Ideas Matter

Political Irrationality

Do you realize that most politics and political programs are the products of irrationality? I don't mean that people are crazy -- although that can certainly be true sometimes. What I mean is that -- if people took the time actually to look at the data -- they would not support many of the causes and policies they believe make us better off. Here's the crux of the problem:

Stolen Childhood?

My wife is starting a new school. (Really, she is.) Some of her motivation comes from the kind of thing you're seeing in the trailer above. Some of her motivation comes from what you might have seen in The Cartel. It's abysmal. And it's got to change. It's time to criticize by creating. It's time for the rise of the edupreneur.

When Would You Use Violence?

Hillel the Elder -- an ancient Rabbi -- said: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn." It doesn't get any simpler than that. I don't want to wax too idealistic. But what if everyone practiced Rabbi Hillel's version of the golden rule? Really, this is the essence of libertarianism. We also call it the non-harm principle. What if everyone practiced it?

Inflation Nation

Notice how in the lead-up to the election there seems to be slight improvement in the unemployment rate. But we're also starting to see the "ragged" forms of inflation to which Steve Horwitz refers in the video. Let's start with the price of gas. Not all of it, but a lot of it, is a result of inflation. Here's why:

Saul Bellow and Milton Friedman

In 1976, two Americans both won the Nobel Prize. One in literature, one in economics. Respectively, Saul Bellow and Milton Friedman. In this great video footage from Free To Choose Network, literary maven Richard Stern points out what the two had in common. Do you know?

Smoking Bans Ban Liberty and Property

I don't smoke. I used to. And I like it. But since I quit I don't much like walking into a smoky bar and have to smell it, get it in my clothes, etc. Do my preferences supercede the property rights of the bar owner--which may include allowing people to smoke?

Milton Friedman on Bureaucracy in Education

We're running full steam celebrating Milton Friedman's Century. In this exclusive archival footage from Free To Choose Network, Friedman asks: In what sphere of life would we reduce the feedback mechanism of the customer and centralize the power of the producer? In one of the most important spheres of life, of course: education. No wonder our public education system has flatlined. So what do we do about it?

Buying Votes with Your Tax Dollars

There are a lot of reasons someone might vote for a candidate. But one big reason is that he thinks he'll get something out of it.

The idea of voting out of narrow self-interest is not new. And, of course, people can vote for ideological reasons, in cults of personality, or for perfectly foolish reasons that have little to do with substance or selfishness. Some people might even believe they're being "good" or "compassionate" when they go into the voting booth, or that their team is the one that's morally upright.

But many times, people think they are ensuring that goodies flow to them. Just think about how many groups are on the take from government right now in the United States:

Putting Milton Friedman to the Test

Free To Choose Network is back! I am proud to have been an associate producer on this great program. Check out "Testing Milton Friedman" and share with your friends. Testing will be coming to a public television station near you.

Penn Jillette on the Absurdity of Subsidies and Food Nannies

WARNING: IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY SWEARING, DO NOT WATCH THIS.

But if you can handle the bad words, you may certainly agree with the sentiment. Earlier this week we discussed a TEDx video, which shows a child regurgitating some of the green-Malthusian propaganda he's been getting at home and in school. We showed how he parrots the propaganda by blaming "corporations" and advertisers (which is typical). But corporations are not the root of the problem. It's the state and government policy -- as Penn Jillette reminds us in the clip above.