Both “progressives” and conservatives speak about the freedom to choose. Yet, they do so very selectively. They adamantly support an individual’s freedom to choose in regard to some issues, and then are equally adamant in opposing an individual’s freedom to choose in regard to other issues. For example, “progressives” support an individual’s freedom to choose…
One of the arguments against illegal immigration is that the “illegals” rape and pillage our social welfare system. “Illegals” take advantage of Social Security, government schools, hospitals, and countless other services provided by taxpayers. The critics seldom object to providing these services to American citizens. They believe that we are our brother’s keeper, and they…
Over the past decade (and perhaps longer) there has been a trend for business owners to claim that a law violates their free speech rights. A recent example comes from Oregon, where the owner of a vape shop is claiming that regulations prohibiting him from describing the contents of the products that he sells violates his…
In Part 1, we briefly examined the prevalence of false alternatives in controversial political issues. In Part 2, we examined how to identify false alternatives. In this post, we will look at one of the most common ways in which false alternatives are presented. One of the most common ways in which false alternatives are…
In Part 1, we briefly examined the prevalence of false alternatives in controversial political issues. But how do we know when false alternatives are being presented? How do we know that there are other alternatives? The clearest indication is when we actually know of real alternatives. If we are aware of an alternative that isn’t…
Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of religious freedom task force, members of the political Left have been voicing concerns that this is an attempt to impose certain religious beliefs on the nation. For example, an editorial in the Houston Chronicle stated: Make no mistake. The Religious Liberty Task Force — a name…
Alex Epstein, who describes himself as a practical philosopher, recently announced The Human Flourishing Project. Epstein started the “project to tackle the problem I care about most: human beings lack reliable access to the knowledge we need to flourish.” In his introductory podcast, Epstein notes that, despite the material abundance in the world today, there…
In the mid-1990s, Joe Overton identified a political concept that became known as the Overton Window. The website for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, where Overton was a senior vice president, describes the concept: Joseph Overton observed that in a given public policy area, such as education, only a relatively narrow range of potential…
Last week, Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson wrote about the contradictions in the newspaper business. Interestingly, what he calls contradictions are really an admission of his own confusion about how a free market operates. For example, he writes The industry itself was founded on a contradiction. Historically, publishers focused on selling paper more than news….
I recently had an interesting conversation with a liberal friend. As would be expected, we disagree on many political issues. During our conversation, she said that many people will make bad decisions, and government needs to protect them. I agree with her that many people will make bad decisions. I disagree with her that government…
In recent years, Texas cities (as well as those across the nation) have embarked on a campaign of “local control.” Companies like Uber and Airbnb have upset the traditional regulatory environment. Adding to the mix are energetic citizens calling for bans on plastic bags, regulations on trees, and protection for historic buildings. Local governments are…