Fall and Football

Roland Steele: Rudy, are you ready for this, champ?
Rudy: I've been ready for this my whole life.
Roland Steele: Then you take us out on the field.
--Rudy

Although the colleges began last Labor Day weekend, fall doesn't seem 'offical' until the this weekend with the arrival of the NFL. Only the barest hint of fall has been revealed--some early leaf turn and diminishing daylight. 

Indeed, during the first couple weeks of the football season, it is hard to imagine that the last few weeks of the season will be played in snow and cold. Because at kick-off, conditions are warm and the view downfield looks wide open.

Rx Addiction

And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter
Of a mother's little helper
And it gets her on her way
Gets her through her busy day
--Rolling Stones

Sobering data suggesting that the number of Americans hooked on legally prescribed drugs is larger than the number addicted to illegal drugs. More than 30 million Americans, including about one in four women aged 40 to 60, are on antidepressants. Doctors are writing more than 250 million prescriptions for painkillers annually.

Drug addiction is a form of dependence. When facilitated by government and the medical profession, it creates institutionalized followers.

Moreover, the influence of particular pharmaceuticals, such as SSRI antidepressants, on precipitating illness and violent crime (e.g., mass shootings) are not well understood, although evidence mounts.

Presumably, the purpose of prescription drugs is to help people cope with illness. Plausibly, however, prescription drugs as consumed in the United States foster illness and aggression.

Institutionalized Followers

You and I
Travel to the beat of a different drum
Oh, can't you tell by the way I run
Every time you make eyes at me
--Stone Poneys

Interesting observations here on leaders, followers, and freedom. Particularly insightful were comments related to what might be termed 'institutionalized following.'

He suggests that "most Americans today are followers, whether they know it or not." Whether due to fear of freedom or some other cause, these followers "tend to seek out control over other people, if only to make up for the lack of control they feel in their own lives."

Nice observation, as it does ironically appear that many people who display little control over their own affairs dedicate much time and attention toward watching and influencing what others are doing. In particular, followers seem to obsess over what others think about them and are willing to employ strong armed agents to forcibly revise the actions of others in order to preserve their self-esteem and view of the world.

He further posits that "Americans today at their darker core are desperate for the approval of others." The social media phenomenon helps validate this proposition. We log into social media websites to check on the actions of others. We press "Like" buttons when we approve of others and hope that they "Like" us back. Ditto for "Friend" and "Follower" networks.

We feel better about ourselves when others click our webpages, like our posts, and follow us.

A technology that institutionalizes following...

Grant and Grace

John Robie: Why don't you own a place like this?
Frances Stevens: Palaces are for royalty. We're just common people with a back account.
--To Catch a Thief

Wonderful shot of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on the set of To Catch a Thief in 1955.

A famous scene from the film finds Grace speeding around the curves in the surrounding French Riveria hillsides while Grant white knuckles it in the passenger seat.

Ironically, over 25 years later, Princess Grace of Monaco would lose her life when she drove her car off a similar serpentine road not all that far from the Thief set.

Days Off Tax Living Standards

Can't seem to get my mind off of you
Back here at home with nothing to do
--Go-Go's

As we leave the Labor Day holiday in the rear view mirror, it seems fitting to ponder the pros and cons of idle time. Most people believe that vacation days, i.e., days off from work, improve their living standards. This belief stems from the axiom that people prefer leisure over work. And to be sure, taking a breather from work can provide welcome rest that recharges the batteries.

At the same time, however, days off necessarily mean days of no production. No production means no economic resources have been generated. Scarcity has not been reduced. In fact, scarcity increases during rest because resources previously produced are consumed.

Stated differently, production is required to boost living standards. In the long run, days of no work, particularly when joined together in large blocks of time, do not improve living standards. Idle time weighs against standard of living.

Gone Native

We tried to speak between lines of oration
You could only repeat what we told you
--The Who

Mas Ayoob applauds a reporter for admitting his biases while covering a police shooting story outside of St Louis. Most reporters pretend to be reporting objective news rather than what they are actually doing--i.e., filtering data thru subjective lenses to generate distorted pictures of reality.

In fact, journalists are likely to 'go native' without realizing it. Their biases and narrow ideological networks lead them to believe that they indeed see the world objectively even though they have joined the slant walk.

Possible solutions to the problem, such as expanding personal networks to include people with significantly different views, or disclosing biases such as political affiliations at the beginning of stories proposed to be 'objective news,' seem unlikely.

Responsibility therefore rests with consumers of news to separate fact from fiction.

War: The Ultimate Diversion

Guy de Lusignan: Give me a war.
Reynald de Chatillon: That is what I do.
--Kingdom of Heaven

Politicians understand the value of diversions. The more significant the action that requires cover, the larger the necessary diversion.

Few diversions are larger than war. War diverts attention toward an external 'enemy.' Moreover, war entices a spirit of nationalism, where people come together and rally 'round the flag.

Wars have been famous political tools since civilization began. In the US, there is reason to believe that Lincoln, Wilson, and FDR (among others) facilitated wars to advance their political agendas.

Indeed, a perverse lesson that hardcore policymakers likely derive from studying the Great Depression is that war is a fine way to jump start an economy--provided the war is won, of course. Sadly, even some economists have suggested that economic growth is tied to war.

The more this administration struggles with economic malaise and other problems, chances of war go up.

Charity and Slavery

In violent times
You shouldn't have to sell your soul
--Tears for Fears

Charity is voluntarily giving production (either self-produced or obtained thru trade) to help others. Charity is not a one-sided trade. The giver of production gains psychic or perhaps spiritual income from the transaction.

Slavery is involuntarily surrendering production to others on a routine basis. Slavery is a one-sided trade. Production is confiscated from producers who get nothing in return--although slavemasters may rationalize otherwise.

Welfare programs funded by tax dollars are not forms of charity. They are institutions of slavery. Taxpayers regularly surrender production at the point of a gun.

They are slaves of welfare program beneficiaries and their proponents.

Movement in Motion

No more running down the wrong road
Dancing to a different drum
Can't you see what's going on
Deep inside your heart?
--Michael McDonald

Lew Rockwell argues that the libertarian movement is not a future event. It is well underway. Media can no longer ignore libertarian ideas, particularly as young people devour classics by Mises, Rothbard, Hayek, Hazlitt, et al.

Discussions are active that would have been dismissed not long ago. What is the proper role of government? Do bailouts do more harm than good? How can economic situations improve simply by printing more money? How can a people borrow their way out of debt? Why isn't the best foreign policy simply to trade freely with all?

These are not new questions. Our founding ancestors pondered them in depth. Over the past century or so, however, these issues have been pushed aside by claims that these questions are old-fashioned and out of date. People have been distracted by smokescreens of sophistry.

An attractive feature of libertarian philosophy is its simplicity. Libertarianism opposes aggression, period. This spawns another another intellectually attractive feature: consistency. Any policy or program grounded in taking property from some is undesirable and wrong. Unlike other political philosophies, offensive force is not rationalized. 

Libertarianism is a philosophy of peace and voluntary cooperation among people. It is consistent with the harmony of nature.

Libertarianism was the philosophy of our founding ancestors. And it is once again gaining traction.

Laissez-faire

And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
--The Beatles

In French, laissez-faire means "let them do as they will" or "leave them alone." When applied to markets, this idea means that force should not intervene between people seeking to produce and trade with each other. People should be permitted to trade freely because they are acting out of their own volition.

Forceful intervention is only appropriate when property rights are violated. Otherwise, forceful intervention is a form of aggression--in conflict with natural law.

Let the people be.