Tag: voting
Buy 'em out – a new strategy for cutting government
November 9, 2016 | Post
In 1930, total government expenditure was 10% of GDP. Of that, approximately 3% was federal spending, and 7% was state and local spending. Today, government expenditure is about 40% of GDP, with 25% of that spending federal, and the remaining 15% state and local.
Partisan politics makes smart people stupid
November 8, 2016 | Post
Highly informed voters are also highly biased. That’s a serious problem for democracy, but also for any other system of political decision-making in big groups.
Debate: Is democracy overrated? No.
November 7, 2016 | Post
The following is Professor Philip Pettit’s response to Jason Brennan’s piece on the nature of democracy. This is the second installment in a five-part debate between the two professors on the legitimacy of democracy as a system of social order.
Debate: Is democracy overrated? Yes.
November 7, 2016 | Post
The following is the first installment in a five-part debate between Georgetown Professor Jason Brennan and Princeton Professor Philip Pettit on the merits of democracy as a system of social order.
“If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain,” writes Facebook acquaintance with fundamental misunderstanding of political philosophy
November 4, 2016 | Post
At 6:58pm Eastern time last night, Facebook acquaintance and sophomore sociology major Sean Stevens reported that if you don’t vote in the upcoming presidential election then you have no right to complain about the trajectory of the nation. Stevens, who bravely displays the Human Rights Campaign logo as his profile picture, went on to provide […]
Apolitical reasons to hate politics
October 25, 2016 | Post
Politics isn’t just bad; It’s the worst. It brings out the literal worst in people.
To Vote or Not To Vote, That Is The Question
September 25, 2016 | Post
Why not vote? Some experts sound off.
The Right to Sit During the Pledge of Allegiance
September 16, 2016 | Post
One’s right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.
Brexit Illustrates Why Voting Is One of the Worst Ways to Make Decisions
August 1, 2016 | Post
Nearly 25 years ago, two scholars—Geoffrey Brennan and Loren Lomasky—published a book that was proved prescient by the recent “Brexit” vote. The book was called Democracy and Decision, and one of its central theses was that “democracy” (if you mean majority rule decisions) is simply not up to the task of making good choices for […]
Read This Novel Before You Read the News
July 25, 2016 | Post
What’s the worst that could happen in the upcoming presidential election? A classic novel takes us to that world gone wrong so that we can see the chilling results unfold step by step.
Your "Right to Vote" Includes a Right That Most People Don't Think About
June 11, 2016 | Post
There are many reasons to vote—or to decide not to vote. As we inch closer to November’s election, you might hear some of the common arguments in favor of voting: It’s your civic duty to vote Other people don’t have the right to vote, so you should exercise your right to vote People fought and died […]
How My Annual Halloween Parade Explains Donald Trump’s Success
May 26, 2016 | Post
Many public intellectuals and political pundits were surprised by Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the Republican nomination. In my opinion, this is because they succumbed to what has (unfairly) become known as the “Pauline Kael syndrome.” Pauline Kael is the New Yorker critic who was reputed to have remarked after the 1972 Presidential election that “Nixon […]
No, Your Friends are Probably Not Moving to Canada
May 26, 2016 | Post
Each presidential election year—perhaps this year more than most—we hear from friends, family, and celebrities the familiar refrain of, “If he/she wins, I’m moving to Canada!” Actress Lena Dunham is just the most recent example of this, claiming that if Republican Donald Trump is elected she “really will” move to Canada. The prevalence of this […]
There’s One Perennial Complaint About Democracy. Here’s How to Solve It.
May 10, 2016 | Post
A perennial complaint about democracy in America is that too large a portion of the electorate is poorly informed about important political issues. This is the problem of the ignorant voter. This problem was exacerbated in the current presidential election cycle by the large number of candidates vying for the Republican nomination that made keeping […]
Why Freedom Matters
April 13, 2016 | Post
What if I told you that some people were better than others? I don’t mean better at tennis or better at singing or better at math. I mean a better breed of person, entitled by nature to exercise authority over you. I’m guessing you would reject that claim, possibly even find it insulting. I would […]
Election 2016 Is Here; Get Your Popcorn Ready
April 8, 2016 | Post
The 2016 presidential election season is in full swing: get your popcorn ready! As public choice economist, I absolutely LOVE this particular election season! Why, you might ask? I love this election because my training in public choice—a field of economics which applies the basic principles of economics to politics—leads me to look at our […]