Anyone supporting drug legalization must reconcile their position with the existence of these coked-up hallucinating tattooed hooligans on motorcycles. Most citizens fear legalization would lead to the rapid decline of Western Civilization: the youth would jump at drugs; dope would be in every home and every vein; morality would fly out the window, and life as we know it would collapse all around us.

With these “esteemed” gentlemen as examples, only the deranged could support drug legalization. That is, until one examines the specifics more closely. FULL ARTICLE

The political season brings promises to “bring us together as a community” and “heal the divisions between us.” Here is what the political class won’t reveal: their laws, programs, restrictions, subsidies — the whole panoply of interventionist measures they love and of which they promise ever more — are the main source of social division. In contrast, markets draw people into peaceful social relationships, and encourage and reward harmonious interaction among people. FULL ARTICLE

Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, have been traveling the globe endorsing their new clothing line, Edun. According to Bono’s mistaken economic theories, he is no champion of the poor in his own factory. These wages are incompatible with the message Bono and Ali are trying to portray. Bono speaks about creating a new business model that can be emulated by other companies. In fact, he is doing what others are doing and have done for a very long time, and it is good for everyone. FULL ARTICLE

Through socialist policies and redistribution, New Orleans has raised from its ruin a new socialist man. However, instead of working for the collective, this risen New Orleans man does not work at all. He does not live for the collective but lives at the expense of the collective. This reality is drastically different from what Marxists had in mind when referring to the man created from socialism. FULL ARTICLE

Minimum wage is one of the only subjects nearly all economists agree upon. The exceptions are economists who are willing to throw out science in defense of the policy positions of political figures. Such is the case with Joseph Stiglitz. But students of economics don’t have to look far to see that the circumstances behind his change of mind were highly suspect. FULL ARTICLE

Here is an MP3 of my lecture in the summer papers series at the Mises Institute: “The Anarchist Society vs. The Military State: The Insignificance of the Free Rider Problem.” (I’m still working on the paper itself.)

When a person becomes old without savings, what is he or she supposed to do without socialist programs such as Social Security? The forgotten institution of charity here is the family. When libertarians talk of charity, we don’t just mean the Salvation Army, but taking care of your relatives as well. FULL ARTICLE

[NOTE: Vedran Vuk is in the chat room, 9:30-10:00am, July 12, 2006, CST]

Changing one law can prevent the city’s continued decline and fall of New Orleans. The edict that must be removed is the monopoly on gambling held by Harrah’s casino. The rest is forced underground. The day to allow completely free gambling in New Orleans is far overdue. There would be perhaps a dozen or more casinos offering low-skilled, high-paying jobs to the residents of New Orleans. FULL ARTICLE