Category: Economics/Class Relations

The Ghost of Bertolt Brecht and the Balkanization of America

Bertolt Brecht’s name is now largely lost to history, but the idea expressed in the succinct question above remains as potent today as when he uttered it. Brecht, a self-made Marxist who was once investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the “Red Scare” era of the late 1940s and early 1950s, probably did not know a then-young Edward Kennedy or the other politicians who later devised the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, and he did not live to see the eventual mass migration of immigrants, legal and illegal alike, into the U.S. after his death. We can only speculate on how Brecht would have viewed the rapidly-Balkanizing United States of the early 21st century, but it seems safe to conclude that the old Marxist would be astounded at its scope, scale and rapidity.

Modern drug cartels resemble corporate entities

tennessean.com Christopher Sherman , AP Accountants, managers, security and more all part of criminal organizations BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — When a regional manager for the Mexican Gulf cartel moved his operation to a more lucrative territory on the border, he took along not only his armored trucks and personal […]

Welfare Rights for Libertarians

By Kevin Vallier Libertarians have often opposed what philosophers sometimes call welfare rights, or rights to various goods and serves that promote or safeguard human well-being. These include rights to healthcare and education. Libertarians don’t like welfare rights because they appear to give some the moral permission to […]

Pol Pot Revisited

By Israel Shamir Now, in the monsoon season, Cambodia is verdant, cool and relaxed. The rice paddies on the low hill slopes are flooded, forests that hide old temples are almost impassable, rough seas deter swimmers. It’s a pleasant time to re-visit this modest country: Cambodia is not […]

QE3: The Beginning Of The End

By Russell D. Longcore Dump DC The Federal Reserve flushed the toilet Thursday…and by extension Washington and the US economy are beginning to pick up speed as they circle the drain. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced Thursday September 13th that the Fed would be buying $40 Billion […]

‘This American Life’ Completes Documentation Of Liberal, Upper-Middle-Class Existence

This is funny. — theonion.com CHICAGO—Producers of the long-running Chicago Public Radio program This American Life announced Monday that they have completed their comprehensive 12-year survey of life as a modern upper-middle-class American. In what cultural anthropologists are calling a “colossal achievement” in the study of white-collar professionals, […]

Mauritius: A Glimmer of African Freedom

From Mises.org. Whilst “diversity” in itself is not a “strength”, it certainly needn’t be a weakness. According to Wikipedia: Mauritius has a heterogeneous cultural mix. The island has received over the years a very eclectic immigration from Indian, African, European and Chinese incomers. This had produced a syncretism […]

Where have our warriors gone?

From AI/AN ATS by Vince Rinehart William Lind, in his article Gangs of Aleppo shares with us some insights into the conflict in Syria and what is fueling the violence. One of the characteristics shared by most disintegrating states is a vast surplus of young men who have […]

After the Welfare State

By Matt Zwolinski The welfare state is a relatively recent historical phenomenon. How did individuals and societies meet the needs of the poor before its emergence? And how might they deal with those needs in the future, if the welfare state should fall? Those questions are explored in […]

In case if you forget who Democrats serve..

Kevin Carson has written an insightful piece on Obama’s new war on 3-D printers, and the threat they pose to a faux scarcity corporate economy.   The attempt to stale creative destruction, one of the few useful forces within a capitalist economy, is not in the interest of the […]

Statistical Fallacio

Goad grapples with lies, damn lies, and statistics at  TakiMag. ___________________ The email challenge came like a squirrel defiantly placing an acorn on its shoulder and daring me to knock it off: “respond to this damn article.” The damn article was from Forbes, and I’ll be damned if […]

Bristol launches local currency

telegraph.co.uk As Britain loses faith in its banks and feels shockwaves from the euro crisis, one city is trying to keep local wealth in local pockets with the launch of its own currency. Businesses can pay local taxes in Bristol pounds and the council has offered its 17,000 […]

Henry George, The First Progressive

The Daily Kos Henry George(1839 – 1897) is a progressive hero that has been largely forgotten by time.  In his heyday, he was one of the most famous living Americans in the World.  Surpassed by only Thomas Edison and Mark Twain.  His most famous book was translated into […]