The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only to have the law of nature for his rule.
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Freedom Day = Dec 30
Scientologists celebrate December 30 as Freedom Day.
U2 singer Paul David Hewson, best known by his stage name Bono, has come to recognize that capitalism is crucial in lifting people out of poverty in any permanent way.
He now calls institutionalized charity like foreign aid only a “stopgap,” not a basic cure for poverty — an understanding perhaps still too generous, since such aid can prevent needed economic and other reforms and thus help entrench poverty.
In any case, for decades Bono has both raised money from individuals for international charity and chastised government officials whose policies seemed too stingy (in spending other people’s money). Now he is surprised to be touting the pivotal virtues of money-making and entrepreneurship.
“Rock star preaches capitalism. Wow. Sometimes I hear myself and I just can’t believe it. But commerce is real. That’s what you’re about here. It’s real. Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce — entrepreneurial capitalism — takes more people out of poverty than aid. Of course we know that.” (See a clip of these words.)
The rock star’s epiphany came after a TED talk a few years ago by George Ayittey, in which the speaker “made a special effort to rip into the foreign aid establishment,” knowing that Bono was in the audience. When the star came up after the talk to express his disagreement, Ayittey gave him a copy of his ideology-changing book Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Development.
Perspectives unchained by myth and politics are a good idea too.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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Samuel Adams
Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.
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December 29, Mongolian independence
On December 29, 1911, Mongolia gained independence from the Qing Dynasty.
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Video: When Coolness Fails
Selling Obamacare turns out to be not as easy as its devisers thought. The folks at PJ Media have some thoughts:
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Samuel Adams
Among the natural rights . . . are these: first, the right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can. Those are evident branches of, rather than deductions from, the duty of self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature.
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December 28, Calhoun resigns
On December 28, 1832, John C. Calhoun resigned as Vice President of the United States, the first to do so.
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Samuel Adams
Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason.
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Against Innovation in Ohio
Why so many things are made in China, or Taiwan, Singapore . . . or Mexico?
I have no beef with foreign trade, mind you. Just as I don’t want government to favor one business over another here in the U.S., I don’t really want that to happen across borders, either. I know what comparative advantage means.
But one reason we rely so heavily on imports is that we don’t have a free market in the states. Too much regulation favors some businesses at the expense of others.
Tesla Motors is trying to sell its cars direct to the public. But, in most states if not all, the market for automobiles is heavily regulated. Direct, factory sales are prohibited by law. Why? To protect dealerships.
So, after the Ohio legislature failed to make a special deal to keep Tesla’s electric car out of the state, a number of special interest groups, including Midwestern Auto Group and Ricart Automotive Group, have sued Tesla, the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The idea is to get Tesla’s license to sell cars in the state revoked.
Forget competition and the innovation it brings. Instead, businesses conspire with governments to keep out upstarts, competitors. You know, the innovators.
Tesla’s electric sportscar may be way out of my price range, but it would be interesting to see an electric car actually make a go of it. I hope the suit fails, and we get to see whether Tesla can make it on the open market.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.