FPF #187 – Trump Makes & Breaks Deals

On FPF #187, I cover Trump’s policy on North Korea and Iran. The Korean leaders had a historic summit on Friday and talks of denuclearizing the Korean Penisula continue to move forward. Trump is now in a position to make a deal with North Korea for denuclearization.  On May 12th, Trump will be faced with a decision to sign a waiver to continue sanctions relief against Iran or break the P5+1 Nuclear Agreement. The IAEA has certified Iran is living up to the deal. Trump claims Iran is violating the “spirit of the deal.” Trump’s new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US is unlikely to remain in the deal past May.  Links Gareth Porter on Trump’s limited options for Iran 

Source: Foreign Policy Focus – FPF #187 – Trump Makes & Breaks Deals

On Libertarianism and Statecraft, Part X: Time Preference

By Insula Qui Author’s note: The main themes of this series are further expounded upon in my book Anarcho-Monarchism, which you can buy here. Introduction Time preference is a measure of valuing present goods versus future goods. High time preference (hereafter HTP) is a condition of preferring present goods, of being unable or unwilling to wait before engaging in consumption. Low time preference (hereafter LTP) is an ability and willingness to save for the future. LTP requires both that the cost of waiting is sufficiently low and that one have the self-discipline to avoid the temptation of HTP. Note that if all else is equal, the value of a good is inversely proportional to the time that one must wait before making use of it. For practical purposes, people with LTP are able to invest more aptly than those with HTP, as they can put off their present wants more easily for the sake of their future wants. LTP in Economics Murray Rothbard claimed that there is no ethical or economic value which would place LTP above HTP, nothing that makes one inherently better than the other. He even criticized conservatives for favoring LTP as it is supposedly equivalent to HTP, at least in economic terms. When people derive more value from the present than from the future, then the total value in the economy is the same. LTP is only relevant insofar as an individual with LTP is able to have more value in the future while a person with HTP will have more value in the present, though at the cost of less in the future. This is an extremely hedonic view of economics. Total value may be same in both cases, but people with HTP will still have less quantifiable wealth. In other words, any sane person with HTP would rather have LTP, as this would make them better able to accumulate wealth. The higher the time preference of a civilization, the more there is capital consumption at the cost of capital creation. As time preference approaches infinity, wealth creation halts and the economy will be on a downward trend, even under a completely free market system. The hedonistic HTP cannot be valued on the same level as the civilization-producing LTP in economic analysis. But why is creating wealth objectively better than consuming wealth? Why should we inherently value civilization over decivilization? The answer to this is simple: we do so because that is the purpose of economics. We do not engage in economics simply to be a value-neutral observer treating all possibilities as having the same worth. Rather, we engage in economics to find the best way of organizing the economy. To say that HTP is equivalent to LTP as both produce the same amount of value is to say that communism is equal to capitalism, provided that equality is more valuable than food. It may be true that some people view the world in such a warped manner that they would rather not eat than have a boss, but this does not make their view of the world economically correct. Read the entire article at ZerothPosition.com

The post On Libertarianism and Statecraft, Part X: Time Preference appeared first on The Zeroth Position.

Source: Reece Liberty.Me – On Libertarianism and Statecraft, Part X: Time Preference

Episode 74 – Hot Fuzz (1:06:25)

We do a buddy-cop movie for the greater good and get into it over Hot Fuzz. There’s a bit of disagreement between us on this movie that is a bit difficult to reconcile. We hope you enjoy the discussion.

The creators of Shaun of the Dead bring you this hilarious hit about a reassigned big city cop, his bumbling partner, their small town, several grisly accidents, and high-octane justice!


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What President Trump Should Say to Kim Jong Un this Summer

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South Korea’s foreign minister has said she believes President Donald Trump is largely responsible for bringing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table.

Kim will become the first North Korean leader to cross the Military Demarcation Line between North and South Korea on Friday for talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. President Trump is expected to meet with Kim in May or June.

Hopefully someone in the state department will give Trump cue cards to read from so he doesn’t mess this up. Here’s a few talking points to start from:

  • We aren’t quite sure that you’re serious about denuclearization, but we want to believe you.
  • If you denuclearize, we’ll lift all sanctions and freely trade with your people. We’ll provide a market to bring you technology, medicine, nutrition and quality of life.
  • We want you and South Korea to reconcile your relationship peacefully without U.S. intervention. We want to facilitate peace, but let’s be clear, it’s peace between you and South Korea. Success or failure is yours alone.
  • Lifting sanctions and opening up North Korea to the world would increase the quality of life of every North Korean citizen and the history books will attribute it to you (Kim Jong Un). Make no mistake, you will go down as a humanitarian hero, a man whose leadership changed the trajectory of a country and changed the livelihoods of millions of citizens.
  • The United States will leave the Korean Peninsula once peace returns.
  • Again, we don’t really believe you, but we want to believe you because your citizens deserve humanity:

