Sasha Volokh’s post arguing that his version of libertarianism might not allow government spending to provide for asteroid defense has drawn predictable howls of outrage, including Brad DeLong’s claim that it proves that “libertarians are completely insane.” One answer to such claims is that most other libertarian thinkers don’t agree with Sasha’s position. David Friedman, […]
Archive | Libertarianism
The Demise of the Democratic Leadership Council and the Future of Liberaltarianism
A recent Politico article reports that the Democratic Leadership Council is about to “suspend operations” for lack of funds. The DLC was a group founded in 1985 to try to move the Democratic Party to the center. Among its founders was then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, who became the most successful of the DLC-affiliated New Democrats. […]
More On Libertarianism and Migration
New Zealand economist Eric Crampton has responded to my post commenting on his query about why so few libertarians move to New Zealand despite the fact that New Zealand is (slightly) freer than the United States. I actually agree with much of what he says in this post, which makes several good points. But I […]
Do People Vote With Their Feet for Economic Freedom?
If libertarians value liberty so much, wonders New Zealand-based libertarian economist Eric Crampton, why don’t more of them move to New Zealand? The latest Heritage [Foundation] survey puts New Zealand again above the US on economic freedom. If we care about a bundle of freedoms rather than just economic freedom, I think NZ does better […]
Debating the Virtue of Selfishness
This Friday at 7 PM, I will be debating philosopher Objectivist philosopher William Thomas of the Atlas Society on the question of whether self-interest can be the basis of political morality. In The Virtue of Selfishness, Ayn Rand famously argued that it can and should be. Although I respect Rand as the greatest modern popularizer […]
Libertarianism and the Reliance Interests of People Who Depend on Government Programs
In a recent post on Illinois’ plan to nearly double its state income tax, Megan McArdle writes: The state of Illinois is allegedly close to a deal to nearly double its income tax, from 3% to 5.25%….. The income tax increases…. are both workable and necessary. Conservatives will holler, but Illinois is not going to […]
Political Attitudes of Russian Jewish Immigrants
By Ilya Somin on January 3, 2011 2:19 pm in Communism, Conservatism, Immigration, Libertarianism, Russia
In a comment on my last post on Russian Jewish immigration, University of North Carolina law professor and blogger Eric Muller writes: Again and again I find myself wondering to what extent it’s true that Jewish refugees/emigres from Soviet totalitarianism (and their offspring) tend to have a libertarian and/or conservative political orientation. Does anyone know […]
Six Types of Libertarian Arguments Against Government Action
Economist Bryan Caplan has an interesting post outlining six types of libertarian arguments against government action – “six stages of libertarian denial,” as he calls it: Libertarians set themselves apart from other political thinkers by habitually denying that government should do things. Denial is therefore at the heart of libertarian thought. Thanks to pop psychology, […]
Libertarianism and Blame for Misfortune
In a post commenting on the controversy generated by our earlier exchange (see here and here), Sandy Levinson writes: It is obvious that contemporary libertarians are prone to blame individuals for most (even if …. not all) things that befall them; political liberals are far more likely to offer structuralist explanations that have the consequence […]
Sandy Levinson’s Challenge
In a recent post at Balkinization, Sandy Levinson argues that the recent mostly government-funded rescue of the trapped Chilean miners proves the need for a large welfare state. He also issues a challenge to the Volokh Conspiracy: PBS reports that the cost of rescuing the 33 trapped Chilean miners was $10-20 million. A third apparently […]
Of “Racist Progressives” And “Hard-Hearted Libertarians”
At Balkinization, prominent legal historian Brian Tamanaha has an interesting post on progressivism, racism, and libertarianism. He acknowledges that libertarians, including me, are right to point out that early 20th century progressivism was tarred by racism. But he also argues that libertarians have their own historical skeletons in the closet, ones he claims are more […]
County Resident Declines to Pay For Fire Protection and Then His House Catches on Fire
Here’s an interesting question about the proper scope of government arising from Obion County, Tennessee. The county does not have its own fire department, and instead relies on the fire protection services of the nearby City of Fulton. But there’s a catch: The City of Fulton does not automatically serve residents of the county. If […]
Martin Wolf’s Critique of Libertarianism
Martin Wolf, a prominent British economics journalist, has an interesting blog post criticizing libertarianism. Wolf is an excellent writer, but I think this particular piece is not one of his best. Wolf’s criticisms are that libertarianism rules out certain policy options that should be left up to “politics” and that it is “hopeless” politically. The […]
Errors In Jane Mayer’s New Yorker Article Attacking the Kochs
Others have pointed out various flaws in Jane Mayer’s New Yorker article attacking Charles and David Koch for their donations to various libertarian causes. But I think it would be helpful to outline her three biggest errors in one place: the false claim that the Kochs’ funding of libertarian organizations is somehow secret; the assertion […]
Brouhaha Over the Koch Brothers
An article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker on the libertarian Koch brothers has received a great deal of attention, including this piece by Frank Rich. The bizarre point of both pieces seems to be to undermine David Koch’s efforts to become a respected member of New York “society” by harming his reputation among […]