Ideas Matter

Bill Maher and Poor Mississippi Rednecks

So Bill Maher sends Alexandra Pelosi down to the poorest state in the union to interview poor people. We watch the video. What do we get in the panel commentary? Very little of substance. The once self-described "libertarian' Bill Maher would do well to invite more libertarians onto his show. Break the bubble a little. Here's what he might have gotten out of a decent panelist:

State of Control - USA?

To watch this trailer, one may get the feeling that this, while sad, is remote. These are people in a distant land, practicing a different religion, wearing different cloths, living under different rule. And yet we are so close to living in this kind of state. It's happening right under our noses.

Americans love spectacle. The biggest issues of the day are secret service agents and Columbian prostitutes. People are outraged by either side of the gay marriage debate -- and justifiably so. But we need to get some perspective. Our most fundamental freedoms are being stripped away right now.

Think Tanks, Video and Experimentation

State Policy Network has just come out with their second in a video series on the Constitution and its erosion. The production values in this piece are pretty darn good. Indeed, this piece is much better than most of what think tanks turn out. If I had any critique, it would be that the talking heads disrupt the flow of a pretty good narrative. In any case, the view count of this piece suggests it's not getting the eyeballs it deserves. 

Judge Napolitano: What Happened to America?

This video may strike our international readers as being rather U.S.-centric. But it's for everyone, let me assure you. In Andrew Napolitano's goodbye address, he is speaking unashamedly in favor of the principles that helped found the United States. But he is also speaking in universals. You see, what Napolitano is saying above used to be our American secular religion.

The enemies of limited government have succeeded in suggesting people like Napolitano are on the fringe, that his ideas are quaint, and those who still espouse those ideas are crude troublemakers.

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:

Weep for the Young, Ignorance is Winning

Kids are cute. Birk Baehr's little Buncombe County, NC accent is cute, too. But what he is saying isn't very cute at all. It shows that indoctrination -- bad-economics-cum-eco-religion -- is getting to the young. And you better believe this has been the plan all along.

But, honestly, what's so objectionable about what this kid is saying?

Recycling and Other Absurdities

This funny video from the folks at Portlandia is a spoof, but it's not so far from the reality in some cities. For a nice friday read, let me recommend a now-classic debunking of municipal recycling programs from Daniel K. Benjamin: Eight Great Myths of Recycling. It'll make you wonder if what's going on in this Portlandia bit is closer to sad reality than comedy fun.

Annie Leonard: "The Story of Stuff" Queen at it Again

Remember "The Story of Stuff?" It's Annie Leonard's Malthusian ode to backwards economics. Perhaps you shook your head at how something so dumb could get so much traction. I know I did. But green religion runs deep. Well, she's back with another: "The Story of Broke." 

Political Monopolies - Did you know?

Many people would be surprised to learn that monopolies are exceedingly rare in a free market. They'd be more surprised to learn that they are short-lived and rely on keeping prices low to retain marketshare. But they'd be shocked to learn that most monopolies throughout history are an artifact of government power. (You don't usually get this in your history books.)

Liberty v. Security: A TSA Trade-off?

When it comes to the TSA, we're getting a whole lot of intrusiveness, hassle and invasion of privacy for very little security. In the above video, James Otteson is absolutely dead on, which is to say the government has gone too far.