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 THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 871, May 8, 2016 Taxation is evil. Taxation is theft. Taxation is slavery. Taxation is the fuel of war.
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Re: "Why the Left-Wing Seems Insane" by L. Neil Smith (in this issue) "Did Progressives notice that crime had diminished? They did not." To be fair, neither did false conservatives seeking to trash the 4th and 5th Amendments by creating a panic about growing lawlessness. This also let them turn PD's into armies of occupation; with even honest cops so afraid of being murdered they blast anything that twitches wrong. I'm waiting for the day an overly nervous cop literally shoots his own shadow. As an aside, will the Donald call Ms. Clinton the Whore of Babylon before, after, or during the Democratic convention or not at all? I'd love to get the odds on each and but a bet with a reliable bookie. A.X. Perez
Just click the red box (it's a button!) to pay the author Re: "Capitalism and the Minimum Wage: 'I Got Mine, Screw You.'" by Fred Reed (linked to from "Editorial Matters" last issue) Re: The linked article on the minimum wage—I note that in many cases, the new minimum wage does *not* apply when considering wages negotiated under a union contract. This looks to me like another nefarious means (see also the so-called 'card check') of increasing union membership in a time when unions are becoming increasingly irrelevant. What employer wouldn't promote, and negotiate with, a union if by doing so they could reduce their labor costs? Conversely, why would any worker want to join a union when that union may reduce their compensations over what they could receive in the open (not to say, 'free') market? Perverse incentives, indeed. Also, Several factors are converging to implement a 'war on cash'. This is being sold as a way to 'combat crime/terrorism', but of course the real reason it is being implemented is that our would-be masters cannot stand the thought that there might be some areas of the lives of their subjects that are not completely under their scrutiny and control. I can't help but wonder if there's not an even deeper, more existential reason. When the economy finally tips over the quickly approaching cliff, people are less likely to see and take appropriate measures to rectify (viz. ropes, lamp posts) the situation when their however inflated currency exists only as bits and bytes. It will have much less visceral impact if you merely need to swipe a card rather than to haul this
to the grocery store for a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a pound of bacon and a carton of milk. Bob Gibson
Just click the red box (it's a button!) to pay the author A better choice than "None of the Above" In the April 10 issue of TLE L. Neil Smith said that, in the absence of a decent Libertarian candidate, he would write in None of the Above. While None of the Above is a long-standing tradition among Libertarians (and, as I just learned, is an actual option on Nevada ballots), I would argue that there is a better alternative. The drawback of None of the Above is how one would answer the question "what does he stand for?" The simple answer is "nothing". A more complex answer would involve arguing about governments that govern least and what that should mean in the limit. But since a vote of this kind is all about sending messages, it is worthwhile searching for a way to make the message as clear as possible. Neil has in the past discussed the impact of socialist Norman Thomas on the "mainstream" parties. Clearly, that impact came from two things: a sufficient number of votes (a percent or two was sufficient) and a clear message for the mainstream to absorb and apply. The alternative I will adopt—assuming that the Libertarian party remains true to form and doesn't nominate a respectable candidate—is to write in "L. Neil Smith of Fort Collins, Colorado". The reason? It gives me a very clear and very simple answer to the question "what does he stand for?", namely "to enforce the Constitution, and in particular the Bill of Rights". That is an easy message that will be a lot more understandable than the message behind "none of the above". paul koning
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Greetings! It's been a long time coming and the new FREEDOM! Forums are live! We're still building them up before launching a big public promotion, but before we do, I'd like to bring you in as a founding member to help establish a healthy community of FREEDOM! lovers. As you can see in the FREEDOM! 2020 section, we have a place for you to sign up to help out with our campaign to abolish the federal government and national fall tour. We continue to spread the message every day with your support and your purchases and donations make it possible to give away copies of the book & honor requests for free books for students who want to share them in their schools. The more generous you are, the more requests we can honor. We are already at the limit of what we can afford, but when we get enough regular donations to our non-profit here, or subscribers to our Patreon, we will be able to start advertising free books for students who want to distribute them. Can you imagine how transformed the country would be if we could get a copy of FREEDOM! in the hands of every high school student? This won't cost as much as you might think, since just like in prisons, (unsurprisingly) when copies of FREEDOM! get in, they get passed around! Another exciting development is how many people are buying single copies of FREEDOM! to send to other people. It doesn't bring in money because we sell them for as little as we can get away with, (just $5!) but I hope you're ready to order one for everyone you have an address for! Maybe you'll send one to your local government representatives, maybe your favorite celebrity. We've also added a great new item to our store:
You can get this FREEDOM! Starter Kit for just $14! We also have tons of other great FREEDOM! gear and your purchases support our activism. Thanks for making everything we do possible! Liberated, Adam Kokesh
Donations to Adam Kokesh: donations Re: "One Week in Greater Appalachia: The Perils of Using one Monster to Destroy Another" by Jeff Fullerton Some afterthoughts on last week's contribution to this journal. One detail I overlooked was what monster might symbolize the role of Bernie Sanders? It would be none other than the Mosasaur that lunges out of the pool at the end of the battle scene to grab the Indominous Rex (Hillary) and drags her down to her doom. A likely scenario if he stays in the race as a third party or independent candidate. Leaving T-Rex—aka Trumpasaurus to roar in triumph. Another skeleton discovered in Hillary's closet this week was a sound bite of remarks made that sounds very reminiscent of Barak Obama's "necessarily skyrocketing electricity rates" in the 2008 campaign came back to haunt her and now she's backpedaling with apologies to coal miners in West Virginia and promising a bribe in the way of $30 billion in governmental assistance for displaced miners. Which according to this article in Breitbart amounts to retraining miners to do jobs that pay on average half the current wages of the miners while we all end up with necessarily skyrocketing utility rates and more public debt. Last night at work; one of the ER docs remarked during a quiet spell between the surges that this election is going to be more about voting against something than voting for. No matter which way you slice it. I think most—if not every election I've ever voted in has been that way for me. Probably the best advice to be had in regard to voting for the lesser of two evils comes from this guy— If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for...but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong. If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires. —Robert A. Heinlein Jeff Fullerton
Just click the red box (it's a button!) to pay the author Look at What We Do "Rocco's Dream Speech" (see [YouTube] may be the redeeming virtue of Boondock Saints 2: All Saints' Day. One of the best bits of oratory of the 21st Century to date. It is a praise of the common man expressing his values and virtues (and flaws). What ever you opinion of the film itself, from fanboy adulation to critical contempt, you need to see these two and a half minutes, mas o menos, of the movie. The Establishment Democratic and Republican don't get this. This is why Donald Trump, whom two years ago people would have considered a joke as candidate for Presidency, now has the GOP's nomination for President all but sewn up. This is why Hillary Clinton hasn't been able to put Bernie Sanders out of the election yet in spite of the support of the folks that perfected stem roller machine politics. In the end outsiders are tearing up the Establishment's darlings because the Establishment no longer works for (both meanings) for the American people. This is an opportunity for those of us who value liberty, a chance to show the American people how to get things done without government interference, a chance to elect officials who have more respect for liberty than the people they replace. It is also a threat as there is a greater possibility that fascistic populists rise to power by appealing to "our worse demons", to reverse a phrase. And it is a warning to the existing powers to begin rewriting their agendas to reflect the will of the hard men (and women) who do hard shit, who build things, and rebuild them bigger and better after they fall down. Or else when we rebuild our nation there will be no place in ur New America. A.X. Perez
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