This post has the same aim as “Paine on the Iraq War.” I disagree with Paine and Jefferson on many things, but my aim is not solely to use their reputation, and I am not exactly quoting them in context; all the excerpts I quote display something touching on principle rather than fact, or illustrate [...]
Two common arguments for government are: People don’t know what is best for themselves, so they need a government to decide things for them. The free market warps consumer preferences making people act selfishly, against the interests of others, the environment, and the future. There are many errors in this reasoning:
It is often said that Ron Paul has immensely better policies than other candidates. But almost equally often, this is followed up with a comment critical of his chances of winning, which, in turn, is used as an excuse to curb enthusiasm for showing support. I hate this for the following 10 reasons (I ignore [...]
Jeffrey Tucker is a conservative; he does not go far enough. He writes about Nock here (an earlier version of which appeared here), and about drinking alcohol at breakfast here. He does it well, but does not seem to have read the many writings of Nock on Rabelais (Nock often mentions Rabelais incidentally, so he [...]
It is often claimed that criticism of American policies is unAmerican, but to maintain this you must believe that Thomas Paine was unAmerican; for words which everyone would agree were once supportive of American policies are now critical of them, and during Paine’s own life time — here, for example — he explicitly criticised American [...]