Ron Paul is the Better Man

Rep. Ron Paul distanced himself from the ugly remarks in the newsletters published under his name. He says they don’t represent his views and, given that no one has ever reported hearing such ugly words from his own mouth, it seems reasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt on that. But what of the people who eagerly leap to the defense of the newsletter remarks themselves? They can support Ron Paul or they can support the racist remarks attributed to him. Ron made it clear that he thinks that they are indefensible. That should go for the person who wrote those hateful statements and the people who defend them, as well. Ron Paul, by the standards of Mr. Raimondo (“on closer examination, the material that is being called ‘racist’ turns out to be no such thing”), is an arch-evil “cosmotarian”:

Representatives? Not Really....They're "Fixers"

In today’s New York Times, this interesting story about how one Senator (the presumptive GOP presidential nominee) has done favors for a constituent, “A Developer, His Deals and His Ties to McCain.”

Mr. Diamond, for his part, said Mr. McCain had only done his job. “I think that is what Congress people are supposed to do for constituents,” he said. “When you have a big, significant businessman like myself, why wouldn’t you want to help move things along? What else would they do? They waste so much time with legislation.”

The process is well described and analyzed by Fred McChesney in his important book, Money for Nothing: Politicians, Rent Extraction, and Political Extortion (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1997)

My interview in Il Giornale about Needed Italian Post-Election Reforms

Tom Palmer: “Meno Stato più impresa”

A Different Road

I think that anyone else in Spitzer’s shoes should suffer no legal consequences or penalties. But…. he sent people to prison for just what he’s accused of doing and he exulted in the act of ruining their lives. So my view is that I want to see him doing time. Ron Paul, maybe because he’s a Christian, seems to take a different view:

“No matter how morally justified his comeuppance may be, his downfall demonstrates the worst of our society. The possibility of uncovering personal moral wrongdoing is never a justification for the government to spy on our every move and to participate in sting operations.”

Parsing the above, it’s not clear how far apart our views are. But the tone is certainly different. I want Spitzer to suffer because his punishment would be, as Ron admits (or at least, admits may be the case), “morally justified.” I also want other politicians to think about the effects of their support of such terrible laws. It’s time to repeal them. But only after we see Spitzer, who gloried in ruining the lives of others, in handcuffs.

Jean-Paul Floru for Europe

Floru for Europe

Democracy, Liberty, Limited Government, Foreign Policy

The Northwestern University Law Review (Issue 102:1 (Winter 2008) has published my oral remarks during the 2006 Federalist Society panel/debate on “Limited Government and Spreading Democracy: Uneasy Cousins?” Judge A. William Randolph, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, National Democratic Institute president Kenneth Wollack, and French lawyer François-Henri Briard were the other participants. (Complete journal here.)

The remarks got a bit sharp at times.

Obamatarianism....

From the Wall Street Journal, “Wyoming Serves as a Campaign Cue,” by Nick Timiraos, March 8, 2008 (Page A4)

Tailoring his message to the state’s antigovernment streak, Sen. Obama put new emphasis on his criticisms of the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretaps and other heightened law-enforcement activities implemented as antiterror measures. “You can be liberal and a libertarian, or a conservative libertarian,” Sen. Obama told a crowd of about 1,200 at a recreation center here. But “there’s nothing conservative” about President Bush’s antiterror policies. “There’s nothing Republican about that. Everybody should be outraged by that,” he added.

Hat Tip: David Boaz

Trade Creates Prosperity

From the Wall Street Journal: “Ohio Needs More Foreign Trade,” by Daniel T. Griswold

Mediation and Peace

Civilized politics is not about “finding the true will of the people,” a project that is merely a totalitarian conceit,* but about fashioning tolerable regimes based on peaceful relations. Kenya has taken a great step in that direction, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Kofi Annan and the willingness of the leaders of the two major camps to step back from the abyss. According to the BBC,

Mr Odinga said the agreement was “just a piece of paper” - the most important thing was the will behind it.

“It means we recognise Mr Kibaki as president and he recognises that there were some flaws in the elections,” he told the BBC.

Of course, a world without criminal gangs competing for power would be preferable, but in the existing world of criminal gangs, getting them to interact more peacefully among themselves and with respect to their prey is preferable to conflict.

