10-8-16 Hodgepodge

What Does Should Gary Johnson Bring to the Table?

Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute recently appeared on CNN (video), where he was asked about the importance of Gary Johnson to this year's presidential race. Although underwhelmed by Johnson, Brook took the opportunity to make a positive case for freedom, by focusing on what Johnson ought to be doing. Brook also drew an interesting comparison with Ross Perot, whom he credited with pulling Clinton to the right on fiscal issues.

Weekend Reading

"If Obama thought the U.S.' approach to freedom of speech embodied by the First Amendment were superior, he'd say so, and he'd never have let this happen -- much less have pushed it through in spite of congressional objection." -- Michael Hurd, in "Internet Should Remain as US Property" at Newsmax

"If Clinton is serious about addressing corporate short-termism, then she should support loosening Washington's grip on America's economy." -- John Allison, in "Short-Term Government Built Short-Term Capitalism" at USA Today

"While the friend might be the precipitating factor for your emotion, he or she is not the cause of your emotion." -- Michael Hurd, in "Who's Pushing Your Buttons?" at The Delaware Wave

"Self-talk along the lines of, 'I'm not good, I never do anything right, I'm so stupid' might make for good reality television, but it's no way to run your mind." -- Michael Hurd, in "Should You Listen to the Voices in Your Head?" at The Delaware Coast Press

Prohibition: Not Quite Dead

Clearing out some old bookmarks, I ran across a the following review of a liquor store in my area:

I'm from MA so it's amazing to find a store open until 2am. Not only that but the selection is awesome and the staff are helpful sand accommodating!

Well, I've lived in Texas and Missouri, and I'm annoyed that I have to waste time going to special stores just to buy beer. How long has it been since Prohibition was repealed, now? Yes. I know this amendment leaves things like this to the states, and I know a big part of why things remain as they are. But another big part is that too many people don't stop for a moment and wonder why things are they way they are, or how to go about changing them. Consider this grousing a reminder that silliness like this is man-made.

-- CAV