Fighting for Free People and Free Markets

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Dave believes that libertarianism--limited government, free markets, and individual liberty--is the truly compassionate political philosophy.


He advocates for governments to restore freedom and limit their role in our lives: cut taxes; deregulate; end military adventures; privatize most functions, from public schools to post offices; stop subsidizing and bailing out corporations; allow for free trade; and end the “war on drugs."


Straight Shooting: “Straight-Line Leadership”

by David E. Shellenberger on January 18, 2012

Dusan Djukich’s Straight-Line Leadership is a no-nonsense book about his no-nonsense approach to leadership—the leadership of others and ourselves. Mr. Djukich writes with the authority of a world-class coach:

[He] is co-founder and a Senior Partner for Corporate Reinvention Associates, a global coaching firm that specializes in individual and organizational performance. He is the creator and developer of Straight-Line Coaching technologies. For the last 24 years, [he] has been privileged to work with more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, Senior-Level Executives and highly committed individuals from all walks of life in creating unreasonable results with his unconventional coaching style.

Straight-Line Leadership

What is straight-line leadership? It is getting from where we are now—A—to our objective—B, as quickly as possible, i.e., via a straight line. The core of the approach is choosing an “inner stance”—how we live, how we operate—that allows us to succeed. [click to continue…]

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Don’t LOL! “LALL” Can Help Change the World

by David E. Shellenberger on January 6, 2012

Live and let live—LALL–is a recipe for liberty—little or no government—and social tolerance. Can the acronym become a favorite on the Internet and help shape a freer and more tolerant world? Don’t LOL (Laugh Out Loud) at this idea. Let us give it a try.

“LALL” is a good response throughout the world to those who wish to use government coercion or social pressure to impose their beliefs or desires on the rest of us. It encourages people to live their own lives, and respect, rather than interfere with, the lives of others. [click to continue…]

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Something Positive for U.S. in 2011: Freer Trade

January 3, 2012

There was plenty of bad news for freedom in the U.S. last year, tempered with bits of good news. Others are offering broad assessments, but I would like to follow up on my article of July 23, 2011, “U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement,” and note the positive news on trade. In the prior piece, I discussed [...]

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Christmas 2011: Archbishop Got Grinchy

December 31, 2011

Our secret Christmas truce with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has ended, so it is time to respond to his Christmas Day sermon, in which, remarkably, he analogized bankers to rioting arsonists. The Archbishop serves not only as the Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury and Primate of All England (the first bishop [...]

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Barney Frank: Sixteen Terms, and What Do You Get?

November 28, 2011

U.S. Representative Barney Frank today announced he will not seek reelection. He has held office for sixteen terms—thirty-two years—which reminds us of the fact that the system protects incumbents. Frank notoriously dismissed warnings about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and was the co-author of the ill-conceived Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The [...]

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Foggy Thinking Occupies Leaders In London

November 5, 2011

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 2nd, in an article entitled “St. Paul’s Halts Legal Bid to Evict Activists’ Camp”: Shaken by criticism of its handling of anticapitalist protesters on its doorstep, St. Paul’s Cathedral said it is suspending legal action to have the Occupy London camp evicted. …. The bishop of London [Dr. [...]

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New U.S. Military Folly: Central Africa

October 24, 2011

On October 14th, President Obama advised Congress he was sending “combat equipped U.S. forces” to Uganda and other nations in central Africa to help remove leaders of the brutal guerrilla group, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). While the letter stated that the troops “will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self defense,” the U.S. [...]

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Burma: Remain Wary of the Junta

September 27, 2011

The junta in Burma recently has been taking steps that appear intended to manipulate international opinion, and to provide false hope within the country of a move towards freedom. History suggests, and prudence dictates, that friends of freedom for Burma should remain wary.  Background 1988 Uprising and 1990 Election Last month, demonstrators in Burma and [...]

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Ten Years Later: Mourn the Losses, Damn the State

September 11, 2011

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was in Washington, D.C., at the annual conference of the Enforcement Department of NASD. NASD, now known as FINRA, regulates the securities brokerage industry, and I served as Chief Counsel of the New York Region. Our office was at One Liberty Plaza, half a block from the World Trade [...]

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Unions: Politics, Protectionism, and Patriotism

September 6, 2011

Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa spoke before Pres. Obama at a Labor Day rally in Detroit, Michigan yesterday: We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and [...]

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