Big brother isn’t cheap
The below info-graphic was sent to the ALS by a group in America who are trying to increase awareness of the stupidity of their Orwellian “Transport Security Administration” (TSA). It is an important lesson for people of all countries.
7th International Conference on Climate Change
For those interested in the ongoing climate debate, the ALS is once again co-sponsoring the International Conference on Climate Change. Suffice to say, the ALS does not necessary agree with all comments made at the conference. Click the graphic for more information, and contact me (john.humphreys99@gmail.com) if you would like a special deal on tickets.
Shanghai Austrian Economics Summit
The International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) is hosting the Shanghai Austrian Economics Summit in July this year. If you can make the trek over, it looks like a good line up of speakers.
Jon Stewart’s questions to libertarians
Last year, American funny-man Jon Stewart asked a series of questions to libertarians. Since then, plenty of people have responded, giving fairly comprehensive answers. I agree with some of those answers, but I thought I’d put together my own “short answers” anyway… only six months late.
1. Is government the antithesis of liberty?
We need definitions. If “liberty” means people being allowed to act voluntarily with each other (as I define it) then the antithesis is involuntary behaviour — e.g. violence, coercion, theft, murder. The government certainly does all of that, but they are not the only example (eg mafia, rapists). Further, some libertarians will suggest that if a limited government is able to decrease “private” violence & coercion, then they might even be a force for good. (This idea is known as the “night-watchman government” or “minarchism”.)
It’s worth quickly noting that government does not mean “governance”. You would still have much governance in a libertarian society (for example, cricket rules).
Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance Launch
If you havn’t read about this already, I’d like to formally announce to all ALS supporters that I’m soon formally launching the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, as a free-market grassroots activist/advocacy organisation. You can check out www.taxpayers.org.au for more information, including the business plan, constitution, Board of Advisers etc.
The official launch is in Sydney on 1 May, and I’d love to have as many freedom-fighters join us as possible! You can register to attend here, and if you use the code SUPPORTER, you will get a 33% discount!
New libertarian magazine to rival ‘Time’ and ‘The Economist’
This is the magazine that freedom-fighters will be dropping from helicopters to win the hearts and minds of those living under such tyrants as Obama, Cameron, Gillard, etc.
This is the magazine that makes WikiLeaks look like cowards with no interest in striking at the root of human rights abuses.
This is the magazine that will finally justify the increase in literacy rates over the past 100 years.
Catallaxy Files- Not all criticism of government is rent-seeking May 17, 2012Jess Irvine has an op-ed in the SMH where she makes the argument Meanwhile, business is acting like an adolescent, too, chucking hissy fits about workplace laws and taxation because it has learnt that this is an extremely effective parental manipulation strategy. In the teenage economy, the returns from rentseeking – or seeking special treatment [...]Sinclair Davidson
- Words from the wise May 17, 2012Graham Richardson has a must-read op-ed in the Australian today. He reveals the depths of hatred towards the PM. While it is clear Julia Gillard just doesn’t understand how bad things really are, she is at the very core of the disenchantment. These two MPs, who both voted for her in Kevin Rudd’s February challenge, [...]Sinclair Davidson
- Reactions to the The Heretic May 17, 2012Jo Nova reports some discussion stirred up by The Heretic, a play that addresses climate issues, on stage in Melbourne this week. Golly, but The Heretic is a play that appears to be genuinely useful art, something that actually challenges the paradigm. Brice Bosnich reviews it ( see below), Andrew Glikson rails against it (see, [...]Poor Old Rafe
- Not all criticism of government is rent-seeking May 17, 2012
- inCISe
- Govt furphy on Indigenous homeownership May 16, 2012In a media release on the Indigenous Affairs part of the 2012 Budget, the federal government insists it ‘will continue to prioritise access to the new program for people seeking to move into home ownership on Indigenous land’ – but this is a furphy. The government is well aware that people living on Indigenous land will not be able to access money from the n […]Sara Hudson
- A move long overdue May 15, 2012At long last, services on Sydney’s highly inefficient rail network are getting some attention. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has announced that 750 jobs will be cut in a restructuring effort intended to reduce bureaucratic waste. Even more heartening is that RailCorp’s projected job cuts are relatively mild, consisting of voluntary redundancies to m […]Alexander Philipatos
- Generalising about racism May 14, 2012The Sydney Morning Herald is running a poll asking if Australians are Racist. So far 74% of respondents say yes and 26% say no. Some of the commentators include Larissa Berendt who argues that Australia is a racist country because Aboriginal people have a shorter life expectancy. However, there are many reasons why their life expectancy is shorter than the a […]Sara Hudson
- Govt furphy on Indigenous homeownership May 16, 2012
- IPA news
- The unhappy compromise of European 'austerity' May 14, 2012Has austerity worked in Europe? Well, if "austerity" means savage cuts to government spending, then there has been no...
- The politics of projection: there's a reason we can't all just get along May 12, 2012Politics is almost entirely in the eye of the beholder. Obviously conservatives, libertarians, progressives and...
- Great expectations vanish May 10, 2012The federal budget was entirely predictable. The dodgy accounting. The flimsy "surplus". The higher taxes on the wealthy....
- The unhappy compromise of European 'austerity' May 14, 2012
Oz Political Quiz
