A Classical Liberal Blog on Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Law, and More
Over at Kids Prefer Cheese, Angus posts an interesting chart that shows a dramatic increase in Chinese coal consumption since 2000: Angus then proceeds to suggest - accurately - that this is big environmental problem that can't be solved by one of the most commonly discussed panaceas for climate change . As he argues, "One thing is for sure: … Continue reading Chart of the Day – and now for the good news about China’s coal use
Several of my progressive Facebook friends posted about Gabrielle Giffords’ testimony before Congress about gun legislation, editorializing that we/they should pay close attention because of her personal experience as a victim of violence. Now, I understand why some criminal courts allow victim-impact statements: before deciding what sort of punishment should be meted out, it’s relevant … Continue reading In which everyone decides I’m heartless and insensitive
I'm sure this is George W. Bush's fault:
It’s not all-politics-all-the-time. Today in my “Happiness and the Meaning of Life” class I showed them an episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog. In “Dog for a Day,” Emily Elizabeth’s friend Charlie complains about having to do chores. He notices Clifford playing with his friends Cleo and T-Bone, and it occurs to him that … Continue reading Clifford the Big Red Aristotelian
I got into an argument with a structural engineer the other day. I was saying that it would be really cool if the Navy had something like the Helicarrier used by SHIELD in the Avengers movie. He was trying to say that it “wouldn’t work” for some kind of technical reasons, like there’s no known … Continue reading An allegory
Cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 mammals in the U.S. alone every year, according to a study by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, which makes them "the top threat to US wildlife." The number of free-ranging cats in the U.S. has increased about 200% since 1970. My previous post on cats and conservation here. … Continue reading Noon Links
I appreciate Jason’s post. I have been giving the same advice to my students for some time (although few listen, alas). I can usually draw on whatever search we are conducting and give them a sense of the numbers. This year, for example, we had a tenure track search. Number of applicants: 188 Number of … Continue reading Don’t Go to Grad School—Additional
John Samples at the Cato Institute defends the filibuster: Allowing majority rule to always trump minority interests would undercut the intent and structure of the Constitution, with its many protections of minorities from the tyranny of majorities. As political scientist Gregory Koger has noted, the filibuster has been used to force Senate majorities to consider … Continue reading John Samples on the Filibuster
It's that time of year again: sending in the last of the grad-school reference letters. Over time, my answers to students who request grad school reference letters, particularly for PhD programs, have become more and more emphatic: don't do it. It doesn't matter how smart you are, or how good your grades have been. The … Continue reading Don’t Go to Grad School
First of all, I would like to thank Grover Cleveland for inviting me to guest-blog this week. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to write the words “I would like to thank Grover Cleveland,” which I would not have predicted I’d ever have reason to do. I thought I would start with some reflections, and … Continue reading Saying hello to begin my stint as a guest-blogger
According to an article in space.com - the self-proclaimed "world's No. 1 source for news of astronomy, skywatching, space exploration, commercial spaceflight and related technologies," the International Space Station has been a big freaking waste/colossal money pit yielded little return on the U.S. government's investment. The cost? According to this article (from late 2010): "NASA estimates the station has … Continue reading The International Space Station – The Best Pictures Money Can Buy
Sanford Levinson's "The Embarrassing Second Amendment" is a classic law review article that almost certainly helped lay a brick in the road to the critical District of Columbia, et al v. Heller (2008) gun rights decision that held (among other things) that: The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in … Continue reading Sunday Morning Quotation – UT-Austin Law Prof Sanford Levinson on the 2nd Amendment
Conservatives and liberals are both mad over the Senate's mundane filibuster compromise. Liberals wanted the filibuster abolished or severely pared back, and conservatives didn't want any reforms at all. Of course, the sides are exactly flipped from 2005, when it was Senate Republicans who threatened the "constitutional option." Both sides are afflicted with short-termist thinking. … Continue reading End the Filibuster
The 2013 New Hampshire Liberty Forum will be happening in a month. If you want to see about 500 libertarian types overflow the second-largest conference center in the state of New Hampshire, you'll want to be there. I'm impressed with the speaker lineup this year, which reaches beyond traditional libertarian circles: Tom Woods is a … Continue reading The 2013 New Hampshire Liberty Forum
