miscible.net

Ed Rollins agrees.http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS...

2009-01-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

Ed Rollins agrees.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/rollins.advice/

Keep up the good work.

2008-10-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Keep up the good work.

Close. This one:http://store.barackobama.com/prod...

2008-10-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

Close. This one:

http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/po29791.htm

I liked the old timey feel of it.

I wish there was a really old school one, like a woodcut of Obama and Biden with eagles, doves, a hot Lady Liberty surrounded by banners saying "peace" and "prosperity".

This one:http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/rs...

2008-10-16T08:08:00.000-05:00

This one:

http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/rs29726.htm

Excellent call on the glasses. Square Pegs!Every o...

2008-09-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

Excellent call on the glasses. Square Pegs!

Every once in while, I feel sympathy for the superstar losing it with the paparazzi. I'm guessing I would snap at least once. I am not justifying his behavior, I'm just saying it would get to me at some point too.

17. The thing said it was about the horrors of wa...

2008-08-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

17. The thing said it was about the horrors of war.

23. Get a fucking blog.

26. Isn't his GTD life management thing the one where you create "ticklers" that remind you to do things in the future? And spend about $200 in office supplies?

17. Are you confusing Eliot and Vonnegut's Slaught...

2008-08-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

17. Are you confusing Eliot and Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five?

23. GAFB?

26. I have no idea what you are talking about.

they're nice.

2008-08-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

they're nice.

OG!

2008-08-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

OG!

I find it interesting that student performance act...

2008-07-28T07:40:00.000-05:00

I find it interesting that student performance actually improves with the 4 day week. It is likely similar to the changes employers see in changing to to 4 day work-week. When you know you have a weekday to do all of the crap (shopping, banking, etc) you are less likely to do it/think about it during your office hours (on-line, long lunch) and therefore concentrate on your work during work hours. More focus, less mental multi-tasking.

J'accuse!

2008-07-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

J'accuse!

I've been saying for years that Mcd's fries don't ...

2008-07-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

I've been saying for years that Mcd's fries don't need ketchup...until I went to Les Halles...those fries rock. Ketchup only makes the fries worse...although mayo can be a good dipping sauce. (i will now wait patiently for the INS and Homeland Security to come check my documents to ensure I was in fact born in the US).

There's the rub (Ha! meat pun!). I don't think yo...

2008-07-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

There's the rub (Ha! meat pun!). I don't think you'd get bored with a good hamburger. For example, while eating my burger last night, I was able to enjoy the flavor of the toasted bun, as well as the delicious browning of the meat. I might have missed that if there was junk all over it.

I may have over stated my case slightly, anyway. I'm not against toppings. Just noticing their lack of necessity.

But don't you get bored?

2008-07-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

But don't you get bored?

I think the bright-line between American libertari...

2008-07-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

I think the bright-line between American libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism is the acceptance of the Constitution as a legitimate holder and enforcer of rights. The anarcho's will have none of it. And I will not defend or explain their position mostly because I agree with you. It all descends into a protection racket relatively quickly in my opinion.

The consent problem seems to be the crucial philosophical problem of republicanism. There is a (admittedly philosophical) difference between consenting to a governmental structure that enshrines majoritarianism and consenting to an individual law. Consenting to the first obligates you to obey following things which you may not consent to.

This is why the "Social Contract" theory is so useful. But the anrchos never actually signed the social contract. Neither did you or I, for that matter. Ironically, adult immigrants to the US have. They voted with their feet and took a public oath to this country.

Its all fascinating philosophically.

I would argue that libertarianism will get easier as things globalize. As people get richer and more mobile, they will vote with their feet.

- I like the idea of a moral case- its wrong to pu...

2008-06-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

- I like the idea of a moral case- its wrong to push people around. Too many "libertarians" (or the "I'll do whatever I want" wing of the GOP) only want that freedom to go one way. When others' freedom gets in their way, they (it seems to me) are the first to want to deny it. So not arguing that.

- In that same spirit, I guess I see, but can't define, a bright line between the Cato-style liberty and the more brutal anarchistic version. I guess I just can't wrap my mind around the concept of the private, for-profit courts, and how such a marketplace would work. If someone sues me for a breach of contract and I choose not to submit to that court, and he doesn't like mine, what happens next? Does he now have the right to storm my homestead to extract what he thinks is his? Now whose right is bigger- his to get what's his, or mine to protect my home?

- What happens if I don't consent to ... anything? I live in a town by a lake. I drag my boat to the river via a natural opening in the surrounding brush. The town takes up a collection to build a pier on that path. Now what do I do? Their acts messed with my liberty to use the shared resource. But I can't ethically use their pier because I didn't help with its construction.

- I would posit that it's no more or less impossible to get perfection in a libertarian system as in one like ours in the US. Either way, you have to fight hard against those who try to tip the balance in their favor or would go too far. And in the absence of perfection, a little collectivism sure makes life easier (and thus more fulfilling) for everyone.

- There's no voluntary exit from the government, but since the gov't is by/of/for the people, one shouldn't have to. Just change the law.

- Maybe I'm saying that it's no more fair to be born into a society that "forces" freedom upon someone than one that forces that taxes be paid. Either way, if you want to live, you're stuck paying for it somehow.

- I also might be arguing that the modern global society makes pure libertarianism harder.

But I certainly agree that the moral "default" is the individual has all the freedoms, minus as few as possible, as society determines.

