Free Republic

When the economic crisis hit in 2008, it was only a matter of time before the usual uninformed voices started bashing the private markets and capitalism. A system based on greed can never work, we were told. And the laissez-faire policies of George Bush led to the crisis. Now, these sorts of statements are ludicrous and utterly laughable for those of us who champion free market capitalism. George Bush was anything but laissez-faire, and, in fact, Bush increased regulation and government with acts such as Sarbanes-Oxley. Not only did he not reduce the welfare state, he also continued to fund...

With the arrival of the Tea Party movement and the growing discontent over big-government, statist solutions to societal and economic problems, people have at least begun to ask the right questions about the proper role of government in society. The problem is that many of these same people took, and still take, the question for granted. When I was what one might term a "conservative," I also took the issue as a given, which was a grave mistake. I assumed that my positions were pro-liberty and the left's views mainly anti-liberty. When I observed the practical results of my opinions,...

Somehow we as citizens get used to hearing the word "crisis," and, naturally, we feel that something should be done about whatever it is this time that is causing the next in the long line of so-called crises. However, why is the assumption that government should be the solution? Why are other solutions not sought after? Take John Stossel's recent show on obesity (two clips): As one can see, Meme Roth uses all of the standard demagogic arguments for government action. Our kids are our most precious asset and parents are just too stupid to take care of them. Second,...

How many times have I as a libertarian-minded advocate for individual liberty and free markets been in an argument with liberals, progressives, statists, whatever you choose to name them, and heard that my ideology is too simplistic, too impractical, etc.? Of course, these are the nice versions of what usually comes out of their collective mouths: idiot, fascist, racist, hick, redneck, and the glorious list of intellectual vocabulary marches on and on into pure brilliance. Oftentimes the liberal progressive breaks out into über-intellectual speak as illustrated in the following clip:

One would have thought historical experience had made it crystal clear that free markets are superior to government planning. Both Obama and Bush intervened in the free market with bailouts, new burdensome regulations (as if regulation didn't help cause the current crisis), and stimulus packages that have failed beyond a reasonable doubt. Why have they failed? For the same reason government planning has failed everywhere else it has been tried. There is no one person or bureaucracy that can predict all the billions and billions of both rational and irrational decisions within in a free market or society every day....

Growing up in the United States, I was incessantly bombarded by propaganda about the Reds, namely, Russia and China. They were the enemies of freedom, prosperity, progress, and capitalism. We, on the other hand, were the champions of liberty and free markets. Of course, there was more than a little bit of truth behind the propaganda. With mass-murdering leaders such as Stalin and Mao, Russia and China caused the deaths of tens of millions of innocent victims with 5-year plans and Great Leaps Forward, and those numbers are probably way too generous. There is no way to tell how many...

As a former conservative turned free-market libertarian, I have always been intrigued by Ron Paul's strong advocacy for the free market. After all, conservatives claim to stand on the same principles. So, I found it quite odd during the Republican presidential debates of 2008 when all of the other candidates actually had answers for how they would better "run" the economy. Having lived in Russia, China, and Europe, each candidate's answer scared me to death. Had they somehow missed the memo about how planning economies doesn't work, has never worked, and never will work? Cold War, anybody? The proper answer...

The WSJ calls the Swiss Minaret ban stupid, but, in my opinion, that doesn't go far enough. The ban is not only stupid; it is anti-libertarian. It is a commonly known fact that Europe is struggling with its Muslim immigrants, many of whom come from Muslim countries. These Muslim immigrants have incredible difficulties integrating into society. In Germany, Turkish immigrants still don't speak German by the third generation. Many Germans will tell you in private conversations that foreigners refuse to adapt to the European way of life and many Germans associate this refusal with Islam itself. Such expressions of opinion...

Even in the indoctrination of my university experience, I have always sensed that there was and is something wrong with the socialist/statist form of charity, which is illustrated ironically in the picture below: Although the picture is comical, it is also deadly serious, for this is exactly what statist charity in essence represents. In the name of some Robin Hood sort of politics, the state robs the productive members of society, destroys wealth, and then has the audacity to call it "charity" or redistributive politics. If you disagree with such a system (I vehemently do), you are labeled as a...

The more I observe U.S. politics, the more I am sickened by racial politics. Don't get me wrong; this is also an observable trend in Europe. The fact is that race and nationality have always been explosive issues. Politicians and political interest groups know this and use it to damage or completely discredit the opposing ideology. Liberals in the U.S. would have you believe that conservatism or rightist politics is the source of all racist thought in America. To believe this, one would have to ignore history completely and the fact that many of the most brutal racist policies the...

Glenn Beck is not exactly the most beloved figure in the US media. Of course, there are not unjustified reasons for that. Even for those who ultimately agree with him, he comes off as completely eccentric and a little bit too prone to conspiracy theories. However, there is an advantage to being a bit on the edge and even over the edge. One can challenge the mainstream, "official" opinions of those who seek to regulate public opinion. One of the most widespread myths in media is that black conservatives are an oxymoron or simply don't exist. But the most despicable...

The politicians come out of their bunkers and cloud-filled backrooms and promise us goodies and treats. They promise us a vision of hope and utopia where everything will finally be right and just. All we have to do is just sign over our freedoms. Here is a GOP Congressman on the Pelosi health care bill: Why, it's almost like it's so good it hurts you! Or it's health care that's so good you'll end up in prison if you don't accept it. Maybe that's an idea. If we break the law, we will have government-run health care. There's only one...

It has been 20 long years since the fall of the Berlin wall. Millions of people who were trapped in their oppressive, government-planned states suffered as a result of collectivism. Over 100 million people died at the hands of sycophantic, megalomaniac leaders that claimed they could bring us a better world than so-called capitalism and individual liberty has brought us. I say "so-called" because nowhere in the world does capitalism truly exist. In the countries where it is allowed to exist in even small proportions, wealth and prosperity reign. However, the collectivists hate even this small proportion of capitalism that...

Today I came across an old video of a cartoon from 1948 called "Make Mine Freedom." The quality is not the greatest, but the message is crystal clear. First, the video and then a little commentary: It's funny to think today that even at the height of capitalist propaganda versus communist propaganda, people were ashamed of being capitalists. What is it that makes success so shameful? Why is it that when one man makes a fortune and spreads wealth throughout society, it's considered greed or selfishness, but when the snake-oil salesmen from the government steal our money and freedom while...