That's the subtitle of a new working paper from Peterson, Pandya, and Leblang. Here's the abstract: Skills are often occupation-specific, a fact missing from existing research on the political economy of immigration. Although analyses of survey data suggest broad support for skilled migration occupational licensing regulations persist as formidable barriers to skilled migrants’ labor market … Continue reading Occupational Licensing as an Implicit Barrier to High Skill Migration
The work of James M. Buchanan, who died two weeks ago, provided a host of important insights into political economy and politics. For those who are unacquainted with the work of Buchanan, there is a brief overview/introduction in the current issue of the Economist. The opening paragraph may whet your interest: A LIST of things … Continue reading Politics without Romance
There was little that I found surprising in President Obama’s second inaugural address (if you didn’t watch it or have a chance to read it, you can find it here). He clearly articulated—however vaguely—a center left agenda, much as one might have predicted. Unless the Democrats capture the House in the 2014 midterms, I don’t … Continue reading The Inaugural
Today, Barack Obama took the oath of office with his left hand on two bibles—one belonging to Abraham Lincoln, the other to Martin Luther King, Jr. That image evokes the progress our nation has made in breaking the shackles of slavery and prejudice that have long constrained us from reaching the promise of our founding, … Continue reading A day to think about constraints
Today is the inauguration and the beginning of President Obama’s second term in office. Ralph Nader, for one, isn’t impressed with inaugurations. As he noted Sunday: “Tomorrow I’ll watch another rendition of political bulls—- by the newly reelected president, full of promises that he intends to break just like he did in 2009.” Nader might … Continue reading The Second Term Begins
Economist and Harvard Professor Greg Mankiw isn't the only one who is thinking about working less in an era of higher marginal taxes. So are golfers like Phil Mickelson according to a recent story: "Well, it’s been an interesting off-season, and I’m going to have to make some drastic changes,” said Mickelson, who lives with his … Continue reading People Respond to Incentives – Part the Googolplexth (Golfers Edition)
The U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008): Some have made the argument, bordering on the frivolous, that only those arms in existence in the 18th century are protected by the Second Amendment. We do not interpret constitutional rights that way. Just as the First Amendment protects modern forms of communications, e.g.. … Continue reading Sunday Morning Quotation – U.S. Supreme Court on What Types of Arms Are Protected by the Second Amendment
"Imagine that a Wall Street billionaire is passing a bag lady on the street. She begs for a dollar. Should the billionaire give it to her? It's just plain obvious that the bag lady would benefit more from the dollar than the billionaire. The donation would detract from his happiness less than it would add … Continue reading Interpersonal Comparisons of Dignity and Eleemosynary Duties
As the debates over regulating guns continue to gain speed in the wake of the mass shooting in Connecticut, attention has turned (as one might expect given the circumstances) to assault weapons. One problem is the difficulty on defining one’s terms. As Erica Goode explains in an enlightening piece in the NYT (“Even Defining ‘Assault … Continue reading Regulating the Wrong Things?
This is one of my favorite Pileus pieces and its seems like a good time to put it back up on the blog in full: A Word of Thanks to Four Black Men and A Gun July 15, 2010 by Marcus Cole As an American, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to many, many … Continue reading Worth Reposting – Cole’s “A Word of Thanks to Four Black Men and A Gun”
James Otteson in the comments on Jason's recent post on libertarianism and libertinism: Is it possible to be a “libertarian conservative”? Even a “conservative anarchist”? Whatever the answer to those questions is, it seems to me that this entire blog is premised on the idea that one can endorse a roughly libertarian political position, while, … Continue reading From the Comments – A Take on the Raison d’Etre of Pileus
Richard Vedder has an op-ed in the WSJ today discussing the costs to American productivity that having fewer people working is having. The cost is substantial: According to Vedder, whereas from the 17th century through the 20th American wealth averaged a robust 3.5% annual growth, during the first twelve years of the 21st century it … Continue reading Nothing to Work For
In case you haven't heard, libertarians on the 'Net have been having another one of those more-heating-than-enlightening internecine debates, this one sparked by a video by Julie Borowski on why there aren't more libertarian women. Sarah Skwire and Steve Horwitz responded on Bleeding Heart Libertarians, accusing Ms. Borowski of "slut shaming" and generally denigrating women … Continue reading Libertarianism is Not Libertinism, Part the Googolplexth
