Moving Out!

Remember when I asked, “What’s in a name?” Well, I’ve decided to act on the inklings expressed in that post. You can now find me here.

Filed under: Uncategorized

An Intellectual Property Debate Broadcast

Remember that Podcamp Pittsburgh IP debate I told you about? Well, the video has finally been uploaded. Now the whole world can hear my nasal voice.

Filed under: Economics, Law and Government , intellectual property, Justin Kownacki, Nick Pinkston, PCPGH4, Steve Klabnik, Tami Dixon

Right Punishment, Wrong Lesson

Sometimes public humiliation is an appropriate punishment. To wit:

Women who stole from girl, 9, hold public signs of shame

“A woman and her daughter are outside the Bedford County Courthouse holding signs saying they stole a gift card from a 9-year-old girl on her birthday…which the girl set on a shelf while a Wal-Mart employee helped her.”

Shame benefits society by discouraging undesirable behavior. In this case it’ll keep two people out of tax-eating prisons. Hopefully, the perpetrators have learned a valuable lesson and will be better neighbors henceforth. Unfortunately, the girl will likely learn the wrong lesson from what happened to her.

“The girl’s mother planned to drive by the courthouse to teach her daughter the importance of obeying the law.”

Um, no. What’s important to learn is not be a petty, thieving scumbag. Teaching blind obedience to the law instills fear of getting caught without inspiring moral and ethical behavior.

Filed under: Law and Government, Society and Culture , discipline, obedience, property, punishment, shame, theft

An Intellectual Property Debate Continued

A tongue-in-cheek post by Justin Kownacki and a debate at Podcamp Pittsburgh 4 with Justin, Tami Dixon, Steve Klabnik, and Nick Pinkston has inspired some thoughts about intellectual property (IP). I can’t shake the feeling that the debate could have been more fruitful if some terms had been explicitly defined. Let’s see if I can sum up the gist of Steve and Nick’s point. Afterward, I’ll offer some suggestions for continuing the discussion.

Filed under: Economics, Law and Government , free goods, intellectual property, intrinsic value, Justin Kownacki, labor theory of value, Nick Pinkston, PCPGH4, property, rights, scarcity, Steve Klabnik, subjective theory of value, Tami Dixon, value

Sound Money for Progressives

I’m nearly done listening free MP3s of “What Has Government Done to Our Money?” by Murray Rothbard. I find myself becoming increasingly outraged about the fraud committed against the American people through modern banking. I also find myself surprised and angry that I didn’t know more about this before (e.g., via news media) and that activists for social justice either don’t know or don’t care about these problems.

Sound money – ending the Federal Reserves, insisting on 100% reserve banking, and returning to a commodity-based currency – is typically regarded, by insiders and outsiders alike, as primarily a paleoconservative or right-libertarian issue. Buzzwords like “gold standard” and “free market” are instant turn-offs to many on the Left. That must stop, and we must find power in combining our numbers. We must find a way to convince the progressive Left that central banking, fractional reserves, and fiat currency are fraudulent and harmful to society, particularly its most vulnerable, the poor and those on fixed incomes. We must also convince them that

How do we go about doing that? Any ideas?

BTW, if you’re a progressive (or anyone else not previously interested in sound money) who followed a link to this post, please read or listen to “What Has Government Done to Our Money?” and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts. How do you feel about central banking, fractional reserves, and fiat currency? Do you think you could find enough common ground to work with libertarian? Why or why not?

Filed under: Activism and Apologetics, Economics , progressive, justice, Murray Rothbard, What Has Government Done to Our Money?, sound money, gold standard, fiat currency, fraud, fractional reserve banking, central banking