*The invocation of “will” is a dangerous foundation for a political order, unless by will one refers to the constitutional order as the “enduring will of the people,” in which case it may have some value. It is, however, not very enlightening to refer to a set of rules or procedures as “the will of the people” on analogy with the “will” of this or that person to do this or that act.

Buckley

I suppose everyone who ever came in contact with, or read a book by, William F. Buckley, Jr. has to chime in. Yes, I met him and when I was a young teenager he praised me for asking a particularly convoluted question, which made me feel clever (for a few minutes). No, we were not buddies and I have no colorful stories to tell about him. His influence on me was largely of a negative kind: I figured out early that I did not want to be superficial in my writing or speech, as his columns typically were.

His obit of the late Murray N. Rothbard may have been unkind, but then, so was Murray, who uttered quite vicious comments about the recently departed, so I suppose that that personal conflict is now over.

In any case, the conservative movement over which he exercised an influence is now finished. The “Sharon Statement” of the Young Americans for Freedom, which was founded at his home in Sharon, Connecticut, represents a brand of “conservatism” that no longer has a public voice. In its place, we have Neo-Cons and Theo-Cons, all devoted to expanded government power.

Russell Roberts on the Unreliability of Political Promises

Take Politicians’ Promises With a Pound of Salt, a National Public Radio commentary by Russell Roberts

What a Novel Principle; Turning Power Over to Your Brother

Fidel Castro announces retirement

The National Assembly is widely expected to elect 76-year-old Raul Castro as his successor, although analysts say there is speculation about a possible generational jump with Vice-President Carlos Lage Davila, 56, a leading contender.”>The National Assembly is widely expected to elect 76-year-old Raul Castro as his successor, although analysts say there is speculation about a possible generational jump with Vice-President Carlos Lage Davila, 56, a leading contender.

No mention of the term “dictatorship” in any of the news coverage…..

(The good news is that with Fidel substantially out of the picture, Cuba may begin to move peacefully toward a post-communist future. Raul, on the other hand, may begin by eliminating potential threats to consolidate his hold on power, so things could get nasty.)

Oh, one more thing: maybe now the US will get rid of the largely symbolic embargo (largely symbolic because the Cuban government can trade with all the rest of the world; they just don’t produce much that anyone else wants) that has helped to keep the dictator in power for so long.

Diminished Expectations for Politics

Tyler Cowen in today’s New York Times, “It’s an Election, Not a Revolution”

Rather than being cynics, we should be realists. Democracy is reasonably good at some things: pushing scoundrels out of office, checking their worst excesses by requiring openness, and simply giving large numbers of people the feeling of having a voice. Democracy is not nearly as good at others: holding politicians accountable for their economic promises or translating the preferences of intellectuals into public policy.

THAT might sound pessimistic, but it’s not. Many Americans will be living longer, finding new sources of learning and recreation, creating more rewarding jobs, striking up new loves and friendships, and, yes, earning more money. Just don’t expect most of these gains to come out of the voting booth or, for that matter, Washington.

And if you’re still worrying about how to vote, I have two pieces of advice. First, spend your time studying foreign policy, where the president has more direct power, and the choice of a candidate makes a much bigger difference. Second, stop worrying and get back to work.

A BornBelgianBrit for MEP....

My good friend Jean-Paul Floru is campaigning from London for a seat in the European Parliament. He’s the organizer of the annual Freedom Week at Cambridge University and a Councillor in Westminster, where he’s worked to keep taxes low. He wants to return to Brussels to campaign for limiting the interventionist instincts of the Eurocrats. Friends of limited government who live in the UK and who are involved in the Conservative Party could contact him to see what they could do to promote JP’s candidacy. He’s a true-blue friend of individual liberty, free trade, and limited government.

Paper on Globalization and Governance

Coming Soon to an Academic Portuguese-Language
Bookstore Near You!

I gave a paper at a conference on governance at the University of Aveiro, Portugal in 2006 and it’s about to appear in the book that resulted from the conference. (I also debated the leader of the Left Bloc in the Portuguese parliament and did, I think, rather well, as he seemed not to understand the concept of “evidence.”)

Here’s the paper in English.

The Debate:

Thanks to André Azevedo Alves for the invitation, the book, and the whole experience!

