Category: Philosophy

Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain have all put out a flat tax plan of one sort or another. If you want to see what this will mean for you, here are the savings you can expect organized by economic quintile: As you can see, if you are not rich, don’t expect much. But… Continue reading The totally baffling idea of a flat tax

There are many different philosophical ways to arrive at an economically leftist political position. One of those philosophical approaches — which I think has been somewhat neglected — is centered on the issue of property ownership. Unfortunately, many — even on the left — will concede that property rights exist, and that the institution of… Continue reading Arguing about property

The trope of the American Dream, or at least the phrase itself, has been making a comeback within the organizations that represent the American left. Most notably, Van Jones has dubbed his new project The American Dream Movement, and has established as its goal to “rebuild the dream.” What is the dream that we are… Continue reading The American Dream and other attacks on deliberative democracy

Right-wing advocates of limited government often argue that locating political power in state governments is preferable to locating it in the federal government. The reasoning they give for why this is the case is a bit complicated. On its face, it seems like it is irrelevant where government power is located. After all, a state… Continue reading Race to the bottom leads to corporatism

Right-wing libertarians tend to have a hostile relationship with organized labor. Labor unions have a long history of endorsing socialism, communism, and anarchism, all philosophies that libertarian capitalists vehemently oppose. Unions are also, by their very nature, collectivist organizations that primarily act to move the equilibrium price for labor higher than it would otherwise be.… Continue reading The anti-libertarian nature of right-to-work laws