The
Rational Argumentator
Issue CCLX
September 18, 2010
Defending Western Civilization:
Marsha Enright and Gen LaGreca
September 18, 2010
In their quest to establish a worldwide caliphate, radical Islamists invoke morality, claiming they have God’s sanction for performing their barbarous acts. To defend Western civilization, we, also, need to invoke morality. But although the world envies the prosperity we’ve achieved, it is widely seen as the product of soulless materialism, of unbridled “greed,” of unscrupulous self-indulgence. What moral claim, then, can we make for our way of life? To understand the moral values of the West, Marsha Enright and Gen LaGreca propose to turn to its beginning.
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Economics
Expect Fraud from Government Health Care:
Gary Wolfram
September 18, 2010
In a recent issue The Economist pointed out that on July 16 the U.S. Attorney General announced "The largest federal health-care fraud take down in our nation’s history." Federal authorities arrested 94 people in five states in a quarter-billion-dollar plot to defraud Medicare. The Miami Herald, in an August 2008 article, reported that Medicare and Medicaid lost $60 billion to fraud, including $2.5 billion in south Florida. Much of the Florida fraud is associated with organized crime. While this is news, it is not surprising. Dr. Gary Wolfram writes that when the federal government has a program that spends $1 trillion, with massive amounts of paperwork and regulation, the incentive for organized, and unorganized, crime to become involved is pretty high.
Stimulus? Yet Again?:
Robert P. Murphy
September 18, 2010
In early September the Obama administration laid out its plans to further "stimulate" the economy. In particular, the president unveiled his proposals for $50 billion more in infrastructure spending, and a $100 billion extension to a tax credit on research and development. Unfortunately, writes Dr. Robert Murphy, these ideas range from misguided to downright harmful. If the federal government really wants to promote economic recovery, it should cut spending and taxes in general, and basically get out of the way.
Fiscal Euphemisms:
Robert P. Murphy
September 18, 2010
One of the ways politicians get away with systematic theft is by fostering euphemisms to describe their activities. Murray Rothbard pointed out some of the typical tricks. More recently, even the supposedly "right-of-center" economists Greg Mankiw and Martin Feldstein do their part to muddy the terminological waters, making it harder for the public to understand just how much they're getting ripped off. Dr. Robert Murphy explores some of these euphemisms.
Politics
Are Consumers Finally Winning in Washington?:
Ron Paul
September 18, 2010
This past week the administration announced its choice for the first credit czar at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This bureau was created as part of the supposed Wall Street reform bill recently passed by Congress. Rep. Ron Paul believes that this new bureau, which represents nothing more than another layer of useless Washington bureaucracy, will be housed within the Federal Reserve -- one of the most anti-consumer institutions in Washington.
Successful Economic Policies? For Whom?:
Ron Paul
September 18, 2010
In early September, in the wake of another uptick in the official unemployment rate, the administration continued to claim that its economic policies were working, just not fast enough. This administration inherited an unemployment rate of 7.7% and promised a peak of no higher than 8% if its policies were followed. Not only does the administration have a funny way of ending a war, but now it claims its economic policies are successful. "For whom?" wonders Rep. Ron Paul.
On More Stimulus Spending:
Ron Paul
September 18, 2010
Faced with continuing economic decline and an impending election, the Obama administration, predictably, is entertaining the idea of another stimulus package. To explain why the last one didn’t work, adherents to the Keynesian economic philosophy are claiming that they actually did work - it just looks like they didn’t because we don’t realize how much worse off we would be right now without trillions of dollars of public spending. The last administration bought into Keynesianism just as much as this one does, unfortunately. Rep. Ron Paul thinks that until we have leaders who understand that debt is not the way to prosperity, there will be no stopping runaway government spending.
Green is Good, or Is It?:
Marita Noon
September 18, 2010
In today's American societal and political climate, anything or anyone who can label themselves as “green” has a perceived marketing advantage. Without fully understanding the implications of “green,” people support the “green” concept as generally being better for the environment. Without a specific universal definition of “green” products as diverse as political candidates, diapers, and cars proudly sport the moniker. But, asks Marita Noon, could too much "green" actually be bad?
The Ignorance of the New Yorker:
Jeff Riggenbach
September 18, 2010
The August 30 issue of the New Yorker contains an article called "Covert Operations," by Jane Mayer. As of this writing, halfway through September, the piece seems to have just begun to attract the attention of libertarians. But Jeff Riggenbach believes that attract their attention it should, if only because it's an almost textbook-quality example of what happens when you try to write about libertarianism in current events without having at least a basic understanding of the libertarian tradition.
Science
Twelve Longevity Enhancement Methods Demonstrated in Mice:
Reason
September 18, 2010
Researchers have discovered a large - and continually growing - number of ways to significantly extend healthy and maximum life span in mice. Here, Reason from The Longevity Meme provides a selection of twelve of the most interesting methods he has seen in past years.
"The standard of living of the common man is highest in those countries which have the greatest number of wealthy entrepreneurs."
~ Ludwig von Mises