Category:Democracy and Voting
Debate: Is democracy overrated? Yes.
November 7, 2016 | Post
The following is the first installment in a five-part debate between Georgetown Professor Jason Brennan and Princeton Professor Philip Pettit on the merits of democracy as a system of social order.
What you missed: Week of 11/4
November 4, 2016 | Post
This week was the home stretch of the 2016 presidential election. Here’s some headlines you may have missed heading into the first weekend of November: The FBI announced that it found emails relating to its investigation of Hillary Clinton on scandal-plagued former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s computer. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series this week […]
Why Doug (like other low-income Americans) doesn’t trust authority
October 29, 2016 | Post
I’ll take “Best nuanced commentary on contemporary American politics” for $500.
Apolitical reasons to hate politics
October 25, 2016 | Post
Politics isn’t just bad; It’s the worst. It brings out the literal worst in people.
Of course your candidate won the debate
October 20, 2016 | Post
On this morning after the third presidential debate, ask yourself: am I assessing my favored candidate objectively, or simply as a function of what I want or expected?
After the last debate, I’m convinced America needs to reform the two-party system
October 11, 2016 | Post
The Democrats and Republicans have largely been the only two choices in presidential and congressional elections since the Civil War. It’s for that to change.
The Most Effective Way To Vote
September 29, 2016 | Video
There’s a more effective way of voting. One where you personally have it within your power to make change. Which better serves your well being: voting in the ballot box where you’re one of millions? Or “foot-voting,” where you can move across state lines? Professor Randy Barnett of Georgetown University} explains why governments are more […]
Debate Recap: How Did Trump and Clinton Perform?
September 27, 2016 | Post
Learn Liberty reviews the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
To Vote or Not To Vote, That Is The Question
September 25, 2016 | Post
Why not vote? Some experts sound off.
How One Theory You Never Heard of Explains Everything Donald Trump Does
August 6, 2016 | Post
When Donald Trump declared his candidacy for president a year ago, Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight political blog said he had “a better chance of cameoing in another ‘Home Alone’ movie with Macaulay Culkin—or playing in the NBA Finals—than winning the Republican nomination.” With a net favorability rating of -32 percent according to FiveThirtyEight and “exactly zero” […]
7 Fantasy/Science Fiction Epics That Can Inform You About the Real-World Political Scene
July 29, 2016 | Post
The politics of science fiction and fantasy series may seem like a frivolous topic at a time when we have so many serious real political problems. But it’s nonetheless worth considering, if only because far more people read science fiction novels, and watch genre movies and TV series than read serious nonfiction literature on political […]
Read This Novel Before You Read the News
July 25, 2016 | Post
What’s the worst that could happen in the upcoming presidential election? A classic novel takes us to that world gone wrong so that we can see the chilling results unfold step by step.
Presidential Candidates Have No Idea How to Stop Terrorism
June 25, 2016 | Post
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. […]
A Little White Lie I Told as a Camp Counselor Explains Political Strategy Perfectly
June 6, 2016 | Post
It would not be remarkable to observe that politicians lie. Many people lie. What is remarkable is that politicians keep telling the same lies over and over again. Few people do this. (Donald Trump, who tells a new lie almost every time he opens his mouth, is not a counterexample to this observation because he […]
Claim: The Supreme Court Has Let Billionaires Run America
May 28, 2016 | Post
Corporate America can basically decide the outcome of an election because of the resources it can pour into campaigns. Basically, billionaires run our country and destroy our democratic process—and a 2010 Supreme Court ruling on a case called Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission is at fault. Or so the argument goes. What critics of […]
How My Annual Halloween Parade Explains Donald Trump’s Success
May 26, 2016 | Post
Many public intellectuals and political pundits were surprised by Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the Republican nomination. In my opinion, this is because they succumbed to what has (unfairly) become known as the “Pauline Kael syndrome.” Pauline Kael is the New Yorker critic who was reputed to have remarked after the 1972 Presidential election that “Nixon […]
No, Your Friends are Probably Not Moving to Canada
May 26, 2016 | Post
Each presidential election year—perhaps this year more than most—we hear from friends, family, and celebrities the familiar refrain of, “If he/she wins, I’m moving to Canada!” Actress Lena Dunham is just the most recent example of this, claiming that if Republican Donald Trump is elected she “really will” move to Canada. The prevalence of this […]
It’s Always Sunny In Government?
September 4, 2014 | Video
With great power comes great responsibility. But what happens when those in power are no longer responsible enough to wield it? From our ever-increasing debt to the chaos of Ferguson, MO, it’s no surprise that people with power end up abusing it. Look no further than ‘The Gang’ from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; each […]
V for Venezuela
February 26, 2014 | Video
Tired of the corruption, high crime, and poor state of the economy in Venezuela, students and other citizens are taking to the streets to protest. What kind of ideas inspire regular citizens to risk so much in the face of a tyrannical government? Source footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFS6cP9auDc Disclaimer: Learn Liberty is an educational project and does […]
We Are All Ukrainians
February 26, 2014 | Video
The anti-government protests and demonstrations in Ukraine have been flooding the news lately. But what is it all about? What ideas inspire these people to stand tall against their oppressive government? Disclaimer: Learn Liberty is an educational project and does not endorse any policy, politician, or political party. Learn Liberty does not endorse violence of […]
How to Rig a Majority Vote
May 28, 2013 | Video
Do you think that a majority vote is always the fairest way to reach a consensus? Think again! In this Learn Liberty video, Professor Diana Thomas illustrates a paradoxical outcome that arises when people vote on three or more items – known as Condorcet’s Paradox – and proves that it is quite easy to manipulate […]
Why Do Politicians All Sound the Same?
May 24, 2013 | Video
Have you ever wondered why politicians seem to all say the same thing, especially during presidential elections? According to Professor Diana Thomas, this is due to the median voter theorem. To guarantee victory, a candidate has to earn just over 50 percent of the vote. Even if a candidate starts out on an extreme end […]
Why Are Voters So Uninformed?
January 28, 2013 | Video
Surveys routinely show that the general public is poorly informed about government and politics. In a survey conducted in 2010, for example, fewer than half of respondents even knew which political party held the majority of the seats in the House of Representatives. Professor Diana Thomas asks why the public knows and cares so little. […]