The Humble Libertarian original

My friend Craig Schlesinger is on a roll getting the libertarian message out there. In one letter to the editor which made it into The Wall Street Journal, Craig reminds a Journal opinion columnist that the nation's fiscal problems aren't just the fault of the blue party. The red party's compassionate conservatism ramped up federal spending to unprecedented levels under George W. Bush. Then in a letter to The Tennessean, Craig takes down the regulatory state with a solid dose of economic thinking regarding anti-gouging laws and ticket sales . He concludes with a particularly tasty sentence: "...the vulnerable person is hurt the most by removing the distributive justice of the market." Yes. On his blog, Spatial Orientation , he credits Matt Zwolinski 's research into the ethics of exploitation as inspiration for his letter on anti-gouging laws. ( super cool videos on the Matt Z link) Like his work? Check out " The Almighty Dollar? " on Spa...

This Christmas season, to much fanfare, Walmart brought back their layaway program. For those Internet intellectuals among us too rich and separate from the ails of the working man to understand the incentives behind layaway plans, let me explain the concept. By purchasing an item on layaway, you select your item, put down a deposit and make regular payments until the item is fully paid off - without interest. Only then are you allowed to take the item home. ...wait, what? Yes, that's how layaway plans work. There is no "getting the item" early advantage as with a credit system. So, we are left with only 2 possible benefits for those participating. 1) Fear of the item running out of stock. Putting the item on layaway guarantees you securing the item once you are able to fully pay for it. However, unless the item in question is a hot Christmas toy, Walmart largely sells commodities. In the majority of scenarios, there is no real fear of the item going out of sto...

A memorable demonstration followed by a simple explanation: what the Fed does is and ought to be illegal... just like it is for everyone else! This is a video I made back in September of 2009. Thought I'd repost it. Please excuse the goofy hat that I thought was cool: Apologies to the Secret Service. Please don't come after me... I'm NOT a counterfeiter! Promise! Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

This video should be everywhere! Republicans watch as Romney tries to rewrite history to defend his socialist actions as Governor of Massachusetts. Is this the best Republicans can do to limit the size, role, and influence of government in 2012? Major tip of my hat to Right Klik , via: Left Coast Rebel Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

...that on the same night that Ron Paul called the subsidization of student loans a "total failure," Penn State University students with subsidized loans rioted over the firing of football coach Joe Paterno ? Carl Wicklander , Regular Columnist, T H L Articles Author's Page Website

Hypocrisy with a lot of zeroes on the end of it: "They are . . . not interested in asking millionaires and billionaires to pay a half a penny on the dollar for the sake of the future of our children and communities." That was the reaction of Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) upon the defeat Thursday evening of the bill he sponsored that paired an element of President Obama’s jobs plan — funding for the hiring of some first responders and hundreds of thousands of unionized teachers — with a surtax on those earning more than $1 million. Yet that same evening, Menendez and his fellow Democrats — as well as self-proclaimed socialist senator Bernie Sanders — voted unanimously to protect subsidies for millionaires’ mortgages. In fact it was another measure Menendez himself sponsored: an amendment to an appropriations bill that will allow Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration to back home loans as large as $729,750. With help from a handful of Republicans,...

"I personally care more about eliminating real poverty in the world than the relative poverty of America's lower class." As a Presidential candidate, you could never get away with this statement. But, as an individual, it's hard to disagree with the ethical argument here, isn't it? You see, our political arguments are currently caught in a morality debate - which I think is fair game. But, libertarians keep getting caught in situations where their non-support in something "good" ends up looking evil. You don't want the 30 year-old man without a major medical policy to have his cancer treatments covered by the government? You're a monster. As a fellow monster, I want to have this debate. But, to do so, it becomes necessary to mainstream the concept of "good" vs. "great" in a world of finite resources. For instance, buying popcorn to support a Boy Scout troop is a "good" thing. Buying wrapping paper to support y...

Read it and weep: Pennsylvanians on public assistance now have a new 'civil right' -- free cell phones. Meanwhile, the rest of us get to pay higher cell bills as a result. Recently, a federal government program called the Universal Service Fund came to the Keystone State and some residents are thrilled because it means they can enjoy 250 minutes a month and a handset for free, just because they don't have the money to pay for it. Through Assurance Wireless and SafeLink from Tracfone Wireless these folks get to reach out and touch someone while the cost of their service is paid for by everyone else. You see, the telecommunications companies are funding the Universal Service Fund to the tune of $4 billion a year because the feds said they have to and in order to recoup their money, the companies turn around and hike their fees to paying customers. But those of use paying for the free service for the poor, should be happy about this infuriating situation, says Gary Carter...

In this series called " Libertarian Talking Points ", we pose a succinct talking point to slip into a debate that aims for the heart of an issue - avoiding the "politically safe" answer, and actually trying to convince people of both the moral and effectual justifications for liberty. You argue its effectiveness, or propose how to rephrase it to win hearts and minds. If the topic of socialism is brought up... " I believe in the redistribution of wealth . I believe that those who have created value through intuition, ingenuity or innovation to serve the needs of others, deserve our wealth in exchange for an even greater value in return. I believe that on an individual level, each one of us has a moral responsibility to help others in whatever way our conscience best determines. And I believe that the coercion of either or any of these things is completely antithetical to freedom." Eric Olsen , Regular Columnist, T H L Articles | Author's Pag...

It's that time again. The beginning of debate season. Where you sit in your living room, mouth gaping at the TV screen, absolutely frustrated at the ignorance, ineloquence and politically sissy responses spouted off by Republican candidates. Doesn't it make you wish you could write their responses for them? Rather than giving the "politically safe" answer, you could actually try convincing people of both the moral and effectual justifications for liberty? So, here's a game I'd like to call " Republican Talking Points ". I pose a talking point that aims for the heart of an issue. You argue its effectiveness, or propose how to rephrase it to win hearts and minds. Let's have at it: "Roughly half the American populace currently votes for Democrats and Democratic policies that believe in the role of government as 'collective citizenry' to support the welfare state in order to prevent mass poverty. Yet, these same voters believe that...