Capitalism, Free Trade, and Democracy

The quotes in this Washington Post story (“Shanghai’s Middle Class Launches Quiet, Meticulous Revolt”) tell a lot:

“They can’t arrest everybody,” said Yao, a 58-year-old protester who asked that his full name not be used because he is a manager at a state-owned enterprise.

“We haven’t done anything wrong,” said Wang Guowei, 51, a manager in a Chinese-Japanese plastics venture whose family lives near the planned extension. “We always follow the Chinese constitution, we never violate the law. And in our many contacts with the police, they say we are within the law.”

Ron Paul Unplugged

John Stossel’s interview with candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Ron Paul.

“Next week, ABCNEWS.com will post five additional video segments and articles from the interview.”

Elections and Illiberal Democracy

Russia and Venezuela.

Russia's Elections

This BBC story corresponds to what I’ve heard. Seventy or eighty percent (for an authentically popular figure, who is credited for Russia’s oil boom) is simply not sufficient. The ideal is no opposition at all.

Freedom as an Option for Pakistan

“A Charter of Liberty,” from the Alternate Solutions Institute. I’m a fan of the work done by the ASI, which is one of the few in the region to reject collectivist and statist extremism of all kinds and to stand for individual liberty and the rule of law. Dr. Ahmad’s articles make the case for freedom very eloquently and intelligently.

A Little Peek Into Today's Russia

Der Spiegel’s English site on “Russian Youth and the Putin Cult.”

"Deepening Democracy"

Venezuela assembly passes reforms

or

Fascist Dictatorship Takes Hold

?

Nasty and Uncalled For

I saw this on the TV at my gym and I was shocked. “Flake”? He may have dodged the Social Security question, and his views may be unusual in politics, but he was certainly straightforward on most issues, notably the war. I don’t think that an anchor would have used such a term with other candidates. Ugh.

None of Their Business

I have no strong opinions on “Sarko,” but I do admire his refusal to be forced into a discussion of his personal life. Good for him.

Nick Gillespie on Bushite "Heroic Conservatism"

“WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO” (New York Post, October 21, 2007):

In this sense, the real importance of “Heroic Conservatism” is not the philosophy Gerson propounds but the mindset he reveals.

In his loyalty to his former boss, his unwillingness to question serious policy failures, his abiding sense of righteousness and his glib dismissal of critics, he may be giving us an insight into why President Bush is pulling only a 24 percent approval rating in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll, one scant point higher than Richard Nixon’s historically low rating in 1974, not long before he flew off into the sunset.

Let Us Hope Wider War Is Avoided, but the Turks Did Provide a Lesson in Constitutionalism, If Nothing Else

The likelihood of military action between Iraq and Turkey is quite frightening. I hope that cooler heads prevail and that the Iraqi Kurdish leadership makes it clear that they do not support at all the fanatical campaign of the PKK, regardless of the injustices to which Turkish Kurds have been subjected. There are other solutions than terrorism against innocent people, of which the PKK is guilty. I hope that the various parties find a solution to the PKK problem, as well as to the issue of the rights of Kurds to their own language, without igniting the region in a wider war.

That said, the Turkish government has at least shown the strength of their parliamentary system, in contrast to those who argue for unlimited powers of the US president to make war: “Turkish MPs today gave the green light to military operations in northern Iraq…”

Imagine that. They actually had a parliamentary debate before approving military action. How novel.

Poles at the Polls!

I have Polish friends who see politics in their country differently, and I understand why, but….I am really pleased by the defeat of Kaczynski’s Law and Justice Party and the victory of Tusk’s Civic Platform Party. The morally intolerant, belligerent, anti-market, populistic policies of the current government were leading Poland in the wrong direction.

Free Paul Jacob

For the offense of petitioning government for a redress of grievances, the state of Oklahoma is bringing felony charges against an old friend, Paul Jacob, who has already shown his mettle by standing up against state coercion and violence. This case is important for many reasons, including simple justice, but high on the list is that opportunities for citizens to influence — or even choose — their governments are being choked off one by one and that process must be resisted. Paul’s case is but one element in the attempt to limit the ability of citizens to influence their rulers. Political campaign finance is so highly regulated that “outsiders,” third parties, and independents are severely hobbled. As “loopholes” (read, exercise of freedom of speech and association) are discovered in the restrictions (e.g., Political Action Committees, independent expenditures, etc.) they are closed off. There is increasing talk of restricting the broadcast media, of placing campaign-finance-like restraints on non-governmental grass-roots, advocacy, and research organizations, and even of controlling the rights of newspaper owners to editorialize in their own papers.

