Political Theory

Jeff Deist recaps his recent talk, "Socialist Left vs. alt-Right: What it Means for Liberty," which generated plenty of comments from libertarians, progressives, and the alt-Right.

This weekend, Jeff recaps his recent talk in Houston, which generated plenty of comments from libertarians, progressives, and the alt-Right.

Mass democracy, as its nineteenth-century liberal opponents foretold, devolves into a contest of contending forces, motivated by corrupt self interest.

Between conflicts with Eastern Europe, and the threat of a Birtish exit, the EU has some real problems. 

Whether we're talking about central banks or the US Supreme Court, governments everywhere continue to centralize power in the hands of the very few. The problem with this, though, is that successful central planning is impossible and leads to economic chaos.

Thanks to our bankrupt economic policies, faith in our regime will soon be shaken whether we like it or not. Fortunately, we don't need a majority to make some changes for the better, writes Ron Paul. 

In a private market, households bear the costs of their own unhealthy habits. In a socialized economy, everyone bears these costs, and governments know it pays to emphasize this fact, even if the stats turn out to be wrong.

Politics operates according to principles that would horrify us if we observed them in our private lives, and would get us arrested if we lived by them. The state can steal and call it taxation, kill and call it war, writes Lew Rockwell. 

Back when I taught collegiate political science, one of my pet peeves was the habit of some students to treat republics and democracies as if they were opposites.

Bribes can work both ways. Sometimes it pays to bribe politicians for what you want. But voters will often happily exchange votes for free stuff. In fact, the latter strategy has been proven to work wonders if one wants a bigger government.