Blog Roundup

A Friday Hodgepodge

1. "One Contradiction in the Fear of Laissez-Faire," by Harry Binswanger (Value for Value):

The operative image of economic regulation is that of a huge truck without steering or brakes. "We have to have those instruments of control, or the truck will go careening off the side of a cliff."

The truth is that government regulation is precisely the cutting of the brake lines and the seizing up of the steering column.

790 words/3 minutes

2. "Is Capitalism Scary?," by Jaana Woiceshyn (How to Be Profitable and Moral):

Productive work also yields savings that can be invested to provide extra cushioning against life's vicissitudes. Taking private insurance against accidents, illness and disability adds extra protection. (Those who are truly unable to support themselves, save, and afford insurance, must rely on private charity -- that historical evidence has shown to flourish in the conditions of freedom and the absence of government welfare programs).

850 words/3 minutes

3. "Trump, Iran and Moral Discriminations," by Peter Schwartz (Peter Schwartz):

An effective foreign policy must make moral discriminations. It must identify the nature of a country that is an enemy, and the nature of a country that is a friend. Merely looking at a country's weaponry cannot guide us. Nuclear bombs in the hands of Iran or North Korea are very different from nuclear bombs in the hands of England or France. Just as the guns possessed by criminals call for a very different evaluation than do guns possessed by the police.

440 words/1 minute

4. "The Thinker Identity (Part 1)," by Jean Moroney (Thinking Directions):

The Thinker is the person who makes full use of the power of his mind. He takes theory and applies it in practice. He observes practice and conceptualizes his observations into new theory. He has an active mind in that he is always observing the world around him, always integrating new knowledge with the old, always looking for the root causes that explain the results he sees. He does this in every area of his life, managing his mind by exploiting his volition, his values, and his knowledge.

This identity does not require a particular degree of intelligence or level of education. Rather, it ensures that you will continually increase your functional intelligence and become self-educated in every area that matters to you.

1130 words/4 minutes

-- CAV