Is the madness never going to end? CNBC reports : President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged European countries and bondholders to prevent a "disastrous" default by Greece and pledged U.S. support to help tackle the country's debt crisis. Obama, whose political prospects have suffered from persistently high unemployment and ballooning U.S. debt, has pinpointed the euro zone crisis as one foreign "headwind" hitting the U.S. economy. After a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he stressed the importance of German "leadership" on the issue - a hint that he expects Berlin to help - while expressing sympathy for the political difficulties European Union countries face in helping a struggling member state. "I'm confident that Germany's leadership, along with other key actors in Europe, will help us arrive at a path for Greece to return to growth, for this debt to become more manageable," Obama said. "But it's goin...

Why is it that video games and electronics keep getting better and better, faster and faster while health care, education, and housing keep getting worse and more expensive? All without a Department of Gaming and Electronics to guide it? Hmmm... maybe the free market works and government regulation doesn't. Hat tip: reddit . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

I just got an article published in Young Americans for Liberty 's newest issue of its campus magazine, Young American Revolution , which is read by thousands of students on campuses across the country. My article was featured alongside pieces by vast right-wing conspirator Grover Norquist, Congressman Ron Paul, Senator Rand Paul, and bestselling author and historian Tom Woods. Here's an excerpt: America's International Welfare State That welfare programs are ineffective and outside the purview of a proper government is nearly axiomatic to most self-described conservatives. ...Yet while opposing welfare at home, American conservatives have been duped by internationalist progressives into supporting and paying for a massive global welfare state under the pretense of national security. This has allowed these Wilsonian interventionists to grow government to unprecedented levels and achieve their dreams of a worldwide nanny state with uncritical support from conservatives...

What follows is a story by the Cato Institute's William G. Shipman that should really open your eyes about Social Security. Share this with as many people as possible. Don't even bother linking to this post; I don't even want the credit for passing this along. Just share the original article with as many people as you know after you read it yourself. We need to hear this about Social Security: Read the article at The Daily Caller . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Editor's note: the following #MusicMonday post has come to us courtesy of Humble Libertarian reader Andrew Irvin. It was just too good to pass up. Excellent points, Andrew! ### I am honored to be writing today's #MusicMonday entry as a guest commentator. What better band to highlight for this, my first HULI posting, than quintessential libertarian group RUSH, the 40+ years rockin' trio from Toronto! For those of you who aren't familiar with the following song, "The Trees" features an apt warning about the dangers of envy, especially when intensified through government force. (The lyrics for this song are quite easy to understand, they can be viewed here .) Notice it is not claimed that the oaks and maples have an equal footing and the maples just didn't work hard enough to get to the sunlight. This faulty argument is sometimes made regarding social disparities. Though we are all inherently equal in rights (primarily the right not to have force i...

Francisco d'Anconia's voice mail recording summarizing in less than one minute, his notorious "Root of All Evil" speech from the pages of Atlas Shrugged. I'm getting so psyched for this movie. Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Glen Allport has done it again with a clear and chilling look at America's Social Security nightmare and the underlying flaws of the "pay-as-you-go" system. Here's an excerpt: In plain language, there is no good reason for the unfolding Social Security nightmare. Yes, the Baby Boomers are retiring, but so what? It's a big group, but this same big group has been paying into Social Security their whole adult lives. It's not like the money hasn't been set aside or anything. Right? Of course, you know better: the money that should have been set aside wasn't. That is the entire Social Security problem in a nutshell. How did this happen? Government happened (as in, "Be careful not to step in the government"). Ringo's Law happened: "Everything government touches turns to crap." Give the rest a read over at Strike The Root . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Here's a new mini-documentary explaining why personal accounts are the only way of dealing with Social Security's huge long-run unfunded liability while also giving workers a chance to enjoy a safer and more secure retirement. Video by Dan Mitchell Vice President at The Cato Institute  Filed by Grant Davies , Regular Columnist, T H L Articles | Author's Page | Website

I wonder if handouts to the homeless have gone up since the Ted William's Golden Voice story broke. I know I've personally been thinking differently about the homeless that I see on my commute. And you know what it is that I catch myself thinking? "I wonder if that guy has some crazy marketable talent?" That's the only lesson we learned here. Whether you like it or not, America did not become instantly sensitive to the plights of the homeless. They were simply amazed that such a marketable skill was not actively engaged in the market. And that mistake was immediately rectified. It's a regular rags to riches via Adam Smith story. And we will rejoice each time at a prodigal's return. Eric Olsen , Regular Columnist, T H L Articles | Author's Page | Website

When debating the virtues of wealth distribution, Frederic Bastiat's thesis on legal plunder contained in The Law can be very helpful. But even a 50 page book can be lost on some people. Luckily there is a man today who can explain these ideas so clearly that none can refute their silliness. His name is Dennis Moore, played by John Cleese. Moore is a Robin Hood figure who simply isn't very good at what he does. He hails from a Monty Python sketch sporting his name . Here we see it on YouTube: Firstly, he stops a coach at gun point and demands all of their lupines, and promptly delivers them to the poor. Quite proud of himself, Dennis is, he next raids the quarters of the rich, and again steals all of their lupines- in a bunch! The poor then have too many lupines and demand that their delegated force, Dennis, steal something useful like gold or silver. This is quite telling. We can draw a lot out of this scene. The lupines, which are valued by the rich for reasons no one kn...