Topic: Authoritarianism

Self-Censorship and Despotism Over the Mind

– August 10, 2020

“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 of the government.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education, Healthcare

Experience From Other Countries Show Lockdowns Don’t Work

– August 9, 2020

“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.” ~ Ethan Yang

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Education

Deceit and Demagoguery in Montgomery County, Maryland

– August 7, 2020

“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 Bovard

Authoritarianism, Free Markets, Regulation

The Mugging Of TikTok Should Embarrass Every Sentient American

– August 6, 2020

“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, are trying to be like Americans used to be.” ~ John Tamny

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Free Markets, Regulation

The Gaslighting of the American People

– August 6, 2020

“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

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

The Use of Knowledge in a Pandemic

– August 4, 2020

“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

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Policy

Government, Govern Thyself

– July 30, 2020

“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

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

Should Dr. Fauci Be the Economic Czar?

– July 30, 2020

“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.” ~ Ethan Yang

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education, Public Choice and Public Policy

Evolutionary Failure: When Mass Psychology is like a Negative Technology Shock

– July 30, 2020

“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 we also hope you will join us in asking for some moderation in the panic around the new virus.” Diana & Michael Thomas

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Free Markets, Regulation

We Need College Sports This Fall

– July 29, 2020

“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 and summer sports and continue with the originally planned college football season. The losses already go far beyond losing games.” ~ Evelyn O’Byrne

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government, Regulation

Political Legitimacy Dies in 2020

– July 28, 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

Art and Culture, Authoritarianism, Crisis

The Bloodless Political Class and Its Lack of Empathy

– July 27, 2020

“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