“Other Perverts”

By Laurence M. Vance

The Mises quote from Human Action that Tom DiLorenzo brought to our attention is a fine one for discussing the nature of libertarianism. Mises referred to “fetishists, homosexuals, and sadists” as “other perverts.” Libertarianism, in the words of Murray Rothbard,

is not and does not pretend to be a complete moral, or aesthetic theory; it is only apolitical theory, that is, the important subset of moral theory that deals with the proper role of violence in social life. . . . Libertarianism holds that the only proper role of violence is to defend person and property against violence, that any use of violence that goes beyond such just defense is itself aggressive, unjust, and criminal. Libertarianism, therefore, is a theory which states that everyone should be free of violent invasion, should be free to do as he sees fit except invade the person or property of another. What a person does with his or her life is vital and important, but is simply irrelevant to libertarianism. It should not be surprising, therefore, that there are libertarians who are indeed hedonists and devotees of alternative lifestyles, and that there are also libertarians who are firm adherents of “bourgeois” conventional or religious morality. There are libertarian libertines and there are libertarians who cleave firmly to the disciplines of natural or religious law. There are other libertarians who have no moral theory at all apart from the imperative of non-violation of rights. That is because libertarianism per se has no general or personal moral theory.

This is a point lost on some libertarians. They broaden libertarianism to mean acceptance of alternative lifestyles and rejection of moral absolutes. Thus, if you say something negative about same-sex marriage, homosexuality, gay pride parades, evolution, abortion, paganism, Islam, black crime and illegitimacy rates, the Union, hedonism, feminism, rap music, etc., then you are accused by some broadminded, cosmopolitan libertarians of being a fascist who is aggressing or wants to aggress against the persons who favor these things. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. One can despise any or all of these things and be perfectly tolerant and peaceful toward them. Libertarianism is not a lifestyle. And as my Jewish atheist friend Walter Block has written, libertarianism is not libertinism.

The above originally appeared at LewRockwell.com.

Rand Paul on "Pure Libertarians"

Rand Paul tells the beltarian Reason Magazine:

"I've got half the libertarians on the Internet beating up on me for not being pure enough," Paul says, "and the rest of the mainstream beating up on me for being too libertarian. It's a box they put me in."

"But I'm in the business of trying to advance a philosophy and advance an economic program that's better for the country. And I'm also in the business of winning elections and trying to convince people to come in the direction of smaller government and more individual liberty," Paul says. "I sometimes wish for a little more forebearance among the purists, but I'm trying to do the best I can to advance a philosophy and program that is more individual liberty for everyone and is pulling in the direction of what some of the purists might want" even if they "might not see it as pure as they'd like."

So how is Rand, as an impure libertarian, doing in advancing "a philosophy" and convincing people "to come in the direction of smaller government and more individual liberty"?

On CNN's Wolf Blitzer show last night, he:

1. Failed to state point blank that the minimum wage law was bad, even though Blitzer pushed him on the point very aggressively.

2. He argued that the President should not have released some of the sanctions against Iran, while negotiations were ongoing.

He also danced on other points that I believe resulted in confusing the libertarian position, but he was so contradictory in those remarks that, as is typical with Rand, it would be hard to completely tie him down.

If you read between the lines here of what Rand told Reason and his answers to Blitzer, it's clear he is really selling out to get a shot at being elected president. "I'm also in the business of winning elections," he said. Selling out never works as a method to advance an ideology. No less an expert that the lefty activist explained why it doesn't work:

Alinsky, in Rules (p. 13) states a critique of the sell out by way of examples in religion and business:

Two examples would be the priest who wants to be a bishop and bootlicks and politicks his way up, justifying it with the rationale, “After I get to be bishop I’ll use my office for Christian reformation,” or the businessman who reasons, “First I’ll make my million and after that I’ll go for the real things in life.” Unfortunately one changes in many ways on the road to the bishopric or the first million, and then one says, “I’ll wait until I’m a cardinal and then I can be more effective,” or, “I can do a lot more after I get two million”—and so it goes.