The legislators don’t want to “represent” the people; they want to direct and control them, and above all, they want to be free from meddlesome, uppity citizens who put initiatives on ballots, recall elected officials, and even dare to put limits on how long the politicians keep their offices.

I have contributed to Paul’s campaign and I hope you will, too.

David Boaz on the Ron Paul Campaign

With CNN’s Glenn Beck.

The leadup of issues is a mixed bag, including some libertarian themes and some odd views on “securing our borders” [read: controlling the movement of people] and “transferring” sovereignty to “unelected foreign elites,” i.e., signing treaties that reduce trade barriers and that include adjudication procedures. Well, no one’s perfect. The war is Ron Paul’s strongest issue and I hope that he pushes that relentlessly.

Hillary, the Neocon?

My colleague Ed Crane published a piece in the Financial Times on Hillary Clinton’s neo-conservative statist tendencies, “Is Hillary Clinton a Neocon?” Thanks to the work of my colleagues at Misbah al Hurriyya (the Lamp of Liberty), it’s been published in Arabic in Al Hayat, هيلاري كلينتون والمحافظون الجد

A Little Partisan Politics

A straight talking interview with Ron Paul. You may not agree with it all, but he is refreshing. (His introductory remarks on pollution were, it seemed, a bit garbled, but it’s not easy to answer complex questions on the fly like that. And it’s a shame that he didn’t get to talk about his strongest topic: a non-interventionist foreign policy.)

Presidency or Dictatorship?

George Will poses some excellent “Questions for Mukasey.”

The first is especially good:

The Bush administration says “the long war” — the war on terrorism — is a perpetual emergency that will last for generations. Waged against us largely by non-state actors, it will not end with a legally clarifying and definitive surrender. The administration regards America as a battlefield, on which even an American citizen can be seized as an “enemy combatant” and detained indefinitely. You ruled that presidents have this power, but you were reversed on appeal. What do you think was the flaw in the reasoning of the court that reversed you?

Siloviki Statism

A very useful introduction to the political economy of the new Siloviki State: “The making of a neo-KGB state.”

European Activities

I’m giving the opening talk (after the welcoming remarks from the European Union Ambassador) at the European Resource Bank tonight in Bucharest, so I’m still doing a little polishing. (I’ll also be speaking tomorrow morning on “Constitutional Choice: Harmony or Conflict” and on Saturday on “Is a Think-Tank a Business?”) The Cato Institute is an Organizing Partner and Sponsor of this year’s meeting.

The banner above is for our new European activities to promote libertarian thought, individual liberty, and limited government. We will be partnering with the IES-Europe to organize seminars in French and in English in Europe, to complement our seminars in Russian in Ukraine, in Chinese in China, and in English and in French in Africa. (We will be launching our Africa initiative in Tanzania in November at the African Resource Bank meeting, where we will be assembling our various teams for training, strategizing, and planning.)

The Cancer of Socialized Medicine

The American Cancer Society, which will never get a dime of my money, has dedicated its entire advertising budget, not to promoting cancer avoidance (warnings about tobacco, promotion of good diet, etc.), but to promoting the cancer of state-run medicine:

American Cancer Society Says Broken Health Care System Will Be “Bigger Killer” Than Tobacco

(Mike Tanner’s comment here.)

Russia's New Elite

Felix Dzerzhinsky: His Influence Is Still Felt

This BBC story helps to understand just what is happening in the Russian Federation today: “Russian ex-spies flex their muscles.” The only thing left out is the sense of entitlement that the KGB had developed during the Soviet time, when the highly educated, well trained, and well traveled KGB officers had to take orders from the party, which was dominated by former managers of tractor factories from the Urals and similar un-worldly people. The party is gone, so now is the time for the KGB to take the power and the wealth that they think is by right theirs. It’s no longer communism they’re defending; it’s their own power and wealth.

