Defending Freedom, Combating Collectivism

Against collectivist impulses, the defense of freedom, personal responsibility, and the moral, political, legal, and economic foundations of a free society is ever necessary. Protecting the American experiment in ordered liberty is a debt that we owe to the past, and a challenge to pursue in the future. We examine the following issues in this area: the case for free trade vs. protectionism, individualism vs. the new collectivists (DEI/Critical Theory/Marxism/Social Democracy/Economic Nationalism/etc.), shareholder capitalism vs. ESG and stakeholder capitalism, foreign policy for a free society, and the foundations and first principles of freedom and free markets.

Articles

Hayek’s Still Relevant Response to Today’s Paternalist Planners

Richard M. Ebeling May 11, 2021

“Majorities can be as intolerant and tyrannical as the worst absolute monarchs of the past, if not even more so. What has failed, in Hayek’s view, has not been the idea of democracy as such, but the particular form of democracy that developed over the last two hundred years, under which fewer and fewer corners of individual life are safe from what coalitions of special interest groups that form majorities on Election Day can impose on the rest of society.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

Focused Protection Would Have Been the Right Pandemic Response

Ethan Yang May 11, 2021

“As the United States nears the hopeful end of its public health crisis, the mounting evidence domestically and abroad seems to suggest that harsh lockdown policies were not only overkill, they were counterproductive. In light of this information, it is increasingly apparent that a strategy of focused protection which respects the voluntary functions of society while taking reasonable steps to accommodate vulnerable populations would have been the most optimal pandemic response.” ~ Ethan Yang

The Buchanan Thesis

Donald J. Boudreaux May 11, 2021

“Those of us who decry large and intrusive government should demand that government annually balance its budget. The tighter the constraint on government’s access to resources, the freer and more prosperous the people will be.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Biden’s “America the Beautiful” Vision Ignores Feds’ Dreadful Record

James Bovard May 10, 2021

“Biden’s ’30 by 30′ will likely become simply another pork barrel environmental program which deluges their friends and donors with subsidies. But there is no reason to expect ‘America the Beautiful’ to be less of a debacle than FDR’s farm programs, Eisenhower’s Soil Bank, or the Conservation Reserve Program. If political hot air was all that was required to achieve ‘America the Beautiful,’ the United States would have become paradise long ago.” ~ James Bovard

The Dubious Premise for Expanding the Regulatory State

Ethan Yang May 10, 2021

“Arbitrary political interests are meant to be enacted by the legislative process where they can be debated, vetted and their architects ultimately held accountable. Looking to the regulatory state, which can essentially act as judge, jury, and executioner, to pass one’s political mandate not only exhibits a disdain for the lives of individual citizens but is also tyrannical in nature.” ~ Ethan Yang

The Inevitable Yo-Yo Ride of Pandemic Fortresses

Joakim Book May 10, 2021

“In a world where people suddenly ceased traveling it was inevitable that end stations should do comparatively well in every way except economically. Crediting their ‘success’ to government policies is a mistake. Instead, geography appears to be the dominant factor.” ~ Phillip W. Magness & Joakim Book