John Stossel: A Shameless Plug

If you don’t watch John Stossel’s program on Fox Business Network, you should. It airs on Thursdays at 8:00 P.M. They re-broadcast several times through Sunday. Fox Business Network isn’t the same as the Fox News Network channel so you have to look for it. Check your local TV listing for the channel.

Each week he [...]

The Giant Redwood, The Larch ... I want to be ... An Anarchist

Apologies to Monty Python and all the lumberjacks out there, but when I read about protesters at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver I was wondering why anyone would violently protest the Olympics? Surely there are more important things to protest: the Rise of the Leviathan State, the Loss of Individual Liberties, the Useless Bailouts, and [...]

Corporations and Freedom of Speech

The recent Supreme Court ruling (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission) on corporations’ freedom of speech was an amazing ruling. As you know this case made it legal for corporations to run ads for favored candidates. Whether or not we agree with the role of corporations in elections, I believe the ruling was correct in [...]

Avatar: The Philosophy

Q: Is Avatar a metaphor for “capitalism?” Is the rape of another planet capitalism? Is the movie left wing Hollywood schlock propaganda?

A: Yes, as James Cameron defines “capitalism.” No. Yes.

Is it also something else? Yes.

* * * * *

Here are some typical and atypical reactions to the movie:

From Hollywood Elsewhere:

The political [...]

Capitalism Saves Lives and Haiti is Proof

Haiti is proof that capitalism saves lives. The San Francisco Loma Prieto earthquake in 1989 was also a 7.0 event but only 63 people were killed. Haiti’s lack of freedom and capitalism could not afford the life saving building techniques that capitalist countries benefit from.

* * * * *

I received this wonderful post [...]

Dear Econophile: Advice For the Economic-lorn

I get a number of e-mails from readers seeking advice, usually investment advice. I politely advise them that I do not give investment advice. Last year I received messages of a theme that can be described as folks who felt The Great Collapse was happening. Armageddon and that type of thing.

Here is some correspondence I [...]

2009: Why It Will Affect Everyone's Future For Generations To Come

This has been a phenomenal year for the economy. There have been major, fundamental changes that will affect our lives for many years to come. I don’t see these changes as a good thing for the short or long term.

These changes are generational in that they don’t occur often and they will radically impact the [...]

New Stock Exchange Opens in Africa

By Jeff Harding.

A “stock exchange” for piracy is something to consider. I hesitated before I published this article because the usual types will no doubt say that this is laissez-faire capitalism (“See what happens when you don’t have any government regulations”). So the purpose of this article is to show that the activities described in [...]

The Incredible Bread Machine

By Jeff Harding.

This little movie, The Incredible Bread Machine, came out in 1975 to explain the difference between market forces and government forces in the economy. It was screened to small libertarian groups, and I believe it made it to TV as well. I think you will enjoy the movie, actually a movie within a movie.

This is [...]

A Cold War Cartoon

By Jeff Harding.

Here’s a bit of nostalgia from 1948. A cartoon from Harding College (no relation) extolling the virtues of capitalism. It’s a bit corny and jingoistic, but it’s fun and worth watching. 1948 was the beginning of the Cold War and the feeling at the time was “us vs. them.”  The USSR was a [...]