United Liberty
capitalism
Conservatives who are upset about Avatar are clueless
Fri, 01/08/2010 - 3:18pm | posted by David Carlson
****Warning: Spoiler Alert! Part of this post may give away more information than you want to know if you have not yet seen Avatar****
Yesterday, I saw the new blockbuster movie Avatar. Already grossing over $1 billion in ticket sales globally (one of only four movies to do so), the massive investment of around $400 million seems to have paid off. What I want to talk about it the clear political themes that play out in the film, and how conservatives who attack the film are making fools of themselves.
The major concerns that conservatives have brought up about the film is that it attacks capitalism, the military, and pushes the environmental agenda. These claims are unfounded and show the folly in the thought process of such “conservatives.”
First of all this movie does not attack capitalism. In the movie the RDA corporation has set up a mining operation on the planet Pandora. They employ former marines for “protection.” The head of the mining operation has made it clear that he will stop at nothing to gain access to a rich mineral reserve directly under the home of the Na’vi people. They end up sending an all-out military assault which ends in the destruction of the “home tree.” This is hardly an attack on capitalism, if you understand what capitalism truly is.
Peter Schiff: Why the Meltdown Should Have Surprised No One
Mon, 03/23/2009 - 5:23pm | posted by Shana Kluck
Naturally a recurrent theme of this lecture was monetary policy, specifically having to do with the dollar’s spiral toward hyper-inflation in the midst of the current economic collapse. Schiff stressed that sooner than later the rest of the world, more importantly those still buying our debt would wise up to our inability to repay those fiscal obligations. He told a short story about a wily old man in a certain neighborhood who had hoodwinked the neighborhood kids into vying for the job of painting his fence. He related the metaphor by surmising, “We’ve got the world painting our fences, as if they don’t have their own fences to paint.” Essentially, he said the way it is now, we get all the stuff and they only get the jobs. He then fittingly asked, “What good are jobs without stuff?” In short, we are barreling straight toward a currency crisis.
Milton Friedman on the Phil Donahue Show in 1979
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 12:28pm | posted by Andrew Clouse
Milton Friedman answers tough questions with well-reasoned answers, pointing out that many of the arguments against the free-enterprise system are based on questionable assumptions.
Opposing ‘Stimulus’ — Hundreds of Economists Sign on to Cato Institute Ad
Mon, 02/09/2009 - 7:10pm | posted by Shana Kluck
This is a great video follow up to the full-page ad CATO published listing hundreds of economists who don’t believe that a “stimulus package” is the best option for American taxpayers.
Thanksgiving- A Case for Capitalism
Thu, 11/27/2008 - 11:42am | posted by Shana Kluck
We all grew up hearing the story of the first Thanksgiving- the deprivation and starvation, the help of the native Americans and the bountiful harvest that marked the first Thanksgiving.
What we rarely hear about is the method of economy the Puritans employed upon reaching the new shore- socialism. They endeavored to share the work and the fruits of their labor, eschewing the principles of private property and the free-market.
And how well did this work? Their Governor Bradford in his own words-
When You Can’t Compete…
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 12:31pm | posted by Chris Moody
…just call the folks down the street who happen to have a monopoloy on lethal force. Yep, that oughta do it.
That’s exactly what some local restaurant owners in Los Angeles do when mobile food trucks (Taco stands, snack carts etc…) open up shop along the curb outside their business. The food carts offer cheap and quick bites, which are posing stiff competition to established eateries around town.
Instead of coming up with innovative ideas to compete with the new kids on the block, some restauranteers have called local law enforcement in to make it more difficult for the fresh competition to conduct business.
The fine folks at ReasonTV tell the full story:
As a critique, it would have been helpful to see an interview with one of the restaurant owners.
Barack Obama: Believer in Free Markets? (cue the laughter)
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 12:30pm | posted by Jason Pye
Hoping to deflect accusations that he is a socialist, President Barack Obama told reporters that he believes in the free market:
Speaking to the Business Roundtable, which groups some of the country’s top chief executives, Obama called for support of his administration’s efforts to overhaul financial regulation and create jobs.
Obama’s remarks were set against a backdrop of unease in the business community about his economic and budget policies as well as his legislative drive for healthcare, energy and financial regulatory reform.
“Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, I am an ardent believer in the free market,” Obama said in prepared remarks.
Obama said his efforts to enact sweeping legislation to overhaul financial regulations and set caps on carbon emissions to fight climate change were not aimed at thwarting businesses.
“We have arrived at a juncture in our politics where reasonable efforts to update our regulations, or make basic investments in our future, are too often greeted with cries of ‘government takeover’ or even ‘socialism’,” Obama said.
Elections, And Why The American Economy Will Collapse
Wed, 02/03/2010 - 12:33pm | posted by Peter Quinones
I know what you’re thinking: man that Pete is a positive guy. I like to describe myself as realistic, with a bit of fatalism throw in. Either way, I find it hard to look at the economic landscape and have any hope. It is especially dreadful when politicians have to get re-
elected, AND said politicians consult certain “economists”.
Economists have for years looked at what is happening in a society and sought to come up with solutions as to how an economic crisis can be “fixed”. The problem is, like in all fields, you have good economists, and you have the not so good (The latter seem to be the ones that always find their way onto the public payroll).
In extremely broad terms economists can be split into two categories:
1. The “good” economist traces what a policy can do not only in the present, but
in the future; AND what it does for not only one segment of society,
but the whole.
in the future; AND what it does for not only one segment of society,
but the whole.
2. The “bad” economist does the exact opposite; they examine only what
will fix the present issue and usually concentrate on only one segment of
the population.
If you are a student of American history your eyes should be opening as to which economist is most often chosen by our elected officials. The real question is “why”?
Well, why wouldn’t a politician pick economist #2?
Ron Paul questions Bernanke on Capitalism
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 11:50pm | posted by Dr. Charles Kennedy
Here is some common sense from Ron Paul, who asks some tough, challenging questions of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose answers are the usual sort of double-speak one can expect.
Unsung Heroes Get Their Opera
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 3:48pm | posted by Alina Stefanescu Coryell
For a country so steeped in patriotism, we are surprisingly speechless when it comes to naming American heroes that are not somehow attached to ESPN. So it is with great delight that I discovered Heroes of Capitalism, a blog devoted to profiling those whose heroism involved the use of private property to create wealth.Everyday features at least one new hero of capitalism and his or her accomplishment/s.
A few of my personal favorites:
