April 2010 Issue of Liberty Magazine
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Obama's High-Speed April2010 $4.00 Flail Fresh from the Liberty Editors' Conference in Las Vegas! Editors Speak Out! Liberty's editors spoke to standing room only crowds (yet again!) at our con ference held in conjunction with FreedomFest in Las Vegas. Now you can buy digital-quality recordings ... How the New Deal Inspired the Libertarian Bailout: The Good, the Bad, and the Movement: David Boaz gets our conference Downright Ugly: Doug Casey, Randal off to an electric start witn his caRtivating O'Toole, Jo Ann Skousen, and Jim Walsh exploration of the roots of today s libertarian reveal the ugly truth about the biggest, most movement. (CD 0901A) blatant transfer of wealth in U.S. Fustory. Cui bono? Even if you aren't surprised, you11 be Liberty & Religion: Stephen Cox, Doug informed, fascInated, and appalled. Casey, Jo Ann Skousen, Andrew Ferguson, (CD 0909A) and Charles Murray discuss (and disagree about) God, church, state, morality, ana the Should We Abolish the Criminal Law?: individual. (CD 0902A) David Friedman makes a persuasive argument for one of the most provocative, How Urban Planners Caused the Housing seemingly impracticable ideas that you're Crisis: Randal O'Toole has a unique likely to hear. Our legal system has serious persrective on the cause of the economic problems, but can thIS be a solution? By the meltaown. Conventional wisdom aside; the end of the hour, you will be convinced the wealth of evidence he unveils leaves no doubt answer is "Yes!" (CD 0910A) that he's onto somethng. (CD 0903A) The Complete 2009 Liberty Conference: Market Failure Considered as an Argument Much more for less! Every minute of each of Against Government: David Friedman is these panels and presentations. Doug Casey, never better than when he's skewering half David Boaz, DavId Friedman, Steplien Cox, baked ideas. Here, he demolishes trendy Charles Murray, Randal O'Toole, Andrew claims that more government is the answer to Ferguson, Mark Skousen, Jim Walsh, and Jo today's problems. (CD 0904A) Ann Skousen lecture, discuss, debate, and Why Your Friends & Neighbors Support Big argue about almost everything under the sun. Government: Randal O'Toole, DavId Boaz, (COmplete set only $59.95) and Stephen Cox take on one of the most £erplexing questions in libertarianism: why aon't people sUPfort freedom? Their answers will surprIse you. (CD 0905A) How Obama Is, Using Transportation Funds to Turn the United States Into Europe: Randal O'Toole exposes one of Obama's biggest, most brazen, but least discussed plans to circumvent your liberty. You11 be shocked by its audacity. (CD 0906A) Anarchy or Limited Government?: Doug Casey, David Friedman, and Mark Skousen mesmerize their audience in what may be the most heated debate ever held at a Liberty conference. (CD 0907A) Obama's First Six Months: Doug Casey, Stephen Cox, Randal O'Toole, and Jo Ann Skousen subject the new president and his administration to their penetrating analysis. Every lover of individual liberty must have this Information about the most powerful, and therefore most dangerous man in America. (CD 0908A) April 2010 Inside Liberty Volume 24, Number 3 4 Letters Postcards from the cutting edge. 7 Reflections We rewrite the Constitution, love the snow, club a seal, read a coif, dive into sludge, hit it big, break some windows, know she cheats for that figure, and see the brick wall at the end of the tunnel. Features 19 A Libertarian Among the Republicans Bruce Ramsey gives ear to a libertarian-leaning presidential hopeful. 21 Battle of the Books Jim Walsh discovers the one place America's most famous literary recluse could always be found - the courtroom. 27 The Threshold Effect What could rile the voters of Massachusetts into voting Republican? Stephen Cox investigates. 35 High-Speed Folly Randal O'Toole marvels at the latest push for unnecessary expenditures. Reviews 41 Inside the Castro Family A new book reveals the Castros' secrets, seen from the inside. Robert H. Miller puts the story in perspective. 45 Right Makes Might Are natural rights a myth? David Ramsay Steele weighs the arguments. 50 Power in the Word A film, asserts Jo Ann Skousen, ought to believe in its own premise. 51 The Breeding of an Empire Gary Jason sees a quite different version of Queen Victoria from the old lady in the fussy clothes. 52 Forget the Oscar Jo Ann Skousen casts a skeptical eye on a rags-to riches gridiron tale. 53 Filmnotes Alcoholism in check and egalitarianism run amok. 46 Notes on Contributors Who we are and why we fight. 