Authoritarianism

  • Self-Censorship and Despotism Over the Mind

    “Right now, it is still predominantly the force of social pressures that the cancel culture and identity politics warriors are successfully using in the arenas of education, the arts and entertainment, the media, and industry. But the next logical step will be to move from social pressures to the use of the full political power…

    Self-Censorship and Despotism Over the Mind
  • Experience From Other Countries Show Lockdowns Don’t Work

    “For months we have hailed countries like Taiwan and South Korea for their model responses that kept the virus at bay while inflicting relatively minimal restrictions on society. Advocating for draconian lockdown measures while still praising these countries is not only blind to the evidence but also comes from a position of privilege and hypocrisy.”…

    Experience From Other Countries Show Lockdowns Don’t Work
  • Deceit and Demagoguery in Montgomery County, Maryland

    “Politicians and bureaucrats who claim a right to outlaw all risks ignore the risk of tyranny. Gayles and other MoCo politicians sneer at their critics as if they were unwashed deplorables incapable of understanding ‘science.’ But their school shutdown policy is simply Political Science 101, using deceit and demagoguery to seize more power.” ~ James…

    Deceit and Demagoguery in Montgomery County, Maryland
  • The Mugging Of TikTok Should Embarrass Every Sentient American

    “A Chinese company innovated, met the needs of people around the world, and President Trump responded by threatening a ban of the company before brokering a potential forced sale of the company to an American company. The whole world is watching, Americans. We deserve neither TikTok nor the very Chinese people who, if we’re honest,…

    The Mugging Of TikTok Should Embarrass Every Sentient American
  • The Gaslighting of the American People

    “We can reject gaslighting and insist on regaining our rights, though whether we will forget this nightmare is debatable. Punishing our persecutors is certainly beyond us. A pity.” ~ Caroline Breashears

    The Gaslighting of the American People
  • The Use of Knowledge in a Pandemic

    “As Hayek reminded us, ‘We need decentralization because only thus can we ensure that the knowledge of the particular circumstances of time and place will be promptly used’ (p. 524). We’ve been here before. You are more of an expert than you might think.” ~ Jonathan Newman & Anthony Gill

    The Use of Knowledge in a Pandemic
  • Government, Govern Thyself

    “Most people seem to think that the problem with government power is that the wrong people are in office. That’s not right; the problem is that we want to rely on a physician who suffers an illness that cannot be cured.” ~ Michael Munger

    Government, Govern Thyself
  • Should Dr. Fauci Be the Economic Czar?

    “Much like how the response to COVID-19 requires understanding and input from a variety of perspectives, the same goes for economic policy. Dr. Fauci and public health experts like him have more than a right to voice their opinions on the economy. Whether or not we should take them seriously is another question entirely.” ~…

    Should Dr. Fauci Be the Economic Czar?
  • Evolutionary Failure: When Mass Psychology is like a Negative Technology Shock

    “This general acceptance of a fear of others that separates us from each other exacerbates all our worst proclivities and maximizes the economic destruction of the pandemic. We need to return to a robust market to preserve the division of labor. Perhaps you think this is an exaggeration, and we hope you are right, but…

    Evolutionary Failure: When Mass Psychology is like a Negative Technology Shock
  • We Need College Sports This Fall

    “The hundreds of thousands of cooperative players, vendors, restaurant and hotel owners, bartenders, waiters, waitresses, and untold millions of fans who have suffered personally, socially, and economically since March cannot bear the losses for much longer, let alone face shortened or canceled seasons. This is our chance to learn from the mistakes made with spring…

    We Need College Sports This Fall
  • Political Legitimacy Dies in 2020

    “As Thomas Jefferson declared in 1786, ‘An elective despotism was not the government we fought for.’ What’s the point of voting if ‘government under the law’ is not a choice on Election Day? American political legitimacy will continue plummeting as long as politicians scorn any legal and constitutional limits on their power.” ~ James Bovard

    Political Legitimacy Dies in 2020
  • The Bloodless Political Class and Its Lack of Empathy

    “Power is dangerous even when not used, but deploying it brutally and pointlessly rots the soul. This is a good description of almost the entire ruling class around the world today, save a few civilized countries that never locked down.” ~ Jeffrey Tucker

    The Bloodless Political Class and Its Lack of Empathy