Learn Liberty Blog
Featured Learn Liberty Blog Posts
Civil Liberties
Foreign Agents Bill in Georgia: What to Know and Why It Matters
I was wearing sandals. I was wearing sandals … and I was scared. That’s why, when I had the chance to protest in front of the Georgian parliament one night in Tbilisi, I didn’t go. Because … What if I had to run? Now, I’m regretting it. I think. On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 84 members of Georgia’s parliament voted to pass a bill that will require organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign sources to declare themselves as such. Only 30 members voted against it. The terminology is a tell: As I learned from the safety of a hotel bar about a mile from
Civil Liberties
Who’s Running for President in 2024?
The Lesser-known Presidential Candidates and Parties November 2024 will see the American electorate picking a new head of state. Despite low levels
Civil Liberties
My Experience with Campus Climate at a Liberal Arts College
William F. Buckley famously authored God and Man at Yale in 1951. In it, he decried his alma mater’s overt efforts to undermine what he called good,
All Learn Liberty Blog Posts
History
A Closer Look at the Taxes That Led to America’s Founding
When we left the colonists in the first installment of America’s Founding, the British Empire had begun taxing Americans for the purpose of retaining its vast military power. But the colonists viewed the very military they were funding with ire, as soldiers often treated the colonists with disregard. In the latest installment of this series, Professor […]
History
This One Dysfunctional Military Practice Might Be Responsible for the Existence of the United States
What would you do if the U.S. Army came to your door tomorrow and demanded you pay taxes and tariffs on many of the items in your home? Would you fight back against them; would you declare yourself free and independent from America? Yeah, we didn’t think you’d opt for the latter route… But, believe […]
History
Why the Founding Fathers Risked Everything for an Untried Idea
Earlier this week, Americans celebrated one of their most meaningful holidays, their country’s Independence Day. It’s a day every American knows, a day spent with food, family, and fireworks. See Also: Why the American Revolution Was Really an Economic Revolution But, many Americans don’t know the real story that led to July 4, 1776. What […]
Education
Clinton Shifts Her Strategy on Student Debt, and It Isn’t Good for Anyone
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce her new proposals this week to change the payment options of higher education, following the lead put forth by Senator Bernie Sanders earlier in the electoral race. Her plans include including tuition-free enrollment at in-state public universities for students of families making up to $85,000 per year. […]
History
Why the American Revolution Was Really an Economic Revolution
Political slogans tend to obscure more than they enlighten. Barack Obama’s 2008 call for “Change We Need,” for example, turned out to mean almsgiving rather than substantive policy reform. Similarly, the American Revolution’s most famous slogan, “No taxation without representation,” failed to capture the essence of what colonists sought, or what, as freemen, they soon […]
Education
The Obvious, Costless Way to Solve the Problem of Diversity Among College Professors
Increasing the diversity of university and college faculties is a perennial problem. Every year, year after year, demands for a more diverse faculty increase. Last fall, a wave of protests from student groups representing people of color, women, and LGBT individuals caused universities to redouble their efforts to diversify their faculties. For example, Yale announced […]
Basic Economics
Muhammad Ali Defeated A Lot Of Opponents. He Cannot, However, Defeat The Laws Of Supply And Demand.
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared at Forbes. ESPN is reporting there’s outrage among some observers that people are scalping their “free” tickets to Ali’s memorial service in Louisville. Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there’s no such thing as a free ticket to a memorial service. ESPN quotes several […]
History
What to Reflect On This Independence Day
On the Fourth of July, we are celebrating 240 years of American independence. In light of that anniversary, we should take a few moments and reflect on the meaning of that day and the idea of America. The idea of America was a consensus around the belief in individual liberty and a government by the […]
Immigration
Where the Candidates Stand on Immigration
Is there any issue that divides people more than immigration? It’s an emotional topic that pits competing factions between and within parties against each other. As a result, it’s a high-profile issue this election cycle. Where do the candidates stand? In the new Learn Liberty video below, George Mason University Professor Donald Boudreaux addresses where […]
Basic Economics
Candidates Divided on the One Issue That Is Ruining Millions of Young Lives
Hundreds of thousands of college students graduated last month, and for many, their biggest concern is how to pay off their college debt. Americans currently hold $1.3 trillion in student debt—even more than they hold in credit card debt—and its preventing them from making investments, buying homes, and successfully meeting their financial obligations. That’s a […]
Role of Government
Millennials Like Socialism — Until They Get Jobs
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared at the Washington Post. The author, Emily Ekins, will be joining Learn Liberty on Facebook Live this upcoming Thursday the the 30th at 3pm to talk about this and other election issues. Millennials are the only age group in America in which a majority views socialism favorably. A national […]
Poverty & Inequality
Why Abby Can’t Work, and What Candidates Plan to Do About It.