Expect Rand to move even further away from libertarian principle as the  2016 presidential primaries get closer.

George Soros Drama: Ex-Girlfriend Explodes in Midst of $50 Million Lawsuit Against Soros

In an angry hallway confrontation at Manhattan Supreme Court, Adriana Ferreyr told one of the billionaire’s lawyers she was fed up with getting stonewalled in her quest for bank records, reports the NY Daily News.

NYDN continues:

The jilted former gal pal of George Soros accused the billionaire Tuesday of balking at forking over bank records she claims proves he was a two-timing cheat.

In an angry hallway confrontation at Manhattan Supreme Court, Adriana Ferreyr told one of Soros’ lawyers she was fed up with getting stonewalled.

In the $50 million lawsuit, Ferreyr, 30, claims she endured emotional distress when Soros, 82, dumped her for another woman, whom he recently married.

Ludwig von Mises Autographed Letter Up for Sale

Very cool.

I just came across this letter by Ludwig von Mises that is up for sale ($1750.00)

The dealer, Abe Books, describes the letter and Mises this way:

A FINE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY LUDWIG von MISES. The letter is on his personal stationery with his name "Prof. Dr. Ludwig v. Mises" printed in raised letters at the left head of the sheet. He writes to an unnamed colleague who he addresses as "Very Honored Doctor". He is responding to a letter from the writer (not present) who is at the University of Salzburg in which he asks Mises about the possibility of lecturing in Geneva in 1937/8. Mises replies that he has discussed this with Professor Rappard [William Rappard Professor of Economic History at the University of Geneva] and "unfortunately the program of lectures is already completely fixed for 1937/8". He hopes that they may be able to get together during a forthcoming holiday Mises has planned in the Salzburg region. An elegantly written, legible letter in German by this twentieth century economic icon. Letters of Ludwig von Mises are quite scarce. Ludwig E. von Mises (1881-1973) was one of the last representatives of the "Austrian School" of economics. This group showed many signs of being eclipsed in the 1930s but, beginning largely in the 1970s, has enjoyed a remarkable rebirth with Mises as their 'patron saint'. Inspired by Mises, these new Austrians reject general equilibrium theory, mathematical economics, econometrics and economic forecasting for purposes of managing the economy. Mises himself was the model of an economic liberal. Among his most important ideas were: 1. total socialism operates at a very low level of efficiency; 2. Only a market system, or an exchange system based on private ownership of the means of production, can provide the means of achieving a rational allocation of capital goods to their most productive uses and 3. Any intervention into the market exchange process leads to a deterioration of economic welfare. These three concepts formed the bases of much of his later work. Our recent economic turmoil once again ignites the market regulation-intervention debate. (see Blaug, Great Economists Since Keynes pps. 195-197). Bookseller Inventory # 41604

Peter Seeger: Stalinist

Peter Bolt at Australia's Herald Sun reports:

Seeger was a member of the Communist Party from the 1930s through the 1950s. He left the party but never gave up the faith. He told the Washington Post in 1995 “I am still a communist.” Like his comrades and fellow travelers Seeger twisted and turned with every pronouncement from Moscow. Seeger supported the Nazi-Soviet Pact, a curious position for a noted “anti-fascist.” In 1941 Seeger along with Guthrie was a member of the Almanac Singers, a communist folk group. The group put out the anti-war album Songs from John Doe, containing songs that labeled Franklin Roosevelt a war monger. One of the songs had the following lyrics: 

Franklin D, listen to me, 
You ain’t a-gonna send me ‘cross the sea. 
You may say it’s for defense 
That kinda talk ain’t got no sense.

