General

As a libertarian, I don’t advocate for social legislation and I think doing so undermines limited government. That doesn’t mean I don’t actually have social values. The beauty of liberty, however, is that it creates social good without social legislation. Liberty comes with responsibility. In a free society, liberty and responsibility go hand in hand because there are no moral hazards created by illusory safety nets or the artificial disconnection between actions and natural consequences. In a free system, experiencing the consequences of one’s actions gives rise to a stable, just and productive society with human relationships and mutually beneficial bonds at its heart.
I think it is reasonable to claim that the history of the United States through the mid-20th century demonstrates this principle. I don’t think the culture here was perfect then – I certainly would have been miserable with the economic and social limitations my mother experienced – but I would say in net we have traded a strong and virtuous culture for a less rigid but also less valuable one. Specifically, we seem to be losing the legacy of our industrious past and are losing sight of the connection between behavior and outcome.

Read more

As a libertarian, I don’t advocate for social legislation and I think doing so undermines limited government. That doesn’t mean I don’t actually have social values. The beauty of liberty, however, is that it creates social good without social legislation. Liberty comes with responsibility. In a free society, liberty and responsibility go hand in hand because there are no moral hazards created by illusory safety nets or the artificial disconnection between actions and natural consequences. In a free system, experiencing the consequences of one’s actions gives rise to a stable, just and productive society with human relationships and mutually beneficial bonds at its heart.

I think it is reasonable to claim that the history of the United States through the mid-20th century demonstrates this principle. I don’t think the culture here was perfect then – I certainly would have been miserable with the economic and social limitations my mother experienced – but I would say in net we have traded a strong and virtuous culture for a less rigid but also less valuable one. Specifically, we seem to be losing the legacy of our industrious past and are losing sight of the connection between behavior and outcome.

Read more