Are libertarians radical?

December 31, 2007 Politics, Random Thoughts | 5 Comments

In the process of trying to convert a socialist friend to support the principles of freedom, she remarked, “ya, you’re not radical”. I didn’t really know what to make of that statement, so I asked if she was being sarcastic. Of course she was. My instinctive reaction was to become somewhat defensive and disagree. The conversation had to be cut short for an unrelated reason, but if it had continued I surely would have tried to convince her that supporting freedom and the sovereignty of nations is not radical. To the contrary, supporting massive taxation for the benefit of corporate parasites and global hegemony is quite radical.

Read more

Keep the Saudi dollar peg to fight terror

December 31, 2007 Economic Collapse, Economics | Leave a Comment

I don’t know what to make of this ridiculous article from the Guardian. Are we really supposed to believe the Saudi government will make a decision of such magnitude just to stick-it to Bin Laden? Are they making their policy decisions simply by opposing the recordings of an invisible man from a mythical cave far far away?

Read more

Is for-profit funding of research unethical?

December 31, 2007 Business, Random Thoughts | Leave a Comment

I had a conversation today with a very bright individual just about to complete his PHD in computer science — he has inspired me to ask this important question. I was quite surprised to hear him describe his philosophical opposition to private funding for research. I couldn’t believe it. Ever? Is this common?

Read more

Do people fail because they lack opportunity or because they aren’t capable of success?

December 30, 2007 Politics, Random Thoughts | 5 Comments

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that successful parents are more likely to raise successful children, but rarely do socialists look for any reason to explain this correlation outside the conventional market bashing anti-capitalist rhetoric.

Read more

Is America preparing to fight every nation on earth simultaneously?

December 30, 2007 Economics, Freedom | 1 Comment

American military spending far exceeds the total of every other nation on earth combined. Does any country really need to be concerned that every nation on earth will attack in a mass coordinated strike? Does this monstrous budget actually make anyone safer?

Read more

UFC cash cow

December 30, 2007 Business, Trends | Leave a Comment

For the uninitiated, UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship, technically the sport is called mixed martial arts or simply MMA. Years ago it was criticized for being what some considered human cock fighting — there were no weight classes, no rounds and no rules. Competitors got in the octagon shaped cage and fought until one fighter either quit or stopped fighting back. The sport was banned in many states.

Read more

Global warming revisionism

December 29, 2007 Politics, Trends | Leave a Comment

If the data supports a belief in human induced global warming, then nobody should be afraid to discuss the views held by many dissenters. Personally, I’m sitting on the fence. I have noticed in my own hometown a gradual increase in winter temperatures, but that in itself does not prove a correlation with human activity. I admit I have not read the scientific papers… I should probably do that. Anyhow, the following is a summary of the opposing perspective.

Read more

The great gold standard debate

December 29, 2007 Economics, Precious Metals | 1 Comment

What follows is a fantastic debate between Ron Paul and the Federal Reserve bank of New York governor Charles Partee from 1983. It’s quite long, but I highly recommend watching all the way to the end, including the rebuttals and Q&A.

Read more

Evidence capitalism works

December 28, 2007 Economics, Freedom | Leave a Comment

I recently came across the following entrepreneurship ranking which I found quite interesting. The list is produced by amalgamating the World Bank’s Doing Business Report and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor produced by Babson College and the London Business School to create an entirely new ranking referred to simply as the “FSB score”. Combining both these sources with equal weighting creates a new figure that takes many things into account, including: starting a business, operating a business and something called high-expectation entrepreneurship.

Read more

The savior of western civilization?

December 28, 2007 Economics, Trends | 1 Comment

Expect to hear a lot about “sovereign funds” in the near future

The financial industry is on the verge of collapse. Losses from sub-prime loans could exceed the entire American banking industry’s capital base. With such a terrifying prospect looming on the horizon, it’s no surprise bankers have their eyes on the world’s last pot of gold — sovereign wealth funds.

Read more

Page 1 of 3123

Highest Rated