In response to Rand Paul’s hilarious claim that parents own their children, Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig (ESB) posted at The New Republic about a slew of libertarian views about parenting that are stranger than even that. One of those views comes from Rothbard’s book Ethics of Liberty. In the book Rothbard applies the non-aggression, “no positive… Continue reading Rothbard’s Point About Child Neglect
Should the State Steal from the Poor?
There is a funny group of people out there who became laissez-faire propertarians for secular reasons but then later had to backfill ways to reconcile it with their Catholic religion. One of the things these people often do is concede that, as Locke famously wrote, the poor have a right to the surplus of the… Continue reading Should the State Steal from the Poor?
Violence, Property, Theft, and Entitlement
After a long break, I have found myself sufficiently annoyed once again at arguments regarding property that make no sense and fail to apprehend even the most basic criticisms that have for centuries been levied against them. So, I have decided once again to clarify how incoherent it is to say your views on taxes… Continue reading Violence, Property, Theft, and Entitlement
Frozen Darkness Is Depressing
Every so often, a major publication publishes an article about how everyone has the Nordic countries wrong and that they aren’t utopias. My favorite example of this is a 2005 article in the New York Times purporting to dispel the myth that Norwegians are rich and wealthy via the author’s anecdotes about such things as… Continue reading Frozen Darkness Is Depressing
Pareto Fail
Occasionally, I happen upon people who claim that they base their economic justice views on the idea of Pareto Improvements. On this view, economic justice requires that all moves to make individuals better off must not make other individuals worse off. Those who promote this view often seem to have roughly laissez-faire capitalist preferences. In… Continue reading Pareto Fail