Of course when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Seeger and the Almanac Singer’s literally changed their tune to get in lockstep with Stalin’s new foreign policy. They pulled Songs from John Doe from the market and quickly replaced it with the pro-war, pro-Roosevelt album Dear Mr. President: 

Now, Mr. President 
You’re commander-in-chief of our armed forces 
The ships and the planes and the tanks and the horses 
I guess you know best just where I can fight ... 
So what I want is you to give me a gun 
So we can hurry up and get the job done!

Datechguy: 

Remember there is no ideology so murderous that your association with it will make you unacceptable as long as you are of use to the left[...]

UPDATE

Scott Johnson is right. President Barack Obama’s statement on Seeger’s death is “beyond pathetic” and needs translation. Let me help: Obama claims Seeger believed “community” when he means “communism”. and wielded a “hammer” when he means “hammer and sickle”: 

Once called “America’s tuning fork,” Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song. But more importantly, he believed in the power of community – to stand up for what’s right, speak out against what’s wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be. Over the years, Pete used his voice – and his hammer – to strike blows for worker’s rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Pete’s family and all those who loved him.

Seeger later made half-hearted apologies for being a propagandist of one of the deadliest totalitarian regimes in history, 

Should You Be Setting Aside the 3-5 A.M. Time Slot for Work?

By Laura Vanderkam

Part of making the most of your time is breaking free from traditional notions of when things should happen.

If date night doesn’t work, you can try date breakfast.

If you need to work 12 hours a day and don’t want to work from 5-8 p.m., you might be able to take that off and work from 8-11 p.m. instead.

If you’re training for a marathon and don’t want to clog up your weekends with long runs, you might be able to get up early one weekday morning, come into work a little later, and work a little later in the evening.

Just because other people use certain hours for one thing doesn’t mean you need to. And if you use unconventional hours for certain things, that doesn’t make you crazy.

Sometimes it can make you more productive.

I saw a great example of this the other day in a time log that came in for my Mosaic project (the subject of my next book, which looks at how professional women with kids spend their time). On one night, this software engineer’s sea of “sleep” entries was broken up by 2 hours of “work” from about 3-5 a.m. I thought that was just a fluke — a weird bout of jet lag or insomnia — until I got this woman on the phone.

She told me that, in fact, this 3-5 a.m. shift was pretty typical, at least in the sense that it happened a few times per week. Her days got booked solid with meetings. But she still needed to produce the work she was being paid for. She also liked to do that sort of creative, productive work that drew her to her job in the first place. So what to do?

Read the rest here.

When You Become a Trained Killer for the Government....

Sometimes things don't turn out that well.

In the closing minutes of President Obama's State of the Union speech, he reported on what happened to one trained killer, who apparently still is under the ether and believes he has done good for the country:

I first met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Along with some of his fellow Rangers, he walked me through the program, the ceremony. He was a strong, impressive young man, had an easy manner. He was sharp as a tack. And we joked around, and took pictures, and I told him to stay in touch.

A few months later, on his 10th deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His comrades found him in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his brain.

For months, he lay in a coma. And the next time I met him, in the hospital, he couldn't speak; he could barely move. Over the years, he's endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, hours of grueling rehab every day.

Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye. He still struggles on his left side. But slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory has grown stronger. Day by day, he's learned to speak again and stand again and walk again, and he's working toward the day when he can serve his country again.

"My recovery has not been easy," he says. "Nothing in life that's worth anything is easy."

A Terrible 'Daily Show' Piece on the Minimum Wage

Peter Schiff is not at his best here. At one point, he states that prices of products will just go up if the minimum wage is raised rather than that the least productive will end up unemployed.

As for Barry Ritholz and the 'Daily Show' reporter they are simply clueless that 2+2=4.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Mid-Week Entertainment: Weatherman Knees On-Air Intruder in Groin

NyPo reports:

A young man’s bid for 15 seconds of fame on TV ended with a kick in the groin.

Jim Cantore, a 49-year-old veteran with The Weather Channel, was faced with the intruder as he did a live cross about Winter Storm Leon.

