Topic: Crisis

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Environmentalism

The Tyranny of the Vanguard

– June 29, 2023

“If the masses rebel, it’s not clear they will have any reliable means for pushing back effectively against the environmental vanguard and those in the bureaucratic and scientific communities who share their disdain for the retrograde masses.” ~ James E. Hanley

Crisis, Education, Government, Media

Artificially Stimulated Stupidity

– June 22, 2023

“For most of its existence, humanity has sought to reduce its innate stupidity and ignorance through education, training, and relatively reliable methods of generating and transmitting new information. Lately, all have broken down.” ~ Robert. E. Wright

Crisis, Currency, Inflation

Money Blindness and Money Clarity

– June 21, 2023

“Macroeconomists and policymakers can speak of anchored expectations all they want, but what ultimately happens is that regular folk find themselves impoverished without really understanding what went wrong or how they could have done things differently.” ~ Joakim Book

Art and Culture, Crisis, Media

Media Manipulators and their Foul Egregores

– June 17, 2023

“Media manipulation can be understood as an attempt to shape our collective sensemaking. The manipulators conjure their egregores to push a pliant public in a direction the manipulators desire.” ~ Max Borders

Crisis, Government, Regulation

Punishing the Punishers

– June 15, 2023

“If, though, the FBI, NEA, NPR, or the ‘Ministry of Truth’ receives an allocation of, say, only $10, the punishment for incompetence or venality has been fairly meted out, has it not? What could be more democratic than direct dollar democracy?” ~ Robert E. Wright

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government, Technology

Government Surveillance Injures the Innocent

– June 8, 2023

“The asymmetry of the surveillance state belies its true purpose: to protect the government, not the people.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Philosophy, War and Peace

The Constitution Is Dead. We’re Giving Away $20,000 to Create a New One.

– June 2, 2023

“Too many intellectuals and activists play fast and loose with terms like ‘social contract,’ which is why a Constitution of Consent is one people will literally sign.” ~ Max Borders

Crisis, Government, Media

Media Independence Does Not Really Mean Media Independence

– June 1, 2023

“No politician needs to bribe a journalist. All that is needed is a politician’s power to sculpt the shape of the news market in ways that are to his advantage.” ~ Vincent Geloso

Crisis, Economic Trends, Policy, Property Rights

All Housing is Still Affordable Housing: “Seen and Unseen” Edition

– May 21, 2023

“The unseen cause of gentrification is the knee-jerk NIMBYism of affluent leftist neighborhood associations. And that causes the elimination of almost all affordable housing in the city, quickly.” ~ Michael Munger

Crisis, Education, Environmentalism

Emotions and Climate Change

– May 16, 2023

“Conversations on campus are increasingly radical and will inevitably bleed into the mainstream dialogue. Be ready.” ~ Paul Schwennesen

Crisis, Fiscal Policy, Government

So Why Aren’t We Paying Down the National Debt?

– May 11, 2023

“The world will remain a dangerous place, but the further the nation is from its credit limit, the more effectively the government will be able to respond when, not if, something goes seriously awry.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Crisis, Fiscal Policy, Government, Monetary Policy

Krugman’s Magic Act

– May 10, 2023

“We’ve reached a point where the political class’s primary concern is no longer doing what’s best for the economy, but getting around the letter of the law while fooling the public as to what they’re really doing.” ~ Antony Davies