Liberty is Everywhere and Unstoppable

Mi amigo Juan-Carlos Hidalgo recently returned from a trip to Cuba and shared with me this photo:

Ukraine and the Benefits of Divided Power

I’ve talked with some Ukrainian economists who told me that the economy here is booming, not in spite of, but because of the political deadlock, in which no grouping can exercise complete power and expropriate the other. Although Ukraine is “split” politically (roughly on an east/west axis), there is no real desire to be gobbled up by Russia, even on the part of the leaders of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. The wealthy backers of that party know that they’re much better off in an independent Ukraine than in a region of Russia.

I got this morning an email from my thoughtful friend John Welborn with a link to this fascinating article from Business Week on the topic, which confirms what I’ve learned here: “Ukraine: What Crisis?: Despite political turmoil, economic growth is roaring.”

The experience of divided government turns out to be fairly similar to the experience of divided government in the US, as Cato scholar William Niskanen argues.

Score One for the Rule of Law!

Pakistan’s top judge reinstated

My Interview in a Tunisian Paper

I was interviewed by a Tunisian journalist whom I met at a conference Cato co-sponsored in Morocco. Here’s the interview in Mouwatinoun. (The name of the paper means “Citizens.” You have to scroll down to page 10 of the PDF.) The interview in English is in the rest of this blog entry.

Question 1 : The Middle Eastern countries have in common their economic wealth on the one hand, and their democratic “poverty”, what are the reason for that according to you?

That is one of the most important questions that political scientists and economists face today. First, however, it’s worth a moment to clarify some issues. Average per capita income in most middle eastern countries is not high. It’s much lower than even poor Eastern European countries. Because some countries have oil, many people think that those countries or the people in those countries are rich. That’s a mistake. The existence of natural resources is not the primary cause of a nation’s wealth, as Adam Smith explained so long ago in his famous book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” A natural resource, if it is monopolized by the state — and oil is a very good example — can make your country very poor. If a country enjoyed the rule of law and well defined and legally secure property rights before oil was discovered, the oil becomes a source of prosperity. Consider the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Norway as examples. But if the rule of law and legally secure property rights were not well established and then oil was discovered, it turned out to be a curse, because it was monopolized by the state or by ruiling dynasties and that source of wealth to the rulers obstructed the evolution to democracy. When the state depends on income from a resource, such as oil, and not on the support of the people through broad-based taxes, then people become dependent on the state, and that is not a good recipe for democracy.

The causes of the relative economic decline of most middle eastern countries are complex, but mainly they center on the lack of the rule of law and accountable government. The reasons for that lack are harder to explain. One scholar who has addressed the issue is Professor Timur Kuran, a professor of law and economics and the King Faisal Professor of Islamic Thought and Culture at the University of Southern California. His article “Why the Middle East is Economically Underdeveloped: Historical Mechanisms of Institutional Stagnation” is helpful to understanding the complex root causes. [The Essay is available on Misbahalhurriyya.org.]

Russia is an example of a country that is losing its hard won democracy because of the influx of oil revenues to the state, which is strengthening itself against civil society. Much the same process is going on in Venezuela. There is a short-term increase in wealth, but the long-term conditions of prosperity — democracy and limited government — are undermined, with terrible consequences for the medium to long term.

Question 2: Why do internal reform movements fail in influencing the nature and form of government in the region?

You do like to pose very difficult problems! If I knew the definitive answer, I would be sure to share it with everyone. I think that there is probably not just one reason and that the situations of countries differ enough to make a general answer of little value. The biggest problem is that the core ruling groups have managed to create forms of dependency on them from other groups in society. That process was well described in the 17th Century by the French writer Etienne de la Boetie in his “Discourse of Voluntary Servitude.” Generally speaking, some degree of economic freedom and security for property are conditions for the emergence of successful democratic transitions. A middle class that is secure in the possession of property and that has the means to promote an open political system will be more likely to succeed in dislodging entrenched ruling groups. That was the case with the transition of South Korea and Taiwan from dictatorships to rather stable democracies. One thing bears remembering: transitions that are violent almost never result in democratic outcomes, even if that’s the desired outcome. Violent transitions set the precedent for yet more violent transitions and typically result in government by coup d’etat, rather than democracy.

Question 3: While it was proven that democratization through foreign military intervention has negative consequences as in the Iraqi case, do you think that the American intervention under the premise of reforming the region had the opposite results?