Cantore, who was at the College of Charleston campus in South Carolina, must have heard the student fameseeker holler as he burst into the set for the live cross.

And he was prepared for the sudden change in atmosphere as he caught the student with a knee to the groin as he was reporting live, WTV reported.

Computer Models-The Super Bowl and Econometrics

Andrew Isker emails:

I saw this article on Drudge and thought of a point you often make on EPJ about econometrics. 

Computer Simulation Predicts Seahawks Over Broncos, 24-21 - CBS Philly

No one in their right mind thinks this computer prediction is going to be accurate. Sure, maybe in a blind-squirrel-meets-nut sense it might happen, but no one is going to Vegas to make that bet as though this computer model is Biff Tannen’s sports book. 

A football game is only 60 minutes long, but it contains so many variables that affect the outcome of the game, both knowable (the relative skills of each player, the likelihood of injuries occurring, etc.) and unknowable (e.g. would Pete Carroll go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 45 down 10 with 8 minutes to play) that it is impossible to predict its outcome. Nobody would dispute this. 

 Now compare this with econometrics. Here you have computer models that try to explain what whole economies will do—whole economies, with hundreds of millions of people who each make thousands of economic decisions every day far more data than any computer model could collect, much less comprehend. 

In short if you wouldn’t find a computer prediction of a football game’s outcome credible, as you shouldn’t, why on earth would you trust anything an econometrist asserts?

A Major Price Inflation Index Is Going Bonkers

The rate of price inflation that it measures has more than doubled since the end of 2013. This is a dramatic increase in developing inflation.

Find out about this key index, the actual numbers of the index, and how to position your investments in the soaring price inflation likely ahead, exclusively in the EPJ Daily Alert.

Subscribe today and you will receive today's ALERT, which covers the new data.

A monthly subscription is $23.00...Click here

A 3 month subscription is $55.19 Save 20%.....Click here.

A 6 month subscription is $99.46 Save 33%......Click here.

A yearly subscription is $138.00  Save 50%.......Click here.

WARNING: Keep Your Financial Accounts Active Or Become a Victim of The State

EPJ reader Brandon emails:

I'm a big fan of EPJ and the ALERT. As an accountant I see quite a few statements of various sorts. As a person with an eye toward liberty the statements in the picture below had a very interesting warning added to the bottom in the past year. I immediately thought of the recent shrinking beverages post at EPJ and how great side-by-side comparisons can be.

The first simply has some simple info about managing your holdings online. 

The second, the same holdings a mere 3 months later, has a theft warning! Theft from who? The state, of course. 

The third is even more detailed about the threat of state abandoned property laws.

These types of holdings are often things people only think about once a year when they get a 1099 to include earnings on their tax returns. They just leave them alone and let them grow. The only danger in that should be the obvious risk of their holdings losing value in the market, but apparently now they have to worry about theft by the state as well.

Billionaire Paul Singer: Bitcoin over gold? Are you crazy?!

I featured Paul Singer yesterday with regard to his views on the minimum wage. This guy is solid. He is even singing the EPJ Daily Alert son on gold versus Bitcoin. CNBC reports:

Hedge fund manager Paul Singer is "shocked" by Bitcoin's rise, especially given gold's fall.

"There is no more reason to believe that bitcoin will stand the test of time than that governments will protect the value of government-created money, although bitcoin is newer and we always look at babies with hope," Singer wrote in a letter to investors of his $23.3 billion Elliott Management on Jan. 27.

"If you want an alternative currency, check out gold. It has stood the test of thousands of years as a store of value and medium of exchange," Singer added.

"Better yet, it is not just a computer entry in the ether somewhere, and it is currently available at a good price. Bitcoin and its relatives represent an understandable impulse (anti-big-government, pro-freedom, pro-modernity), but we do not see how it actually survives. At least with gold you have to work really hard to dig the stuff up."[...]

