Categories
Economics Political

The Real Issue with Passive Investments

A recent article at the Mises Institute got me thinking about the concept of “passive investments.” The article was written by Daniel Moule, and is called “Taxing Capital Leads to Capital Consumption.” Setting aside the general argument Moule is trying to make, I find his concept of “passive investment” to be a possible source of confusion.

Categories
Essay Political

Five Faulty Arguments Against Secession

Secession is the smart and peaceful solution to irreconcilable political differences. I wrote a short essay about five especially bad arguments you often hear against secession, and the Libertarian Institute published it!

Check it out here, and if you liked it, you’ll surely like more of their content! They publish greats like Scott Horton, Ron Paul, Jim Bovard, Sheldon Richman, and more! Support them if you can!

Categories
Economics Political Satire

It’s Officially Time to Worry

Paul “the Internet is not a big deal” Krugman has stated that it’s paranoid to worry about Central Bank Digital Currencies. See the article at this link.

Considering his track record, did he not realize that his statement makes it more likely that concern is justified?

Categories
Economics Essay Philosophy Political Video Link

The Macro Trick: Conflation as Obfuscation

A bunch of topics all together this time. What is the Macro Trick? It’s the combination of things that are fundamentally different under one name. It’s a tool that many tyrants and would-be tyrants use to take control of politics, economics, and culture.

It feeds the demand for administrators, technocrats, and other “experts.” In this video, I have a breakdown of some egregious examples of this trick, as well as what we can do to fight it.

Also available on Bitchute.

Categories
Political Video Link

The Fruits of Anarcho-Tyranny

I saw a new ad from the awful-as-usual Brady Campaign (to Outlaw Handguns) and they’re pushing “Safe Storage” laws. Of course, this isn’t about safety, it’s about tyranny, so I thought I’d peel back some of the layers here and give it some light.

Video also available on Bitchute.

Categories
Book Review Political Video Link

Book Review: Breaking Away, by Ryan McMaken

It seems like everyone is talking about secession these days. Whether they call it that, or national divorce, or some other euphemism, they all have opinions about it and most of them are woefully misinformed. Setting aside the ideologues who only want to tighten their grip on their fellow man for their own benefit, there are plenty of people who argue against secession from a practical perspective, but even these people often argue from a position of ignorance, and in this case, their ignorance is definitely not our bliss.

Categories
Philosophy Political Site News

Facile Arguments Against Secession

And, right on schedule, barely a week after I say something nice about James Lindsay regarding his evaluation of Marxist offshoots as cults and his studies into Gnosticism and its modern incarnations, he decides to spout off ignorantly about secession, parroting the most absurdly weak arguments all the while maintaining a childishly mocking tone against any and all opposing voices.

So, I’m finally cracking open my copy of Ryan McMaken’s Breaking Away, and getting to work on something about secession, because apparently even reasonably intelligent people are unable to understand how the principles of secession and radical decentralization are the most promising hope we have for peace and diminution of the state’s powers.

Expect a few essays/videos soon, including a review of Breaking Away.

…This comes right as I had had a great idea for something on the absurdity of taxing unrealized economic gains that looks like it might get put on the back burner, at least for a bit. Oh, well.

Categories
Philosophy Political Video Link

Lindsay on Gnosticism: Summary and Comments

James Lindsay’s recent episode of his New Discourses podcast (ep. 108) talks about Gnosticism, related doctrines, and how they relate to modern neo-Marxist thought. By his own admission, he’s having trouble organizing his thoughts on the topic and he wants others to start thinking about them, so I made a summary with some commentary as an exercise.

Categories
Economics Political

Rest In Peace, Yuri

I just heard that the great Yuri Maltsev has passed away this week–a huge loss for the world of liberty. Yuri was among the last to defect from the ailing Soviet Union, and the stories he told about doing research under the Iron Curtain are poignant reminders of the strangling effect that socialism and all forms of totalitarianism have on not just the economy, but free thought itself.

Categories
Book Review Essay Political Video Link

Book Review: “The White Pill,” by Michael Malice

The White Pill isn’t what I expected, and that’s a good thing. Considering the pithiness with which terms like “white pill” and “black pill” get tossed around, Michael Malice could have gotten away with writing a witty but surface-level book about the importance of keeping a positive mindset. Instead, he has created the most insidious Tootsie Roll Pop ever–jet black on the outside, with a tiny chunk of white at the very center. The White Pill isn’t an anodyne book on optimism, but a deeply disturbing and detailed account of the rise and fall of the USSR and the Berlin Wall, with a few relevant side stories to keep things fresh.