankees are known for being Major League Baseball's financial juggernaut, taking in monstrous amounts of revenue while putting out rosters with payrolls that frequently push the $200 million mark. Historically, they have unapologetically embraced capitalism, usually to the benefit of their fanbase. That is, until  ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Economic Myths

Higher Minimum Wage Leads To Price Rises And Job Losses

by Tim Worstall.    We have been trying to tell people for some time now that raising the minimum wage just isn’t this costless exercise that so many seem to think it is. Raising that minimum wage means a pretty large amount of money flowing to one specific group of people in the economy. Which, given that we’ve not created any new money here,      ... MORE

VIDEO: Walter Block - Libertarians Vs. Socio-Biology

VIDEO: John Stossel - Economic Delusions

A Barton Hinkle: Let's Hear It For Price Gouging

Government has no business dictating prices.       Snow, sleet, and freezing rain weren’t the only things to come down last week. So did a weather-related proclamation from Mark Herring. “Attorney General Herring Highlights Price Gouging Protections Ahead of Winter Storm,” it read. “Laws protect consumers from ‘unconscionable prices’     ... MORE

Devin Brian: Price Gouging On Guns?

Where is the outrage? Every time there is a natural disaster of some sort, gas station owners are considered monstrous for raising prices to coincide with increased demand of their scarce resources. However, I have not heard anyone calling for the immediate lynching of those greedy gun shop owners who have doubled or even tripled prices on    ... MORE

Art Carden: Price Gouging In A Picture

What can we say about price gouging?     In open defiance of what everyone learns in an introductory economics class about the laws of supply and demand, politicians in New York and New Jersey (and elsewhere, no doubt) are vigorously enforcing their laws against “price gouging” and implementing alternative rationing mechanisms like even-odd    ... MORE

James Stacey Taylor: In Defense Of Price Gouging

Be careful what you wish for.    Last Friday, Gov. Chris Christie announced that he was taking a “zero-tolerance” approach toward anyone the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs found taking certain steps to help bring in much-needed items that were in desperately short supply after Hurricane Sandy smashed into the state last week.      ... MORE

Walter E Williams - Disaster Ignorance

Higher prices attract more supply.     Here's a which-is-better question for you. Suppose a New Jersey motel room rented for $125 a night prior to Hurricane Sandy's devastation. When the hurricane hits, a husband, wife and their two youngsters might seek the comfort of renting two adjoining rooms. However, when they arrive at the motel,  ... MORE