We think that gold is a unique investment asset, the only real money that has stood the test of time throughout recorded history," Singer wrote. "With its durability, finite and difficult-to-extract supply and natural allure, it is a store of value that should be particularly attractive at a time when monetary debasement is the major policy practiced by most developed countries to keep their economies afloat."

Singer believes that gold will be back in favor soon.

"If the global economy recovers strongly without a significant uptick in inflation, then gold might continue to be a neglected asset class. But low growth and high inflation are typical hallmarks of structurally unsound economies experiencing monetary debasement, so perhaps that phase is next, or soon to appear," Singer said. "We shall see."

The New York Times Contracts Rudy Giuliani Syndrome

By, Chris Rossini

Several days ago, The New York Times thought it was a good idea to smear The Mises Institute as well as the powerhouse individuals who are affiliated with it. The Times also calculated that it would be best to place the hideous composition right on the front page. Translation: The Mises Institute is very important.

The smear was as repulsive as you can imagine, from the very first word to the last. The Times swung with their hips. Unfortunately for them, I believe it will turn out to be one big whiff. There are several reasons why.

First, it brought The Mises Insitute to the attention of people who may have never learned of it otherwise. There will be those who are curious and who will visit Mises.org. They need just browse around for a short time, and it quickly becomes obvious that what the Times says does not jive with reality. If they stay long enough, they may be so impressed as to never leave. For Mises.org is easily the most comprehensive and robust economics website in the world. You won't find anything else out there like it.

The next reason why I believe the Times smear will turn out to be a whiff can be described by the following name: Rudy.

We all remember when Rudy Giuliani decided to pull a stunt of his own:


On the surface, one would think: "Ouch, Ron Paul got boo'd pretty badly there...and on national TV." That's exactly what Rudy was going for. He knew that seething warmongers were sitting in the peanut gallery. But a funny thing happened. The whole thing backfired, and Rudy's performance only catapulted Ron Paul further into fame.

Today, Ron Paul is shining brighter than ever with The Ron Paul Channel, The Ron Paul Institute For Peace & Prosperity, and The Ron Paul Curriculum.

What's Rudy Giuliani doing?

*crickets*

To add insult to Giuliani's injury, Ron Paul's foreign policy ideas are charging ahead, and most recently, the American public gave a deafening "No" to Obama when he wanted to strike Syria. Lots of people, much to Rudy's chagrin, now know what "Blowback" is, and they don't want the U.S. creating more of it.

The New York Times may have gotten its short-term jab in, but Mises.org and the ideas of non-aggression, private property, free markets & peace are for the ages.

---

Chris Rossini is on Twitter, Facebook & Google+

The NYC Socialist Government of de Blasio Continues to Harass the Upper East Side

First, it was the failure of the city to plow out the Upper East Side:

It really is a tale of two cities — this time with the tony Upper East Side getting the shaft!
Huge swaths of the city’s wealthiest neighborhood had been not been plowed by early Tuesday evening, leaving 1-percenters out in the cold, according to the city’s own map of snow-plower activity.

“He is trying to get us back. He is very divisive and political,” said writer and Life-long Upper East Sider and mom Molly Jong Fast of Mayor de Blasio.

“By not plowing the Upper East Side, he is saying, ‘I’m not one of them.’ But we have everyone in this area on the Upper East Side. We have rich people, middle class people, and housing projects. We have it all.”

There appeared to be no snow plowing between East 59th and 79th Streets and between Second and Fifth Avenues.

Now, there has been a delay in Upper East Side garbage pick up. FOX NY's  Lidia Curanja reports:

I figured out the one bright spot to the cold would be that least the garbage smell on the Upper East Side isn't super pungent. But it still stinks. Piles of garbage are still waiting to be picked up.