1985: North Korea signs Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
1992: North Korea signs historic agreement to halt nuclear program! (#1)
1994: North Korea signs historic agreement to halt nuclear program! (#2)
1999: North Korea signs historic agreement to end missile tests
2000: North Korea signs historic agreement to reunify Korea! Nobel Peace Prize is awarded
2005: North Korea declares support for “denuclearization” of Korean peninsula
2005: North Korea signs historic agreement to halt nuclear program and “denuclearize”! (#3)
2006: North Korea declares support for “denuclearization” of Korean peninsula
2006: North Korea again support for “denuclearization” of Korean peninsula
2007: North Korea signs historic agreement to halt nuclear program! (#4)
2007: N&S Korea sign agreement on reunification
2010: North Korea commits to ending Korean War
2010: North Korea announces commitment to “denuclearize”
2010: North Korea again announces commitment to “denuclearize”
2011: North Korea announces plan to halt nuclear and missile tests
2012: North Korea announces halt to nuclear program
2015: North Korea offers to halt nuclear tests
2016: North Korea again announces support for “denuclearization”

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Source: Liberty LOL – What President Trump Should Say to Kim Jong Un this Summer

DMR: No, Voter Id Laws aren't Racist; System Lacks Integrity without IDs

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Voter ID laws should not be controversial. A few points:

–You must have a government-issued ID in order to drive.
–You must have a government-issued ID in order to fly.
–You must have a government-issued ID in order to ride a train.
–You must have a government-issued ID in order to enter this country and almost any other.
–In many venues, you must even have a government-issued ID in order to buy alcohol, buy tobacco, and be admitted to bars and clubs.

Voting is an even greater responsibility than any of those. Why, then, is it so controversial to require a government-issued ID in order for a person to vote in government elections? Voter fraud isn’t a significant problem in this country, but it also isn’t non-existent–and any fraud is too much fraud. Requiring voters to present a valid form of identification is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to eliminate one avenue of engaging in fraud.

Tom Woods Liberty Classroom

Many argue that it discriminates against Hispanics and other demographics that are less likely to have government-issued ID’s. In my mind, there are two responses to this.

First, all laws affect demographic groups differently. There is no such thing as a law that affects everyone in precisely the same manner. This isn’t by itself a reason not to enact a law. If it were, then we could have no laws at all. (For example, even speed limit laws disproportionately impact demographics with higher rates of automobile ownership. Federal minimum wage laws disproportionately impact states with more low-wage earners. And so on.)

Fundamentally, however, there’s absolutely nothing standing in the way of anyone in any demographic of getting a government-issued ID. We commonly associate ID’s with driver’s licenses, but that’s a misconception. It is definitely true that not everyone can get a driver’s license, but not everyone needs one. States also issue plain ID’s.

That brings me to my second point: cost. If state ID’s cost $15,000, then there may be validity to the discrimination argument. They don’t though. In some states, ID’s are completely free, and in most others, they cost no more than $10. If you’re a citizen, then you can get one of these ID’s at little or no cost. Thus, the only people who truly are locked out of voting by ID laws are people who are not U.S. citizens, and it’s illegal for them to vote anyway.

Many counter this by saying, “True, but low-income and less educated demographics frequently do not know how to get these free ID’s.”

​Come on, folks: Individual responsibility is an important value in this country. If you don’t know how to do something that you need to know how to do, then you must take some initiative and figure that something out. Acquiring a state ID is simple, and figuring out how to do it doesn’t even require an Internet connection.

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Here’s an idea though. Every election cycle, liberal and conservative activists engage in an implicit competition with each other by shoving as many voter registration forms into the hands their favored demographics. They’ve figured out how to quickly and simply explain to people how to register to vote and then how to actually vote–both of which are more complicated than getting a state ID. Why don’t these groups simply hand out one additional form at the same time: a form explaining how to get an ID. This isn’t rocket science. You don’t even have to know how to sign your own name in order to get a state ID.

This brings us to the real reason many of these activist groups oppose voter ID laws: politics. Having to hand out an additional form and then have people engage in one additional step before voting would have an impact on the number of people they could smash into the polls after telling them who they should vote for. This, my friends, isn’t a good reason for opposing a very basic, common-sense measure that would add just a bit more integrity to an electoral system already under assault by Russia and by dishonest allegations of “millions of fraudulent votes” by one of the very highest officials in our government.

This Texas voter law actually is quite a relaxed voter law. It doesn’t even require a government-issued ID at all. You can also use bank statements or even utility statements as forms of ID. You simply have to sign an affidavit explaining why you couldn’t obtain an actual ID.

Because it no longer requires a certain form of ID, some are opposing it on the grounds that there are consequences for lying on one’s affidavit. Seriously?

Of course there are consequences for lying–again, common sense. Why wouldn’t there be? What would be the point of having people sign a document at all if there were no consequences of lying on the document? That would simply waste taxpayer money to print the affidavits in the first place.