Greg,I'm glad you liked this piece. It is quite g...

2008-06-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

Greg,

I'm glad you liked this piece. It is quite good .... let me point out of few things and address some of your comments.

I also agree with Rothbard (and you) that most self-proclaimed libertarians are in it for the profit or pure "leave-me-alone"-ism. Rothbard complains that this motivation does not provide enough reason to "man the barricades". I would also argue, on the other side, that its an intellectual overlay for people to shout slogans but as soon as they are on the losing end of the market (my job!), they leave. So Rothbard tries to construct a moral case for libertarianism, something that many of my colleagues and bosses at Cato are also trying to instill in the interns by exploring the intellectual roots of liberalism.

Regarding your quibbles, I would first say to be aware of where Murray Rothbard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Rothbard) is coming from. He is not an everyday 'morally committed' libertarian. He was a full-blown Anarcho-Capitalist, who later went to even stranger and darker places hanging with the likes of Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, and Lew Rockwell. Its not a clear line, but one can definitely point out a libertarian intellectual split with Cato, Ed Crane, etc. on one side and Rothbard, Paul, and the Mises Institute on the other. My point here being: Rothbard is hard core and while people on the other side I have met are just as committed to a libertarian society, they disagree strongly on the means.

Perfection is impossible, I agree. But isn't that a good argument FOR libertarianism? Collective action (especially if it is coerced) will be less than satisfactory to most if not all.

But what you meant was this: pure, absolutely liberty is impossible. And I agree there too. Murray Rothbard would disagree with you. And my response is this, first on a political level. Liberty is a fundamental foundation of the American experiment and I find it very valuable to have an organization (like Cato) and a movement with some intellectual influence to ensure that the libertarian tradition is not lost. Now on a moral level: I actually do believe that a liberal system based in individual freedoms is morally superior to anything else you can name. And, when it gets right down to it, that is because I believe coercion (political, personal, etc.) is immoral.

Now, if we were to imagine a world where we got closer and closer to Murray Rothbard's perfect world, I would probably get scared and back off. Does that make me as bad as the "profit-seeking" bandwagon libertarians? I think I'm a little bit better. But I also think we will never get there. And organizations such as the Cato Institute focus on "getting back to the Constitution" not going completely anarchic like Rothbard. Yes, Cato hates government intrusion but does NOT argue for the elimination of the State.

In regards to your endless resource questions: I think this is an example of confusing a Murray Rothbard with a Cato. I, frankly, don't know how Rothbard when answer your question. But Cato would say that enforced property rights and markets designed to clear externalities would ensure that Big Water can't take all your water .... because you own some of that water and you don't have to sell unless you want to. The problem is not that is owned by Big Water ... its that its owned by no one and the tragedy of the commons kicks in.

Finally, I think any libertarian would argue with you on your labor guild point. There are too many difference between government and guilds to make a clear, direct linkage. Guilds are voluntary, governments are ... less so. If I chose to act outside the guild and not pay dues I receive the enmity of my former friends in the guild but I am protected by the law (and morals) from being killed, threatened, etc. If I chose to act outside of government by not paying my taxes, I am threatened with jail and financial penalties. Its not the same. There is no voluntary exit from government. Because of that fact it is preferable to keep its power and intrusion at a minimum.

Good looking ladies.

2008-06-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Good looking ladies.

Yes, but they were captured as bona-fide POWs, and...

2008-06-20T08:36:00.000-05:00

Yes, but they were captured as bona-fide POWs, and under the rules of the Geneva convention. Which giver prisoners certain rights

Bush is trying to not follow either law, and that's my problem. "They're terrorists! They'll get nothing and like it!"

!

2008-06-20T08:29:00.001-05:00

I'll play devil's advocate, even though I tend to ...

2008-06-20T08:29:00.000-05:00

I'll play devil's advocate, even though I tend to agree with you.

In your first Scalia quote: but they were captured abroad by the military. Did habeus corpus ever apply to the thousands of German POW's housed in the United States during WWII? Should it have? I would say probably not. I think Scalia is talking about where they were captured and under what circumstances (war) ... not where they happened to be housed.

This is the most blatant case of correlation being...

2008-06-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

This is the most blatant case of correlation being mistaken for causality ever. I bet breast-feeding has an equal correlation.

I also forgot to mention- if we're so sure these a...

2008-06-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

I also forgot to mention- if we're so sure these are "bad guys", we ought to have piles of criminal charges to stick on them, shouldn't we?

The cynic in me sees the summer stings as money ge...

2008-06-11T06:49:00.000-05:00

The cynic in me sees the summer stings as money generators...101 people stopped for citations -- turn that into actual tickets and ka-ching.

Most downtown intersections now have the countdown...

2008-06-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Most downtown intersections now have the countdown timers. However, they count down to the yellow light. If a pedestrian misjudges it, they are in live traffic. And the yellow is not long enough for the cars to complete their turn before cross traffic starts.

During high traffic times, Chicago has "traffic aides" that direct traffic. They will often direct people to complete their turn when there is a pedestrian directly in the car's path. If you wait until the pedestrian is out of your way, they start yelling. Pure chaos.

I'm *guessing* that they are only out to get the cars who cut off a pedestrian who is beginning their cross, not the ones who proceed after a pedestrian is out of the way. But who knows? An officer on this detail is probably going to want to make sure he writes enough tickets to look like he's not just out there to ogle the spring fashions.