The mounds of garbage have piled up on some city streets ever since last week's 10-inch snow storm. One section of East 79th Street has so much garbage on it that part of the sidewalk is blocked. As for a pile on East 86th Street, New Yorkers walking by say thank goodness for scarves.

The Department of Sanitation said that it was back on a normal schedule as of Monday. Pickup was suspended throughout the city to handle emergency snow clearing. Sanitation said the only backlog right now is with recycling.

Our video shows several blocks that still have many black garbage bags. We even saw frozen meat.

As for the Upper East Side having more trash than others, the mayor's office released this statement: "Any allegations that neighborhoods were chosen over others for trash removal are totally absurd."

New York State Slam Down: It Will Issue Bitcoin Regulations This Year

NyPo reports from the New York state Bitcoin hearings:

Freewheeling virtual currency bitcoin is about to get a babysitter. 

Ben Lawsky, New York’s top financial watchdog, told a panel of high-profile tech investors on Tuesday that he’s moving full steam ahead with plans to regulate crypto currencies like bitcoin amid concerns that the cyber cash has become the money of choice for criminals.

Lawsky said he expects to propose a “regulatory framework” for the virtual currency this year, making New York the first state to impose rules on bitcoin transfers.

Lawsky has proposed issuing a BitLicense to entities that deal in bitcoin to ensure they will enforce anti-money-laundering rules, such as knowing their customers.

People can remain anonymous when spending or transferring bitcoin, which has made it attractive to criminals, experts have said. In October, the FBI shuttered Silk Road, an underground drug website that was fueled entirely by bitcoins.

On Tuesday, some of Lawsky’s well-heeled panelists rejected the notion that more regulation is needed.

At one point, Lawsky stopped to remind the panel that it’s not a matter of ‘if” they will be regulated, it’s a matter of how much.

“It’s not worth it for society to allow money laundering .. to persist to permit a thousand flowers to bloom on the innovation side,” Lawsky told the panel, including Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss of Facebook fame.

Given a choice between stopping money laundering and allowing for innovation, “We’re always going to choose squelching money laundering,” he said.

Okay libertarian Bitcoin fanboys, please explain to me once more what the advantage to Bitcoin is if it is going to be the most tracked method of spending money?

Major League Baseball Approves Padded Cap for Pitchers

File Under: Free Market Innovation

Major League Baseball has approved a padded cap designed to protect pitchers from potentially dangerous line drives.

After testing a number of prototypes from various companies, a cap manufactured by the 4Licensing Corporation subsidiary isoBlox will be made available to pitchers at all levels when they report to Spring Training. Use of the equipment will be optional.

The approval comes almost 17 months after pitcher Brandon McCarthy, then with the Athletics, sustained serious head injuries after being struck by a line drive, an incident that triggered increased discussion about ways to protect pitchers.

According to the company, the caps are slightly more than a half-inch thicker in the front and an inch thicker near the temples than standard caps and provide frontal impact protection up to 90 mph and for side impact up to 85 mph.

National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw told MLB Network that he also has some reservations, although he's optimistic that baseball is moving in the right direction.

"I've actually tried one of those on," said Kershaw. "I've thrown with it. You don't look very cool. I'll be honest. You don't look very cool out there. But technology is unbelievable and it really doesn't feel that much different once you get used to it. Obviously it would be a change. We wouldn't look the same as everybody else, but if you're that one guy who gets hit what seems like every year, there's that chance out there. I'm definitely not opposed to it. I think it'd take a lot of getting used to. I think it's a great thing and a step in the right direction, for sure."

The new equipment will not prevent all injuries and many of the more seriously injured pitchers were struck below the cap line. There has been no discussion of expanding this initiative to include visors, masks or helmets.

"There would have to be widespread willingness among players to use such a device," MLB's executive vice president for labor relations Dan Halem told ESPN. "Short of wearing a helmet, I am doubtful there'll be a product to protect against 100 mph. Hopefully there will be."

Below is the only image currently available of the cap. It is the one on the right.