Kelly Wright
Former Coordinator, Online Programs
Institute for Humane Studies
Kelly graduated from Ohio University in 2014 where she studied political science and economics. She was a core member of various liberty-advancing student groups on campus, including Ohio University Students for Liberty (Executive Board), Ohio University Young Americans for Liberty, and Ohio University Second Amendment Club.
Blog Posts
Why we’re being watched: Top 6 Learn Liberty resources for understanding the new CIA leaks
March 10, 2017
|Civil Liberties
Wikileaks has just published over 8,000 files they say were leaked from the CIA, explaining how the CIA developed the capacity to spy on you through your phone, your computer, and even your television. And Wikileaks’s Julian Assange claims these “Vault 7” documents are just one percent of all the CIA documents they have. The media will be combing through these for weeks or months, so now is a perfect moment for us to reconsider the role of privacy, transparency, and limited government in a free society. We’ve put together a quick list of the six best Learn Liberty resources on government
Judicial "Activism" vs. Judicial "Engagement"
February 10, 2017
|Role of Government
The Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement at the Institute for Justice, Clark Neily, and an editor at the Library of Law and Liberty, Mark Pulliam, recently debated the role of the judiciary in American constitutional democracy over at City Journal. At issue is which judicial philosophy conservative and/or libertarian-minded people should support. Pulliam advocates for judicial "restraint," where the judiciary defers to the legislative and executive branches unless the policies in question violate "clear provisions of the Constitution." Neily supports a more "engaged" judiciary that
Why you should encrypt — and 3 tools to get started right now
January 26, 2017
|Civil Liberties
Whether it’s protecting your banking information from potential hackers or making sure some nefarious government agent doesn’t intercept sensitive data, there are a ton of reasons to use basic encryption technologies for your communications. Last month we talked about the role encryption plays in protecting sensitive data in general. Today we present 3 tools you can use to protect yourself and your messages personally. 1. WhatsApp Facebook-owned WhatsApp boasts a huge 1 billion global users, making it the world’s most popular instant messaging app. In April 2016, WhatsApp added end-to-end
Finally, a libertarian defense of identity politics
January 3, 2017
|Voting
McGill University's Jacob T. Levy has an outstanding piece over at the Niskanen Center on the role of identity politics in the 2016 election and in the movement for liberty. In the piece, titled "The Defense of Liberty Can't Do Without Identity Politics," Levy takes on the defense of identity politics by downplaying its role in electing Donald Trump and by making the case for advocates of liberty to incorporate identity politics into arguments for more individual freedom. Identity Politics didn't elect Trump It seems that President-elect Donald Trump's upset win in early November was just the evidence
Over-Criminalization Nation — 5 Blood-Boiling Cases of Government Overreach
December 28, 2016
|Free Markets and Capitalism
Every year the number of regulations, dictates, rules, decrees, guidelines, statutes, laws, and bylaws in the United States grows by leaps and bounds. Just look at the growth in the number of final rules contained in the Federal Register: Now it seems we can’t go a week without hearing a new story about someone being punished, with fines or even jail time, for activities that would be encouraged in a free society. I’ve taken the liberty (pun intended) of compiling some of the more egregious examples of this trend for your reading pleasure (or displeasure). 1. Single mom faces possible jail
Naughty and Nice 2016: Who made the list?
December 20, 2016
|Role of Government
2016 was a tumultuous year, to say the least. From the US election to the situation in Syria to Suicide Squad, there are just some things we’d rather forget. But here at Learn Liberty, we like an optimistic muffin with our bitter coffee, so we took the liberty of compiling a naughty and nice list for the holiday season. Who’s Naughty? First up, we have a list of scoundrels who should expect a fat lump of coal this Christmas season. Those on this list ought to think long and hard about the philosophy of liberty and their role in its preservation (or destruction). The media The media: that monolithic
Animal-loving entrepreneur succeeds despite anti-cat regulators
December 4, 2016
|Free Markets and Capitalism
At Crumbs & Whiskers, the extremely popular cat café in Washington, DC, customers can drink lattes, play with rescued cats, and even adopt felines for their own. But regulators almost put a stop to all this caffeinated kitty cuddling before Crumbs & Whiskers even opened its doors. In an interview with ReasonTV, the café’s founder, Kanchan Singh, explains the bureaucratic hoops she had to jump through to open the District’s now-beloved cat café. First, she was told to allocate $25,000 just to get approval for zoning an establishment with animals. This doesn’t even get into the litany
Here are 7 lesser-known classical liberal thinkers for your World Philosophy Day
November 17, 2016
|History
Today is World Philosophy Day, and what better way to celebrate than to give a nod to a few lesser-known philosophers associated with the classical liberal tradition. You may know the Hayeks and Nozicks and Lockes of the world, but have you heard of these seven liberty-loving thinkers? 1. Herbert Spencer Recommended reading: Social Statics A polymath, Herbert Spencer was originally known for his writing on biology. He coined the phrase “survival of the fittest,” used to describe the process of natural selection. Spencer rose to prominence by extending the lessons of biological evolution to
Does paying college football coaches corrupt the sport? Then why not pay the athletes themselves?
November 16, 2016
|Basic Economics
Learn Liberty veteran Professors Peter Jaworski and Art Carden met up at a Samford University Bulldogs game to wax philosophical about the economics of college sports. In the video below, Carden asks, "Would it compromise the integrity of the sport if the student athletes were paid for the value they produce for their school?" to which Jaworski responds "absolutely not." This conversation dovetails nicely with a recent book Jaworski just coauthored with Professor Jason Brennan titled Markets Without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests. The overall thesis of the book,
Reasons to be optimistic
October 17, 2016
|Poverty & Inequality
The folks over at Human Progress have rolled out a neat project to measure the improvement of the human condition. You can check it out at yourlifeinnumbers.org. Just plug in your country and birth year and the website will tell you how much things have improved since the year you were born. Spoiler alert: Everything is better. In just 25 short years, the United States has seen a 45% increase in income per person, a 38% increase in the infant survival rate, and a 5% increase in the average life expectancy. This is a huge victory and one we should be grateful for. There has literally never been
Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is What Makes America Unique
September 22, 2016
|Free Speech
The following op-ed was written by Kelly Wright, a Learn Liberty employee. It does not reflect the views of Learn Liberty as an institution. NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s principled decision to remain seated during the national anthem earlier this summer has sparked a wave of similar protests across the sports world. In addition to NFL players, soccer stars, volleyball players, and even entire high school teams are engaging in protest. Kaepernick cited police brutality as the reason for his protest, claiming that the U.S. has a history of white supremacy and that the principles on which
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