55 Terra Incognita Signs of the endtimes. About [ Letters ] YOur Robbing Peter to Pay GM straw-man arguments, half-truths, Edmund Contoski's "Crash and untruths, and sweeping conclusions Burn" (Jan.-Feb.) confirms that the unsupported by the facts. To take sev Cash for Clunkers program was just a eral egregious examples packed into .Subscription street hustle. First, taxpayers bail out two short sentences, Milsted says: "The failing auto manufacturers with tens Zero Aggression Principle demands im of billions of dollars. Next, Uncle Sam mediate elimination of all taxation, and Q: When does my subscription ex offers $4,500 rebates to generate sales perhaps monopoly government in gen pire? for the companies the taxpayers just eral. Yet eliminating these things would A: Please look to the right ofyour name bailed out. A billion dollars proved in result in tribalism, warfare, and eventu on your mailing label. There you sufficient, so Congress authorized and ally dictatorship - that is, increases in will find (except in some cases when appropriated another $2 billion. Add aggression." Where to begin? receiving your first issue) the number First, every libertarian I know refers ofissues left in your subscription, $3 billion more to a record $1.7 trillion deficit this year. to the Non-Initiation of Force (NIOF) followed by the word "left," as in "3 principle, not the misleadingly named LEFT." At the end of the day, Uncle Sam tookmoneyoutofone taxpayer's pocket "Zero Aggression Principle." While and put it in another. Now the used-car there are a few complete pacifists out _Q: I've moved. How do I change the market is suffering from the destruction there, the overwhelming majority of lib address to which my magazines are ertarians believe they have the right to sent? of all those older but still roadworthy cars. College students, single parents, aggressively defend themselves against A: Write us at the postal or email ad at least some initiations of force, such as dresses below. Be sure to include working- and middle-class Americans attempts to kill them. your previous address, your new looking for a used car to get to school or Second, note that Milsted empha address, and a telephone number or work have fewer, more expensive used sizes via italics the word "immediate" email address where we can reach cars to select from. And the air quality when talking about elimination of all you ifwe have questions. It's best to benefits of replacing older with newer send us your current label and your cars seem to have had little effect on the taxation, and elsewhere in the article new address. Allow 6-8 weeks to environment in most of the country. implies that this means ending taxation begin receiving Liberty at your new We can only hope that, come the today, or perhaps within a week or so. address. 2010 elections, taxpayers "trade in" Well, no. Ithas taken well over 200 years their current Congress member for a of incremental growth in government to get us to the 37% of income or so Q: I'm receiving duplicate copies of fresh new model who is more efficient taxed away by all levels of government Liberty. What should I do? at not wasting our hard-earned money. (more than that ifyou count inflation as A: Clip the mailing labels from both Larry Penner copies and send them to the postal Great Neck, NY a tax, but that's a rant for another day). address below. We'll make sure you I think that all but the most radical of receive all the issues you've paid for. Difficult, Not Impossible anarchocapitalists would be delighted Carl S. Milsted, Jr.'s December if getting down to 0°1<> coerced taxation Q: How can I buy gift subscriptions 2009 article, "Bridging the Two took an entire 4 years of a presidential for friends and family? Libertarianisms," while no doubt term. It simply takes time to sweep A: Call the toll-free number below. well-intentioned, contains numerous away such an ingrained legacy of theft We'll be happy to assist you. Letters to the editor Q: Is Liberty on the Web? Liberty invit~s reader~ to comment on articles that have appeared in our pages. We A: Yes. Selected articles from each is reserve the rIght to edIt for length and clarity. All letters are assumed to be intend ~d sue are published online. Visit our for publication unless otherwise stated. Succinct letters are preferred. Please website at libertyunbound.com. 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