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A Lesson in Private Education
This is an excerpt from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. After passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Barack Obama’s first economic stimulus), which earmarked more than $100 billion for public education, the White House website listed President Obama’s goals for improving America’s government schools. “Providing a high-quality education for all children,” the site…
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A Walk in a Private Park
This is an excerpt from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. To meet budget shortfalls, a growing number of municipalities and state governments are considering some form of privatization for their parks. These proposals are usually met with indignant opposition. Private companies, it is claimed, would despoil the parks by building condos on the rim of…
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You’ve Got Private Mail
This is an excerpt from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. Perhaps no government institution is the object of more jokes and frustration than the United States Postal Service (USPS). Long lines, surly clerks, and “going postal” draw the ridicule of patrons and late-night comedians. Yet, despite the complaints and jokes, any suggestion that the USPS…
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Imagine a World of Individual Flourishing
In “honor” of May Day, the socialist holiday celebrating the destruction of property rights, I offer Chapter 1 of Principles and Property Rights for free. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people sharing all the world. John Lennon, “Imagine” We…
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Government Without Taxation
To “celebrate” Tax Day 2018, I am offering a free download of “Government Without Taxation” from my book Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. In this chapter, I examine why it is both moral and practical to finance government through voluntary means. While many believe that government can only be financed through coercive taxation–by forcing individuals…
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Principles and Property Rights
Both history and the contemporary world provide us with countless examples illustrating the importance of property rights to individual flourishing. From Plymouth Colony to Pyongyang, from Venezuela to China, when property rights are respected and protected, individuals prosper and thrive. When property rights are violated, misery and suffering is the inevitable result. Why is this…
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The Innovator Versus the Collective
At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, many textile workers rebelled against the labor-saving machines being introduced. The Luddites—as they were called—believed that this new technology would mean the end of life as they knew it. They burned mills and destroyed machinery in a futile effort to stop innovation and progress. Today,…
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Individual Rights and Government Wrongs
Politicians and pundits regularly decry the increasingly divisive nature of American politics. From the Tea Parties to Occupy Wall Street, Americans are not happy with their government, and they are making their displeasure known. Individual Rights and Government Wrongs examines two fundamentally different views regarding what type of nation America should be. Using examples from…
