Dave is a professional coach and a volunteer advocate for international liberty and international animal welfare.


President Obama’s Oil Disaster Speech: Recycling Myths

June 16, 2010

If you like recycling, you loved President Obama’s speech last night on the oil spill. He reused many tired, old, transparently false myths, including the desirability of “energy independence” and the ability of government to create “clean energy jobs.” These myths, combined with those related to global warming and running out of oil without having […]

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Oil Spill Spillover: The Fallacy of Energy Independence

June 3, 2010

As noted in our May 28, 2010 post, “Gulf Oil Disaster: Privatizing the Gulf for Better Stewardship,” proponents of various political interests are using the disaster to seek support for their views. These interests include the proponents of energy independence. For a concept that is wrong on its face, energy independence has remarkable traction. Democrats […]

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Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster: Privatizing the Gulf for Better Stewardship

May 28, 2010

BP’s oil well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has predictably encouraged various political interests to use the tragedy in seeking support for their views. Environmentalists opposed to oil and gas exploration, and in favor of alternative energy, argue that the incident shows the need to subsidize their favored fuels. Some proponents of the fallacious […]

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Memo to Dale Peterson: Tough Guys are Libertarian

May 17, 2010

The over-the-top ad (“We are Better than That”) of Dale Peterson, candidate for the Republican nomination for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner, has “gone viral.” Here is my libertarian response: First, Mr. Peterson, put your gun down and relax. Brandishing your rifle just evokes the fact that government acts through the threat of force. Second, let us explore […]

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Atlas Experience 2010

April 26, 2010

I had the privilege last week of attending “Atlas Experience 2010—Beating Back Socialism in the U.S. and Abroad.” The event is an annual program of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and was held in the Miami, Florida area this year. Atlas, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., is “instrumental in creating and nurturing an […]

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Earth Day 2010: Protect Human Freedom as We Protect the Environment

April 20, 2010

Can a libertarian also be an environmentalist, i.e., an advocate for environmental protection? The public probably thinks not. My experience has been that when people are offered thoughts on a libertarian approach to environmental issues, the common reaction is horror, accompanied by condemnation of free markets and, for good measure, human nature itself. Of course, […]

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Libertarianism: The Compassionate Political Philosophy

April 15, 2010

Libertarianism is the compassionate political philosophy. Compassion means sympathy for those who suffer, and a desire to alleviate their suffering. Libertarians are compassionate. They understand there are moral constraints on the role of government, since government acts through force and the threat of force. When government acts beyond its limited role, it acts illegitimately and […]

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Census Promotion Propaganda

April 12, 2010

Have you been struck by the television commercials that encourage you to participate in the census? Has the pandering to those seeking government funds bothered you? Mary Theroux of the Independent Institute, in Census Inverted: No Representation without Taxation, notes “the promotional campaign by the Census Bureau … urg[es] compliance so that each of us can […]

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Afghanistan: Life Imitates Satirical Art

April 7, 2010

My March 29, 2010 post, “Karzai Scolds Obama Over His Failures,” satirized President Obama’s nighttime visit to Afghanistan. It presented the trip as having been demanded by President Karzai so he could lecture Obama on the subjects on which, of course, Obama actually lectured Karzai, i.e., corruption, governance problems, and drug control. I was thus […]

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Cato University 2010

March 31, 2010

I have had the pleasure of attending three Cato University programs, one in Washington, D.C., in 2004, and two in San Diego in 2007 and 2009. The programs are offered by the Cato Institute, the prominent libertarian think tank based in D.C. This summer’s program (July 25-30) is again being held at the paradisiacal Rancho […]

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