Ideas Matter

Deez Nuts

Fun (and yet unsettling) video for Friday.

A Crony's Tax Code

If you think we could soon have a flat tax, you're kidding yourself. Do you know how many parasites are nestled in the byzantine recesses of the U.S. tax code? Enough to make an army. That army would swarm out of the woodwork if we ever had a serious conversation about simplifying the internal revenue code. And guess who would be leading the charge: the IRS bureaucrat-H&R Block-tax lawyer complex. Don't believe me? Witness the parasites...

Will Higher Taxes Balance the Budget?

Antony Davies is on a roll. Last week we found him clearing up misconceptions about the minimum wage. This week he explains why higher taxes won't balance the budget. So if higher taxes won't balance the budget -- what will?

Obama Bucks: A Glimpse into the Welfare State

(Hat tip to a reader, Rafael.) There are a number of religious celebrations going on right now. As you consider the situation in your family or community -- and how best to help the poor -- watch this video and ask yourself: what percentage of Americans have been paid and trained by the state to think like these men?

Shilling for NASA

Why must "dreaming" about science and space mean a government monopoly?

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a great guy and a great persona. Heck, he could be the next Carl Sagan. But I don't understand why he argues that NASA is a dreammaker -- i.e. why failure to fund NASA more than it's being funded somehow represents the drying up of dreams. I mean seriously: is he suggesting that Newt Gingrich is correct that we should be aiming for Mars with the same body that gives us the postal service, the Afghan War and Solyndra? Allow me another minute or so to slice up Tyson's shilling for NASA.

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?

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.

The Myth of Wage Stagnation

Don Boudreaux is one of those rare people who topples idols, cuts down totems and cuts through B.S. In this video, he's at his best -- taking Robert Reich to task on his dubious use of statistics while dispeling the common narrative of 'wage stagnation.' And there's more. 

The Tale of the Slave

As a fan of Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), I was delighted to come across this "Tale of the Slave" video presentation. Here's the original text, so you can follow along. It's a terrific thought experiment.

The Parasite Generation

Normally I resist putting up clips from news programs. But occassionally, even in the news, ideas matter. One professor in Florida -- which I realize is a small sample -- has discovered that most of his students have a sense of entitlement that extends far beyond what they expect from their parents.