Any system in which anyone can walk in off the street to take part in the most critical function of our system on the basis of nothing more than his own word is a system that can never be of complete integrity. Much as we may hate to admit it, some people’s word is worth less than a little.

Our system should be as watertight as possible, and that starts with a very basic, cheap (even free) requirement already in force for so much else in our society: showing a form of ID.
​​

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Source: Liberty LOL – DMR: No, Voter Id Laws aren't Racist; System Lacks Integrity without IDs

Sounds Like Liberty Bonus Saturday 4

SLL Episode B004: Trey Weaver

In today’s episode Nicky & Lizzie talk to Trey Weaver about literally everything… this one got long.

 

Show Notes on soundslikelibertypodcast.com  

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Croey Stoey- The man, the legend – ABS040

In this episode, we bring you the Internet-famous shit poster, twitch streamer and graphic designer… Croey Stoey (AKA Corey). No Adam or Dave this pod, but Corey is a better second mic anyways, so to hell with them. Corey and Scott hit a few news stories, as well as recount tales from their past including some 4-lokian anecdotes, Faggot Bruce and SickAnimation.    If you’ve never listened to the rapper Faggot Bruce, here’s an example of some of his lyrics:   “That’s right Faggot bruce I be lovin’ the butts. That’s right win or lose you’ll be lickin’ my nuts. All night no words bitch shut the fuck up. Daylight, balls deep I’ll be fillin’ you up. Yeah! It’s big Brucey from the blacktop, I used to love pussy, but now I’m into Bang-cock. I’m the angel of dick and you the sinner. Spread that ass, I’m gonna mash that dinner. Brucey boy back with a brand new fable, bout my life locked up and how I laid cable. I had tons of dudes that was my playthings, I used they buttholes as my pinky rings. My life done changed up in Pelican Bay, doin’ a bit for some shit I done back in the day. Servin’ 10-12, it was my third year in, sexuality changed I started loving the men. I know it sounds silly going from totin’ mack titties to yankin nigga’s willies but, shit be different in the pen, if you wanna blow loads you gotsta bone the men.”   I’m sure you get the idea…   Corey and Scott discuss a court case involving a British grandfather masturbating in front of his podiatrist as well as a North Carolina woman who used the excuse that she was doling out bibles to babies when she was caught allegedly attempting to steal newborn children. The official Ancap Barber Shop stance is that people handing out bibles to babies, or at least babies they don’t know, are creeps. And as far as the English gentleman goes, we say LET MY MAN OUT. Free John Homer Tee shirts?   We appreciate you going on this journey with us, and if you did not enjoy this one, no hard feelings. We’ll be back to our normal format next episode.    Worms guys.
Source: The AnCap Barbershop – Croey Stoey- The man, the legend – ABS040

Ep. 40 – About That Libertarian To Alt-Right Pipeline….

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Tony talks with Joey, aka The Mad Philosopher about his ideological journey.  He started as a child reading Aristotle, then became a devout Trotskyite Marxist, then Anarcho-Capitalist, and finally Alt-Right.

This is a journey to understand the thought process behind his evolution, and a window into the thinking of someone on the Alt-Right.  After this conversation, it should be clear that the “Libertarian to Alt-Right Pipeline” is a very real thing, at least for some portion of libertarians.

Throughout the conversation we explore the different factions of the Alt-Right, what binds them, and what internal disputes exist.

Topics Covered: White Supremacy, White Nationalism, Ethno-Nationalism, Race/IQ disparities, and the so-called Jewish Question.

Recorded ~2/20/18 – Show Links Below

White Supremacy According to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_supremacy

Related Material:

Jordan Peterson’s ’12 Rules For Life’: https://amzn.to/2r4Q6AD

Jeff Deist has been accused of sympathizing with the Alt Right in this speech- For A New Libertarian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsUmV0wNXlc

The Chase Rachels/Hans Hoppe Debacle in both their words (very strange stuff indeed): http://www.hanshoppe.com/2018/01/a-note-on-chase-rachelss-book/

Rachel’s extremely long and strange recounting of events: https://radicalcapitalist.org/2018/01/25/clearing-up-the-hoppe-foreword-controversy/

 

Source: Don’t Waste Your Hate Podcast – Ep. 40 – About That Libertarian To Alt-Right Pipeline….

FPF #186 – The Empire is Huge

On FPF #186, I talk current events from the fronts of the American empire. At home, the US has introduced a new drone warship. In Libya, chaos continues to thrive as General Haftar returns to the country. Assad continues to reclaim territory in Syria. The Taliban have announced the start of their spring offensive. I also explain how war hawks will look to exploit the war in Yemen to demonize Iran. 

Links 

FPF #182 – Expanding Trump’s War Powers

FPF #162 – The Deadly Afghan Opium Crop with Will Porter

Peace and Liberty #20 – Libya 

Source: Foreign Policy Focus – FPF #186 – The Empire is Huge