Topic: Authoritarianism

Is Cowen Right about the Great Barrington Declaration? Part 2

– October 19, 2020

“Cowen is right that governments have reacted by scaring people. That’s one reason the Great Barrington Declaration is important. It seeks to tell people not to be so afraid unless they’re particularly vulnerable.” ~ David R. Henderson

Authoritarianism, Classical Liberalism, Crisis, Government

Will Things Ever Go Back To Normal?

– October 18, 2020

“Fast forward ten or twenty years and everyone forgets that the invasive powers we transferred to the state were ever temporary in the first place. Higgs is the intellectual champion we don’t deserve, but so desperately need. Let’s just hope that I am wrong, and that progress wins out in the end.” ~ Joakim Book

Authoritarianism, Crisis

The Absurdity of Ad Hominem

– October 14, 2020

“The fact that Nafeez Ahmed, Sam Hammond, and some others dismiss anti-lockdown arguments with ad hominem accusations is evidence as powerful as evidence gets that these people have no idea what an intellectually respectable argument is.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Authoritarianism, Books, Capitalism, Classical Liberalism

A Much Needed Reminder About Life in the Soviet Union: The Strange World of Ivan Ivanov

– October 14, 2020

“The book reminds us why such principles are so important and highlight the drastic extremes humans are capable of. The extent of which we are capable of creating a society characterized by freedom and prosperity or arbitrary domination and despair. In times like these, with freedom under siege from every angle, a book like this is badly needed. If not to remind us of where authoritarianism will take us, to show us how precious our liberty is.” ~ Ethan Yang

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Science

What’s Behind The WHO’s Lockdown Mixed-Messaging

– October 14, 2020

“Tedros aligned himself not with democracies and their fundamental principles but with an autocratic dictatorship, the same dictatorship that helped him assume power within the WHO. Together, using logical fallacies and pseudo-science, they betrayed international law governing human rights, the WHO’s own stated principles, and committed crimes against humanity on a massive scale.” ~ Stacey Rudin

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Coronavirus Counterfactual: A True Enemy Would Have Alerted Us In 2019

– October 13, 2020

“Needless to say, the high survivability rate for the virus doesn’t square with some of the anger directed at China. The anger contradicts the survivability number, plus it excuses politicians, experts and pundits for their role in what’s easily the biggest unforced error of the 21st century; one that has hundreds of millions rushing toward starvation. All for what?” ~ John Tamny

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

Frankenstein 2020: An Economic Horror Story

– October 13, 2020

“It is time to heed the warning of Frankenstein, time to acknowledge the Monster at our national door and the hubris that led intellectuals to create it. For make no mistake, it seeks not only ‘treats’ but the thrill of perpetuating nasty ‘tricks’—to ‘blow up’ or ‘burn down’ our country to achieve the false promise of ‘equity.’ And in that game, we are all losers.” ~ Caroline Breashears

Authoritarianism, Economic Education, Government

The Political Circus and the Court

– October 13, 2020

“Rather than wondering on what rationale political candidates such as Kamala Harris and Mike Pence, or Joe Biden and Donald Trump can have the audacity to offer themselves for any election consideration, since they insist that they need our votes so they can then lord over us according to their political prerogatives and caprices, we, instead, express our chagrin that Biden and Harris won’t say if they will pack the court if and when they are elected, and we show focused amusement that a fly takes a rest in Pence’s hair even as he reassures us that Trump is in planful control of our lives in the trying times of a pandemic.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Healthcare

Lockdowns of Young People Lead to More Deaths from Covid-19

– October 12, 2020

“Lockdowns of young people will not work irrespective of how many so-called experts claim otherwise. An argument or decision stands on its merit rather than the prestige of the person articulating it. The proper role of experts in a free society is to give advice by explaining the options rather than forcing decisions upon free people.” ~ Gilbert Berdine

Authoritarianism, Technology

An Attempted Media Sandbag: My Experience

– October 10, 2020

I’ve got a day job but try to fit in podcasts and television when possible. I don’t always pay super close attention to what’s coming up on the agenda. So the day I sat down for a quick interview on a Turkish TV show, which turned out to be partisan st …

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Two Types of Terror in Michigan

– October 9, 2020

“Will the Michigan plot be touted by the media to valorize every government official who placed any American under house arrest in response to the pandemic? It is possible to heartily condemn both nitwit conspirators and oppressive politicians. Unfortunately, the media will likely pay far more attention to the bluster of boneheads than to actual devastation produced by unjustified shutdowns.” ~ James Bovard

Authoritarianism, Central Banking, Economic Education

Professor Sunetra Gupta on the Perils of Disease Modelling

– October 9, 2020

What’s extraordinary to consider is how the principles she presents here apply equally to economics, sociology, history, and political theory. Gupta writes here like the F.A. Hayek of epidemiology. But the topic of the day is public health and here are her extraordinary observations, ending in a grave warning.