Topic: Classical Liberalism

Land of the Free – An Update

– January 5, 2024

“We live in an era dominated by the doctrine of prior restraint, the notion that all actions (individual or corporate) should be forestalled until approved by an appropriate authority. It is an ugly inversion of a bedrock principle of a free society.’ ~Paul Schwennesen

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Capitalism Is Impersonal, Not Soulless

– January 4, 2024

“Because in today’s global economy the people with whom we interact economically number literally in the billions, the percentage of these persons with whom we also interact personally is near zero.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux

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“Strange, Isn’t It?” Adam Smith and the Angel Clarence

– December 24, 2023

“Adam Smith showed my students that they are constantly influenced for the better by the work of countless thousands of others whom they will never know.” ~Jeff Ziegler

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When Liberal Became a Political Adjective

– December 24, 2023

“Before the 1770s, liberal meant generous, munificent, as in “with a liberal hand,” or tolerant and befitting a free man, as in liberal arts and liberal sciences. Those meanings were not political.” ~Daniel Klein

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When Progressives and Conservatives Compete, Agnostics Win

– December 22, 2023

“While progressives and conservatives duel in the arena of certainties and are willing to place individual liberties on hold in support of their social ambitions, agnostics navigate an ever-shifting political landscape with a compass turned always toward the polestar of individual liberty.” ~Paul

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Marcus Aurelius on Snowplows, Sports, and Freedom

– December 21, 2023

“Our freedom depends on voluntary human cooperation. The Stoics offer practical wisdom for promoting freedom by helping you remove your internal barriers to cooperating with others.” ~Barry Brownstein

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Leave The Fence Alone: On ‘Toward a Political Economy of the Commons: Simple Rules for Sustainability’

– December 20, 2023

“Polycentric governance, secure property rights, and free markets reinforced by a culture valuing trust, patience, and individualism lead to successful management of common-pool resources like forests, fisheries, minerals, and climate.” ~Art Carden

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Degrowth Kills People – Yes, Literally

– December 19, 2023

“The primary obstacle to continuous improvement in the human condition is human (political or ideological) interference with the liberty of others.” ~Emile Phaneuf III & Christopher Lingle

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Beyond Taxation and Representation: the Legacy of the Boston Tea Party

– December 17, 2023

“Even a representative government, is not entitled to openly, or covertly, tax, regulate, or limit lawful, private activities, regardless of whether a majority of representatives and their constituents agree.” ~Luis Carlos Araujo Quintero

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The Coming Crack-Up of the Left: Yascha Mounk’s ‘The Identity Trap: A Story of Power and Ideas in Our Time’

– December 15, 2023

“The threat to the identity synthesis, and the main targets of its proponents, are the old-fashioned liberals, whether they fall on the right or the left of the political spectrum.” ~James E. Hartley

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Why Ordinary People Enable Totalitarians (Part II)

– December 14, 2023

“The best safeguard of liberty is societal support for a system that prevents abuses of power before individual acts of heroism are necessary.” ~Barry Brownstein

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New Hampshire’s Lesson for America

– December 11, 2023

“an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Never give government tools it will be tempted to abuse in the first place.

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