Pileus is pleased to announce that Prof. Aeon J. Skoble will be guest blogging here January 28 through February 1. I'm looking forward to hearing his thoughts on a range of subjects, including classical liberalism, ethics, and popular culture. Here is a brief bio: Aeon J. Skoble is Professor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Philosophy Department at … Continue reading Guest Blogging Announcement – Prof. Aeon Skoble
Like many law-abiding gun owners who might want to purchase an AR-15 or some other firearm that looks like an "assault weapon" to Diane Feinstein, I thought for a moment after Sandy Hook about legally buying this weapon while I still had a chance: I had meant to purchase one in the summer of 2011 but didn't get around … Continue reading Timing Your AR-15 Purchase
An interesting new poll from Public Policy Polling shows strong support for marijuana reform in New Hampshire: For legalization (taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol, with licensed stores): 53%. Opposed: 37%. For decriminalization (replacing criminal penalties for possession of less than an ounce with a fine): 62%. Opposed: 27%. For medical marijuana (allowing seriously or … Continue reading New Hampshire Supports Legalizing Marijuana
In Canada, provincial parties are totally organizationally independent of federal parties and may not even have the same names. Thus, the British Columbia Liberal Party has generally been right-of-center, and British Columbia Liberals tend to vote Conservative at the federal level. Quebec Liberals have generally been more Quebec-nationalist/decentralist than the federal Liberals. Most provinces have … Continue reading Should State Parties Change Their Names?
I just got word that the Nobel Prize-winning economist James Buchanan has passed away. The intellectual world has lost a lion and an owl. Here is a brief bio. Buchanan's works laying out the foundations of Public Choice Theory (the Virginia School of Political Economy) are obviously seminal. However, my favorite Buchanan pieces include the oft-cited … Continue reading James Buchanan, R.I.P.
Let’s start with the good: the Obama administration is considering removing all US troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014 (rather than leaving a force of 6,000-15,000 behind). As coverage in WaPo notes, this option “defies the Pentagon’s view that thousands of troops may be needed to contain al-Qaida and to strengthen Afghan forces.” … Continue reading In the News: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
From Grantland: . . . someone asked Saban a simple question: Why? In other words, why keep doing this, and why keep striving, and why not pull a Spurrier and slip off to the golf course on some August afternoon during a two-a-days and delegate to one's coaching staff? Like, why so uptight, man? And … Continue reading Saban Would Have Been Invited to Galt’s Gulch
That's the title of a new book from America's Cato Institute, Canada's Fraser Institute, and Germany's Liberales Institut, which aims to create an index of personal freedom around the world. This is a welcome addition to the Fraser Institute's Index of Economic Freedom, and I dare suspect that William Ruger's and my personal and economic … Continue reading *Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom* (Fred McMahon, ed.)
I find this to be an interesting and frustrating topic. Let me take a somewhat different approach to it, one that I use when I engage the issue in a policy class I teach. I begin with two assumptions. There is a universal desire for intoxication among human beings. This is clearly exhibited by the … Continue reading Another Take on the War on Drugs
Here are the essay questions from the final exam I gave in "Introduction to Political Philosophy" last semester. How would you answer these questions? 3.1 Rights to Property Answer one of these questions. 1. What is John Rawls’ “difference principle,” and how does he defend it? What are its implications for the welfare state? Is … Continue reading My Introduction to Political Philosophy Final Exam
Again with apologies to Nock, but the Cynthia Chase tempest has now yielded this awesome phrase: "Sorens-ian intentions of political domination." Yes, I repeat: "Sorens-ian intentions of political domination." The Fosters Daily Democrat, a Dover, New Hampshire paper, editorialized today in defense of Chase and against the Free State Project. In the process, it singled out our fellow blogger … Continue reading Our Enemy, Jason Sorens
This piece doesn't really contain anything all that new for those of us who have followed the debate on the drug war, but it is nice to see two prominent economists (Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy) making the case against it in a big paper of record such as the Wall Street Journal. Here is a … Continue reading Two Economists vs. the Drug War
Here is an update on the reaction to New Hampshire Representative Cynthia Chase's comments about restricting freedoms to drive Free Staters out of New Hampshire, highlighted by Grover Cleveland below. New Hampshire blogger Steve MacDonald: Can you imagine any person in elected office saying something like this and not being run out of office by … Continue reading Cynthia Chase Update
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