Abby Hobbs [name changed for privacy] is not the type of person you’d classify as lazy or naïve. As a digital strategist at a small marketing firm, her enthusiasm for and knowledge of her industry are obvious whenever she talks about her job. But, as she told Learn Liberty, getting there wasn’t easy. As a […]
Uncategorized
How Government Helps White Criminals
In an attempt to help black people and ex-convicts land jobs, policymakers have increased the employment prospects of white ex-convicts. Professor Alex Tabarrok explains this case of public policy’s unintended consequences in a post over at Marginal Revolution. The policy: Policymakers banned the “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” box from job applications. […]
Democracy and Voting
Presidential Candidates Have No Idea How to Stop Terrorism
In the wake of yet another terrorist attack, voters are putting an increasing amount of pressure on the candidates running for office this November to have a comprehensive plan to keep them safe from the threats of terrorist. But while voters are united in this demand, candidates are divided on how to deal with it. […]
Criminal Justice
Supreme Court Opens Door for More 'Stop-and-Frisk'
This week, in a 5-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that evidence obtained in unlawful stops can be admitted in court if the person being searched has a warrant out for their arrest. This contrasted the lower court’s decision, which stated that the 4th amendment prevents illegally-obtained evidence from being used at trial. The […]
War on Drugs
How the Presidential Frontrunners Plan to Win the War on Drugs
In addition to voting for state and local candidates this Election Day, voters in 14 states will be asked about legalizing marijuana. Reducing marijuana prohibition would be a major step toward ending the “war on drugs,” the government’s campaign against drug usage in the United States. Related: The War on Drugs, Part 1 Declaring a […]
Criminal Justice
The Issue That's Forcing Republicans and Democrats to Finally Agree on Something
As election season heats up, candidates from across the political spectrum running for various offices are agreeing on the need for criminal justice reform. For good reason: The U.S. has 1.5 million prisoners and 2.3 million people in the broader criminal justice system; it incarcerates its citizens at a rate that is five times the […]
History
Americans Owe It to Themselves to Consider Reparations for Marginalized Minorities
Property rights are key for a free society. Since they set out what belongs to whom, they are the foundation for human freedom. Property norms tell us who can do what, with what, and to whom. When securely guaranteed, property rights offer a basis (if not the best basis) for predictability and stability. As social […]
Uncategorized
The Semester Is Over, But Your Intellectual Journey Doesn’t Have to Stop
School’s out and summer is here, and it’s a great opportunity to keep learning outside the classroom. To that end, Learn Liberty is excited to bring you #HayekandChill, five video series about relevant topics on students’ minds. Here’s a quick overview of the subjects we’ll be covering. Feel the Bern – Election Issues In summer […]
Basic Economics
Why the D.C. Metro Sucks When It Doesn’t Have To
For the last few weeks, the D.C. metro system has been an even bigger mess than usual. That’s saying a lot. A quick flashback to one of my blog posts in January will give you a snapshot of how ridiculous the whole situation has gotten: A few months ago, Metro had us thinking it had […]
Free Speech
Putin’s Crackdown on Social Media Provides One Important Reminder to Americans
Russia has been cracking down on its internal dissent, limiting speech that does not coincide with the government’s narrow and controversial policies. Last year, up to 54 people were sent to prison for hate speech, marking a dramatic five-fold increase from five years ago. Take Anastasia Bubeyeva, for example. Bubeyeva now lives alone with her […]
History
One Novel’s Perfect Analogy Shows Exactly What Happens When We Try to Censor Human Thought
Today in this country, we pretty much take it for granted that we’re free to worship any god we want…or no god at all. But as you’re probably aware, that is a relatively new concept in human history. And in many parts of the world, this freedom still does not exist. What you might not […]
Free Speech
Court to North Carolina State: Stop Requiring Students to Get a License to Speak
Those trying to curtail free speech often invoke its very limited exceptions to achieve their goals. For example, they often point to legitimate restrictions of speech based on “time, place, and manner.” This limited legal restriction to free speech allows police to, say, prevent public speech with a loudspeaker from occurring at 2 a.m. because […]
Free Markets and Capitalism
You Need to Consider the Moral Aspects of “Feeling the Bern”
Many voters, especially younger voters, are “feeling the Bern.” But what exactly are they feeling? Generally, these individuals believe that some people (financially successful individuals) owe other people (low-income individuals)—and that some people, like those of the working class or youth demographic, are entitled to receive benefits at the expense of others. Is This an […]