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Liberty and Power

  • Feb 6, 2007

    Gabriel Kolko Interview: He Prefers "McDonald's" to American Empire

    by Liberty and Power

    In an excellent inteview, Scott Horton speaks at length with the author of The Triumph of Conservatism on the Iraq War and American foreign policy.

    Perhaps Kolko in his old age is shedding his old Marxist/New Left views. He calls Lenin"a crank" and repeatedly opines that the U.S. will find"Donald Duck and McDonald's" to be far more effective in spreading American ideals than the current reliance on political empire. Listen to it

  • Feb 6, 2007

    Has Hagel Shrugged?

    by Liberty and Power

    What gives with Chuck Hagel? Few Senators had done more to push a non-binding resolution opposing the troop surge yet, when the zero hour came, he voted with the Bush administration to block such a resolution.

    Can Hagel's behavior be explained or justified or is he a man who folds when the pressure is on?

  • Feb 5, 2007

    Kate Winslet's Breasts

    by Liberty and Power

    I teach a course on conservative and libertarian intellectuals in U.S. history (yes, the students learn the differences from day one).

    Here is a group email I sent to my students, who invariably are a very bright bunch, regardless of politics (probably due to self-selection after the others see the heavy reading list):

    Subject: HIST 455: Kate Winslet's Breasts: Libertarian and Conservative Guides to Movies, Etc.


    I hope the subject line passed yo

  • Feb 4, 2007

    Ayn Rand and the Capitalist Class

    by Liberty and Power

    [cross-posted at Austro-Athenian Empire]

    Although I rejected Rand’s right-wing economics
    and political philosophy by the time I was fifteen, certain elements
    of the novels, which had more to do with psychology than with
    social ideology, stayed with me for many years.     The
    Fountainhead had planted in m
  • Feb 4, 2007

    Inequality Matters

    by Liberty and Power

    In the controversy now raging over whether income inequality in America is growing a lot or a little, some pro-market people say it doesn’t much matter. This attitude is unjustified, not to mention harmful to the cause of individual freedom because it misses the bigger picture.
    Read the rest of this week's TGIF column,"Inequality Matters," at the Foundation for Economic E
  • Feb 4, 2007

    The Inflation Tax

    by Liberty and Power

    The latest issue of ECON JOURNAL WATCH contains my article: "Death and Taxes, Including Inflation: The Public versus Economists." Here is the link
  • Feb 4, 2007

    WG Sumner and Minority College Admissions

    by Liberty and Power

    In Muccigrosso, _A Basic History of Conservatism_, the author claimed that WG Sumner favored admitting women and minorities to Yale University, where he taught sociology and other subjects.

    I am trying to track down primary sources to that effect. Most secondary literature attributes the racism of the era to Sumner because of his philosophy that stateways cannot easily change "folkways." This is a caricature of the man's views, of course, so all the more important to explore his

  • Feb 2, 2007

    Telling It Like It Is

    by Liberty and Power

    God, I do thank, evangelist, the Rev. Pat Robertson for telling it like it is.

    Earlier, he told us, “God’s blessing is on him [George W. Bush]. It’s the blessing of heaven on the emperor.” I think GeorgeII/43 must have liked that!

    Now, Robertson announces its time for the CIA to take out Hugo Chavez. Well, its probably easier than attempting to invade Iran.

    Readers of John Perkins', Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), will recognize this as t
  • Feb 1, 2007

    Milton Friedman and Drug Policy

    by Liberty and Power

    One reason that drug policy reform has proven to be such a difficult endeavor is that the subject is so often missing from discussions of public policy. An example of this can be found in the PBS documentary The Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman, which aired last Monday night.

    The film looks at the influence of Friedman’s free market advocacy in countries such as the United States, Estonia, Chile, India, and China making a

  • Jan 31, 2007

    Lessons from Lodge Doctors

    by Liberty and Power

    "Funny hats. Secret handshakes. What could these possibly have to do with today's discussion about the future of health care?"

    For more, see today's piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer (in which yours truly is quoted).

  • Jan 29, 2007

    U.S. Imperialism, No....But Yes to McDonalds

    by Liberty and Power

    Foreigners apparently understand the distinction between the two:

    Last week brought fresh evidence of America's fallen standing in the world: The BBC polled 26,000 people in 25 countries and found that less than a third regard U.S. influence as positive. But one symbol of America -- a more enduring one than President Bush, by far -- provided some more cheerful news. McDonald's

  • Jan 27, 2007

    Libertarian syllabi?

    by Liberty and Power

    Dear L&P folks,

    I'm interested in developing a course, "The Libertarian View in U.S. History," as a counterpart to our department's "Radical View" and "Conservative View" courses. Are there syllabi online? Anyone willing to share? The focus will be on intellectual history, although that could be broadened.

    Thanks in advance.

    Sincerely,

    Jonathan Bean
  • Jan 27, 2007

    No Need for Energy Subsidies

    by Liberty and Power

    For a guy who claims to believe in limited government, President Bush is awfully good at dangling subsidies and threatening coercion when he wants to encourage or discourage something. That’s the lesson to take from his State of the Union Address.

    Look at what he said about energy....
    Read the rest of this week's op-ed, "No Need for Energy Subsidies," at The Future of Fr
  • Jan 26, 2007

    Lost Articles

    by Liberty and Power

    The Constitution says that to be elected to the U.S. Senate, a person has to be 30 or older, a citizen for at least nine years, and a resident of the state from which the candidate is elected.

    Alas, it says nothing about knowing American history.
    Read the rest of this week's TGIF column at the Foundation for Economic Education website.

    Cross-post