Category:Role of Government
Getting Good Results vs Doing the Right Thing
November 17, 2016 | Post
Would you tell a lie to protect someone from harm?
Common law gave you real property ownership
November 11, 2016 | Post
With minor variations between the states, the law governing the use and ownership of real property emerged as part of English common law.
Buy 'em out – a new strategy for cutting government
November 9, 2016 | Post
In 1930, total government expenditure was 10% of GDP. Of that, approximately 3% was federal spending, and 7% was state and local spending. Today, government expenditure is about 40% of GDP, with 25% of that spending federal, and the remaining 15% state and local.
Election 2016: politics when government becomes a weapon
November 4, 2016 | Post
As Hayek long argued, a free society is governed by general, abstract rules that are equally applicable to all persons, including government actors.
Clergy should be able to preach without fear
October 26, 2016 | Post
In the absence of a compelling interest, such as preventing physical harm, governments have no right to control what goes on inside of churches and other houses of worship.
Should the government step in to outlaw discrimination?
October 22, 2016 | Post
National and state governments often create accommodations to protect religious individuals from neutral, generally applicable laws, but they have also passed laws affirmatively protecting religious citizens from discrimination by both private and governmental entities. Most prominently, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits employers with more than 15 employees from […]
The answer is a new government program. What’s the question?
October 13, 2016 | Post
Politicians have never met a new taxpayer-funded government program they didn’t like.
Protect Pangolins: Promote Trade, Don’t Ban It
October 9, 2016 | Post
If conservationists truly want to protect the pangolin, they’ll need to acknowledge the incentives of the humans that threaten them, and create policies which address them.
Did the Ancient Greeks Believe in Freedom?
October 3, 2016 | Post
To answer this question we must first learn the distinction between contemporary conceptions of freedom and “The Freedom of the Ancients.”
Is Mobility a Right or a Privilege?
October 1, 2016 | Post
Rather than invent new human rights, people who are concerned about poverty should first ask what kind of barriers government creates that prevent social mobility. Those barriers should all be removed before any thought is given to taxing some people in order to give money or resources to others.
Why Government Doubles Down on Policy Mistakes
September 30, 2016 | Post
“Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” — Milton Friedman
The Estate Tax is a Fundamentally Flawed Economic Policy
September 28, 2016 | Post
There are two problems with an estate tax: 1. The belief that estates should be taxed at all reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of economics, and 2. The actual taxing of estates has very different effects than those that advocates imagine it will have.
Peyote, Alcohol, and Religious Liberty
September 28, 2016 | Post
In this seventh installment in his series on religious liberty, Prof. Mark Hall explains how legislators have carved out exemptions to the Controlled Substances Act to protect religious ceremonies involving controlled substances.
Is the 2016 Election Rigged?
September 21, 2016 | Post
The really radical idea behind the rule of law is that the lawmakers themselves are not above the law. It is “the law” that rules, not those who make and enforce the law.
Foreign Policy Explained, Ep. 11: Should We Privatize National Defense?
September 13, 2016 | Video
Is national defense a “public good?” Professor Chris Coyne outlines what it means to be a public good and raises the question of whether we should privatize our National Defense/National Security in America or leave it to the government.
Senate Votes for Equal Slavery for Women
September 9, 2016 | Post
“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
Foreign Policy Explained, Ep. 10: Does Humanitarian Aid Work?
September 8, 2016 | Video
What is it about well intentioned, well-funded, state led, humanitarian aid programs that makes them fail so miserably? The truth is, humanitarian aid intended to alleviate suffering often fails, and in many cases causes additional harm to those who are already suffering. In the first 8 months after Hurricane Katrina, billions of dollars were wasted, […]
Foreign Policy Explained, Ep. 9: Is Nation-Building Worth The Cost?
September 6, 2016 | Video
Was the Iraq war worth it? The U.S went into Iraq under the pretense of weapons of mass destruction, but another reason was the effort to show Iraqis the power of freedom… to make Iraq safe for democracy. 100,000 civilian casualties and 800 billion dollars later it’s hard to argue that Iraq is better off […]
A History of Accomodating Religious Objections to War
September 2, 2016 | Post
Professor Mark Hall catalogues a history of accommodating religious objections to military service in this third installment to his series on religious liberty.
Foreign Policy Explained, Ep. 8: Do Foreign Policy benefits outweigh the cost?
September 1, 2016 | Video
Does foreign intervention do more harm than good? It’s hard to look at suffering in developing nations and stomach much of the poverty that exists in the world. Naturally, we all want to help, but to help requires a knowledge that people in a given community have gained over time. Based on experiences, habits and […]
Police Misconduct Upends the Role of Government
August 30, 2016 | Post
A lack of basic police accountability foments distrust within communities, especially communities of color, turning the social contract on its head.
Foreign Policy Explained, Ep. 7: 6 Reasons Why Libertarians want Foreign Policy Reform
August 30, 2016 | Video
Do the benefits of foreign intervention outweigh the costs? Foreign intervention is a source of much disagreement among those who believe in a limited government. If the role of government is to keep us safe, is intervening internationally necessary to do so? Professor Chris Coyne of George Mason University explains. Learn more: http://hayekandchill.com/foreign-policy/
John Locke’s top 5 radical political ideas
August 29, 2016 | Post
John Locke’s most important ideas, for your list-reading pleasure.