It’s probably too early to give a definitive answer to this question. I am generally skeptical that democracy can be injected into a country from outside. The normal rule is that it has to be generated from within. The U.S. could, I think, do a better job of promoting democracy simply by setting an example, rather than by intervening in the political processes of other countries. Such intervention has rarely resulted in democratic outcomes and is better avoided. I think that the Americans are learning that. I hope so.

Question 4: The American administration under George Walker Bush in that direction (sic.) is trying to contain political islamist movements and to create “moderate” groups while pressuring Arab governments to integrate those in their political processes, do you think that this policy would empty democratic [reform] from its substance?

I’ll be direct and honest. I don’t think that the officials of the U.S. government generally know enough about Arab political systems to exert positive influence. Many of them — maybe most or even all of them — may have good motivations, but good motivations are certainly not enough. You also have to have understanding and wisdom and they seem to lack that and often find themselves merely being manipulated by governments and factions. Some governments have suppressed moderate opposition in various ways and that has left a choice of either the governing regime or people who offer a very radical and intolerant alternative. That has proven useful at manipulating the population and also at manipulating foreign governments.

Question 6: on another topic, American media speaks rarely of Tunisia, and American political and human right organizations have little interest in Tunisia, what is the reason for that in your opinion?

There are many countries that are not discussed much in the American media and many of them offer much more dire human rights problems than Tunisia. They tend to get more attention from human rights organizations to the extent that they are engaged in widespread acts of killing or genocide, such as in Sudan or Rwanda, and to the extent that they are considered by the government to be strategically significant. Tunisia, as a result, gets less attention than many other countries.

Question 6: you wrote “By attempting to rob from some to give to others, a state merely creates universal poverty, except, of course, for those who manage to gain supreme power, and who never lack for palaces and expensive cars. The defense of justice against aggression and violence must be the primary concern of the state. When the state itself becomes an instrument of aggression and violence, democracy itself is in danger.” How can this equation be inverted by turning the state from a means by which one would get rich and accumulate wealth to a tool guaranteeing justice for all?

Now you’ve asked the hardest question of all! We now know very well what policies produce prosperity and a healthy society: the rule of law that is enforced through an independent judiciary; well defined and legally secure property rights; freedom of trade; a free press; limited government and a tax system that is low and relatively simple. As Adam Smith said in 1755, “Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.” The evidence that Smith was right is well established in the studies of the “Economic Freedom of the World Report” (www.misbahalhurriyya.org/efw). But what we don’t know, or at least we do not have a good understanding of, is how to produce the policies that produce good results. The Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto addressed that question in his book “The Mystery of Capital” (De Soto’s work is also available on Misbahalhurriyya.org), which offered some insights, but more thinking is needed to understand how we move from lack of the rule of law and lack of property rights to the rule of law and security of rights.

One thing we do know is that a liberal mentality is a part of the transition; by that I mean a desire for freedom and justice but without revenge. Successful transitions to freedom almost always happen by changing minds, not merely by changing rulers. If we want to live in freedom, justice, and prosperity, we must change minds.

Thank you for this delightful opportunity to chat. You posed some very, very difficult problems.

And the State of Liberty in America.....

Void Where Prohibited by Law

The eroding state of civil liberties in America in the face of the “War on Terror” is laid out quite neatly in this Podcast interview with Bruce Fein.

How It's Done

Theft on a truly astounding scale.

Aggression against Estonia, a formerly occupied but now independent nation.

Politically motivated trade embargoes against formerly occupied but now independent nations, Poland, Georgia, and Moldova (the latter two still partly occupied).

Good on ya', Ron

Ron Paul has refused to be bullied over his reasoned dissent from U.S. foreign policy. Good for him.

Bryan Caplan on Democracy, Majorities, Minorities, and Stupid Policies

My economist friend Bryan Caplan has an interesting essay, “Special-Interest Secret,” in today’s Wall Street Journal. He faults majority ignorance at least as much as minority greed (and the difference in transaction costs between large and small groups) for the persistence of bad policies:

In a monarchy, no one likes to blame the king for bad decisions. So instead of blaming the king himself, critics point their fingers at his wicked, incompetent and corrupt advisers. While this is a good way to keep your head, it is hard to take seriously. Kings often make bad decisions; and in any case, if his advisers are hurting the country, isn’t it the king’s fault for listening to them?

