Massive economic change is sweeping the world. But, like the movement of glaciers, the change is slow, subtle and almost imperceptible. Few people are even aware of the change, no less its implications. In earlier writing I recommended that those under fifty explore alternatives to the US for living and working. Western democracies are self-destructing under the weight of their [...]
Welfare State
Why The Emigration Decision Is So Difficult
Readers often provide great insights and questions. Here is one from Reader Syrin on Why This Election Should Be A Rout And What To Do If It Isn’t: Monty, I agree with you, but here’s the question. Emigrate to where? I have three kids. Central or South America. Homes of the drug cartels and Banana Republics? Europe which not only will [...]
More on The Pathology of The Welfare State
There were several good responses to Welfare States R.I.P. The one below from SKull has been slightly edited for spelling and spacing, but otherwise remains as submitted. It is thoughtful and especially insightful. In essence, it is a confirmation of Albert J. Nock’s general observation on government: Taking the State wherever found, striking into its history at any point, one [...]
The Economic Problems are Secular, Not Cyclical
The US economy is spent. The current crisis, begun about five years ago, is still a severe recession despite claims otherwise. Even after squandering trillions of taxpayer dollars, there is no recovery. This is not “your father’s recession.” It is part of a more serious, deeper secular problem. What has happened has been treated as if it were a cyclical problem, [...]
The Dependency Trap
From Larwyn’s Links comes this quote regarding dependency: QOTD: “The combination of the two welfare-policy reversions could be devastating, especially when combined with the Obama-backed massive expansions of food stamps and of eligibility for unemployment insurance. As others (including the American Enterprise Institute) have noted, the Obamite re-invigoration of the welfare state will almost assuredly catch millions of people anew [...]
“The Welfare State Is An Equal Opportunity Destroyer”
Walter Williams is one of my favorite columnists. In addition to being an excellent economist, he is a fearless social commentator. Here is an excerpt from one of his recent columns: We can’t use white racism and the legacy of slavery so frequently used to explain the black underclass to explain Britain’s underclass. The welfare state and the harebrained ideas [...]
“It Knows How to Campaign, But is Completely Incompetent at Governing”
The titled quote was appropriately directed at the Obama Administration, yet it is a general problem for Democrats. Over the last eight decades Democrats acquired a voting bloc by targeting disparate groups for favored treatment. Their focus over this acquisition phase gradually shifted from that of governing to winning elections. Today they have a motley collection of constituents with little in [...]
The Social Welfare State – Motivated Not By Compassion But Political Self-Interest
The siren song of Socialism contains the seeds of destruction that now threaten the very foundations of civilization. Socialism as a disease progresses slowly, but has been undway for more than 100 years. The malignancy is now metastasizing. Unfortunately we are the generations that will experience its pernicious outcomes. Feckless politicians blame anyone and everything but themselves for the impending [...]
OneTragedy of The Welfare State
A pathetic example of what liberalism has done to “help” the poor. How does the country break out of this cycle of dependency? What happens when the money runs out? H/T Protein Wisdom
Ode To The Welfare State
The troubles of our time strike us as new and unique. They are not. Interestingly the problem of Socialism or its early precursors are as old as mankind. This siren song is always playing in the background, trying to catch the ear of the naive or power-hungry. Here is a small example from over 60 years ago that appeared in [...]
Greecian Formula for US Failure
There are any number of areas that could be listed reasons for the collapse of Greece. This graph, from Dan Mitchell, is telling enough that it is probably not necessary to go any further in the autopsy of this country. From the graph, government employees increased by substantially over 100% during a period when the population of Greece grew about 16%. [...]
The Welfare States Are Sinking
Despite all the hoopla about recoveries and green shoots, the western welfare states are a mess and it shows in markets. Their stock markets are below where they were in January of 2000. And Japan is with them. We have a classic “chicken-egg” problem. Which came first debt or the welfare state? If you con’t consider Japan as a welfare [...]