In California Dreamin’ I wrote: The U.S. as a whole will almost certainly face [California’s structural deficit] problem before the end of Barack Obama’s administration in 2012. Social Security obligations were due to exceed collections in 2013; even before Obama quadrupled the federal deficit this meant a giant blazing meteorite was already hurtling straight at… Continue reading Not long before the end
Category: Politics
Let these two asses be set to grind corn!
In The Book of Lies, the diabolically brilliant occultist Alesteir Crowley once wrote: “Explain this happening!” “It must have a natural cause!” “It must have a supernatural cause!” Let these two asses be set to grind corn! In the original, there is a sort of grouping bracket connecting the second and third lines lines and… Continue reading Let these two asses be set to grind corn!
From radical evil to farce in two generations
There just isn’t any better marker for the fundamental narcissism of today’s left-wing politics that this: That’s Che Guevara’s granddaughter, Lydia, We are told that she posed semi-nude to promote vegetarianism and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. There are so many levels of wrongness and unintended irony here that it’s hard to know… Continue reading From radical evil to farce in two generations
In which I am thankful for Barack Obama’s election
I’ve been trying to buy a gun recently, a better carry weapon (and by “better” I mean more concealable than what I have now and in my favorite caliber). My friends, I am here to tell you that this is an awful time to be in the market for a firearm; they are scarce and… Continue reading In which I am thankful for Barack Obama’s election
Political Economics 101: A Dialog
Attached is a slightly cleaned-up transcript of an IRC conversation I had last night during which I tried to teach political economics 101 to a well-intentioned person I know who describes himself as a “socialist” (though, from the way he reacted, perhaps not for much longer). It went better than one might have expected. I… Continue reading Political Economics 101: A Dialog
Misconstruing Mussolini
I’ve been reviewing the history of fascism recently, because the Republic of Iran has many structural features in common with fascism and I think the history of fascism in Europe holds lessons about its future. And recently I ran across a quote beloved of American leftists in an email signature: From Benito Mussolini: “Fascism should… Continue reading Misconstruing Mussolini
“This is massacre! This is genocide! This is Hitler!”
Listen to this CNN interview with an eyewitness to the Baharestan Square Massacre. If it does not freeze your blood, you are no longer part of any community of human feeling I can recognize. I am, as of now, DONE with people who say we shouldn’t “impose American values” or “promote democracy” in the Middle… Continue reading “This is massacre! This is genocide! This is Hitler!”
Dispatches from the Iranian cyberfront
I’ve spent the last seventeen hours living inside a cyberpunk novel. A libertarian cyberpunk novel. It’s been a weird and awesome experience. Within an hour after I received a plea for help from Iran, a regular commenter on this blog recruited me into a hacker network that has been forming to support the democratic Iranian… Continue reading Dispatches from the Iranian cyberfront
Protective camouflage and holy victims
Today I’m going to repeat a story from the blog Alas! and discuss it, because…well, the author does not seem to have grasped the actual implications of what he wrote. It’s what I think of as a “holy victim” narrative, but the actual lesson is not, perhaps, what the author intended.
We are not sheep
I had a breakthrough moment last night. It was on the IRC channel for one of my projects. The developers, and the IRC’s regulars, are a small and tight-knit group. By a coincidence completely unrelated to the nature of the project, we’re all firearms fanciers who take a firm line on Second Amendment rights. Occasionally… Continue reading We are not sheep
Some Iron Laws of Political Economics
Mancur Olson, in his book The Logic Of Collective Action, highlighted the central problem of politics in a democracy. The benefits of political market-rigging can be concentrated to benefit particular special interest groups, while the costs (in higher taxes, slower economic growth, and many other second-order effects) are diffused through the entire population. The result… Continue reading Some Iron Laws of Political Economics
California Dreamin’
If it is impossible for something to continue indefinitely, it will eventually stop. The politics of the modern redistributionist state is founded on the assumption that politicians can buy votes by promising voters ever more munificent entitlements – from federal deposit insurance against bank failures to government-subsidized medical care – with the money for these… Continue reading California Dreamin’
Irrational Expectations
The reactions to my posting on the economic case against the GPL reminded me yet again why failure to understand basic economics often becomes more toxic in people who think they understand a bit about the subject. In this mini-essay, I’ll take a look at the most important (and misleading) of the superficially clever arguments… Continue reading Irrational Expectations
Human ingenuity beats the neo-Malthusians yet again
OK, this is big news. A research team has worked out a way to nearly triple the efficiency of the Fischer-Tropsch process.
Hyperpower and high finance
In a 2002 blog entry, Imperialists by necessity?, I wrote: There is precedent [for civilizing barbarians by force]; the British did a pretty good job of civilizing India and we did a spectacularly effective one on Japan. And the U.S. would be well equipped to do it again; our economy is now so large that… Continue reading Hyperpower and high finance
The present war in Gaza
Some commenters have asked me to express a position on the war in Gaza.
And they’re complaining why, exactly?
Scary news stories are beginning to make the rounds of the blogosphere about endocrine disruptors – synthetic chemical pollutents that mimic the effects of estrogen and have supposedly already created a generation of feminized young men and boys with shrunken genitals and preferences shifted towards girls’ toys.
Victory in Iraq Day
It’s Victory in Iraq day today. The good guys – Western civilization, the Coalition of the Willing, the United States, and the people of Iraq – won this war. The bad guys – Saddam Hussein’s regime, al-Qaeda’s jihadis, all their allies and enablers – lost it. The entire world will be a better place because… Continue reading Victory in Iraq Day
Net neutrality: what’s a libertarian to do?
One of my commenters asked, rather plaintively: You mentioned net neutrality. I’ve read about this, and the opposition to it. I’ve read about this, and the opposition to it. As far as I can tell, net neutrality is more supported by liberals/democrats, while the opposition is made up more of conservatives/republicans. But for the life… Continue reading Net neutrality: what’s a libertarian to do?
Obama won it
The crackup I thought I was seeing in the Obama campaign didn’t happen. I underestimated the ability of the mainstream media to cover for Obama’s weaknesses. We may all have underestimated the effectiveness of ACORN’s vote-fraud machine. I’m glad we’ve elected a black man president; I’m sorry it’s one who looks quite so much like… Continue reading Obama won it