Share Some Facts About Thanksgiving and Big Government

Published November 20, 2012 in Persuasion by Evan Hanson

by Sharon Harris

Holidays are a great time to share libertarian ideas with family and friends. Libertarians should gather a store of liberty-themed facts, figures and stories specific for each holiday. (I'll be doing that in this column as each major holiday nears.)  Thanksgiving is upon us.  Below is a short report from the free-market Cost of Government Center that  (Read More)

Government Works Perfectly

Published May 24, 2012 in Persuasion by Michael Cloud

"The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true, " wrote Niels Bohr.   "Government doesn't work," said Harry Browne.   "Government works perfectly," says Michael Cloud.   They are opposites. But both are true.   * * *    "Government is broken," claim some.   "Government spending is out of control," argue others.   "Government has exceeded its  (Read More)

The Real Issue May Be Poverty

Published May 04, 2012 in Persuasion by Sharon Harris

Many objections or concerns that people have about some libertarian proposals boil down to one issue: concern about the poor and disadvantaged.    Examples:    * One of the major objections to private education is that, without government schools, the poor might not have access to quality schools. Many people know that the private sector can provide quality education that most people could afford. And they’re frustrated by the wretched education the government education monopoly foists upon so many kids. But they are afraid that ending  (Read More)

The Know-Nothing Libertarian "Leader"

Published March 28, 2012 in Persuasion by Michael Cloud

The other day, a libertarian phoned me to talk about some projects he was working on. After we discussed them, I wanted to find out a little bit about his libertarian background and thinking and knowledge.

  "When I first meet a libertarian, I like to get a feel for his interests and knowledge," I said. "I ask one question and we start from there. When I first met Murray Rothbard, Nathaniel Branden, Dave Nolan, Dr. John Hospers, David Bergland, and Harry Browne, this is the first libertarian question I asked each of them. Would you be willing to answer it?"  (Read More)