In a democracy, similarly, no one likes to blame the majority for bad decisions. So instead of blaming the majority, critics point their fingers at special interests. But this too is hard to take seriously. The majority often makes bad decisions; and in any case, if special interests are hurting the country, isn’t it the majority’s fault for listening to them?

I have started his book The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies, but have not finished it. It’s quite good and it raises lots of problems for traditional political science, including public choice economics. Although I haven’t yet finished it, I have read enough that I can in good conscience recommend it.

Nashi ("Our People")

A video documentary on Russia’s new chauvinist/nationalist/authoritarian/statist state-sponsored youth movement. (It’s in French.)

Hat tip to Nathalie.

Common Sense on Gun Control

Professor James Wilson has an article in the Los Angeles Times that helps to make sense of responses to the horror that was perpetrated at Virginia Tech: “Gun control isn’t the answer: Why one reaction to Virginia Tech shouldn’t be tightening firearm laws.”

Libertarianism or Liberty?

My essay on CatoUnbound (“Libertarianism or Liberty?”) is now up. Be sure to read Brian Doherty’s initial essay, and then those by Brink Lindsey and Tyler Cowen. Virginia Postrel will weigh in soon. Then the back-and-forth will start.

WE WON!

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has upheld the Constitution of the United States and the natural rights of free people:

Amendment II: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The decision is here.

Here’s the original complaint.

Libertarianism's History and Future Discussed

This month’s Cato Unbound features a discussion of libertarianism kicked off by Reason’s Brian Doherty, author of a remarkable book, Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. The discussants are Brink Lindsey, Tyler Cowen, Virginia Postrel, and myself.

I hope and expect that it will be a stimulating discussion.

(Just to be clear, the person depicted above my name int he graphic above is actually Milton Friedman, not me.)

Political Bankruptcy

I’ve had a short stay in the UK for meetings on my way back to D.C. from Nairobi. Despite being astonishingly expensive, the UK remains a lovely country, except for the lack of any classical liberal political movement (rather like the US). Here’s the latest from the Tory Party: “Cameron Speech Backs Marriage.”

Conservative leader David Cameron has strongly defended marriage in a speech to the party’s Welsh spring conference in Cardiff.

and

On Saturday assembly Conservative leader Nick Bourne has said the party will give every household £20 of low energy light bulbs if they win power in May’s poll.

I’m all for marriage and even energy-saving light bulbs,* but it’s a sign of how far the Nanny State mentality has gone that they’ve been put at the cutting edge of a party’s political platform.

*When left left to voluntary choices in civil society, that is.

SOTU

Oh, please: “First, we must balance the federal budget. (Applause.)”

“This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we’re in. Every one of us wishes this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. (Applause.) Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory. (Applause.)

We’re carrying out a new strategy in Iraq — a plan that demands more from Iraq’s elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror.

In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we’re deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods, and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down the terrorists, insurgents, and the roaming death squads. And in Anbar Province, where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them, we’re sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. (Applause.) We didn’t drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.”

Ugly Nationalism Hangs On

The Serbian Radical Party, which plunged Yugoslavia into war and genocide and inflicted immense misery on the Serbian people, seems to have polled 28.5% of the vote in the Serbian elections. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they are so toxic that no other party will form a coalition with them. God help the Serbs. They have suffered in so many ways, most notably from disastrous nationalistic leadership.

(I remember well when I gave some lectures in Belgrade before the wars and heard the most amazing racism from a variety of Serbian intellectuals; the most extreme was reserved for Albanians, although they were not generally the first victims. Thankfully, there is a very brave and committed network of Serbian libertarians who are working to counter the hatred, the statism, the racism, the anti-market primitiveness, the socialism, and the support for war and imperialism of the Serbian Radicals. I know and greatly admire a number of them. Much the same can be said of Croatia, but the libertarians there are also tirelessly at work. They deserve our respect for their steadfastness against ethnic cleansing, racism, socialism, and chauvinism, not to mention protectionism, theft, censorship, and corruption.)

It's Official: Hugo Chavez Has Established a Dictatorship

BBC: “Venezuela’s National Assembly has given initial approval to a bill granting President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months.”

Washington Post: “As Chavez accelerates his country’s shift toward ’21st-century socialism,’ a decision not to renew RCTV’s broadcast license is among the gove