Topic: Authoritarianism

Art and Culture, Authoritarianism, Free Markets

The Insidious Political Ends of Cancel Culture

– August 18, 2020

“The problem comes when such behavior gets so pervasive that it makes any sort of desirable social fabric impossible. To those people who wish to engage in the heavy politicization, divisiveness, and domination inherent to cancel culture, I say: make sure we actually have a society left.” ~ Ethan Yang

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education, Free Markets

Watchwords that Threaten Liberty

– August 17, 2020

“This does not mean that oppressions, injustices, and ‘privileges’ have not existed and, when present, should not be repealed. But it is necessary to comprehend that, at the end of the day, it is political power, through its legitimized threat and use of force, that has been and is behind virtually all such immoral practices. And that the ideas and ideals of classical liberalism have been and remain the only lasting answers to ending the real social and cultural ills that continue to plague parts of humanity around the world.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Policy

Fear Is a Viral Monster

– August 17, 2020

“If a large enough number of us can be convinced that an unseen, vile monster lurks in everyone else, the resulting widespread fear empowers government officials to do what government officials do best – and what they’ve done so horribly over the past five months: destroy.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

COVID Lockdowns Will Kill Christmas

– August 14, 2020

“Aside from following the New Zealand route, or wastefully pouring money into a failing postal system (or scrapping the USPS altogether), our only option is to open up travel, and encourage individuals to accept responsibility for their own safety. Because hiding in fear is not living. Otherwise, I hope our politicians can live with telling the nation’s children to say goodbye to Christmas this year.” ~ Micha Gartz

Authoritarianism, Classical Liberalism, History

Reform the Supreme Court? Read the Federalist Papers

– August 14, 2020

“Senator Harris and her Progressive allies would do best for the country to attempt to restore respect and understanding of the Supreme Court, not undermine it by turning it into another political game. What’s at stake is a carefully crafted legal system that stands between a free society and tyranny from the few as well as the majority.” ~ Ethan Yang

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Regulation

Consequences of Lockdowns: The Case of Maine

– August 13, 2020

“The evidence available in March suggested the vast majority of people would not suffer severe illness from the virus. This should have led state leaders to focus limited resources on protecting the most vulnerable in society. However Gov. Mills opted to shut down the entire state.” ~ AIER Staff

Authoritarianism, Economic Education, History

On This Day, The Berlin Wall Began to Rise

– August 13, 2020

“Modern Germany is deceptively unified––so much so that it has become easy to relegate the cautionary tale of the GDR to the history books. But the ideology that gave rise to the Berlin Wall persists around the world. For as happily as we celebrate the day it came down, the day it rose must always stand as a testament to how easily freedom can fall victim to absolutism.” ~ Fiona Harrigan

Authoritarianism, Economic Education, Regulation

The Art of the Shakedown

– August 13, 2020

“Looking ahead to a more authoritarian future, will old-fashioned lobbying be enough to secure a measure of business freedom any more? What new steps will businesses need to take in the future to protect themselves from presidents who, instead of the Art of the Deal, prefer the Art of the Shakedown?” ~ Raymond C. Niles

Authoritarianism, Classical Liberalism, Crisis, Policy

Don’t Live Your Life In a Bubble

– August 12, 2020

“If you want a future, your generation needs to start getting the best minds behind leading. Your future and the future generations of humans now depend on it.” ~ Roger W. Koops

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

The New Fascism

– August 11, 2020

“Tamny is giving us a heroic book just in time to lead this movement. We have been suffering not from a medical crisis but from a political and economic and institutional crisis. We have undergone a vast breakdown of moral, educational, intellectual and journalistic standards.” ~ George Gilder

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Healthcare, Regulation

How Government “Cures” Drive Out Real Cures

– August 11, 2020

“A government that suppresses debate and wants to funnel billions towards politically connected firms will discredit all challengers to their favored solutions. In the name of what they define as ‘the science,’ the discovery process of real science is suppressed. Science suppressors are part of an illiberal movement whose members, in the words of Jeffrey Tucker, are ‘enemies of freedom and human rights.'”

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Healthcare, Public Choice and Public Policy

Fact-Checking Fauci

– August 10, 2020

“The pro-lockdown position favored by Fauci and several US media outlets has become a matter of ideological commitment. Whether they are doing so to rationalize the costs we have already incurred from this disastrous approach or to further politicize the pandemic response for a variety of electoral and partisan purposes, they have embraced a pro-lockdown stance that is unchained from any evidence or clear data.” ~ Phillip W. Magness