Favorite Wine

I've drank a lot of wine over the years. While living with my wife in New York, we defaulted to Chianti. It's very Italian, and so is she, and so was the part of New York City we were living in.

But what's my favorite? I just finished a glass of Pinot Noir paired with a meatball sandwich. It did not have enough flavor or weight for the sandwich, nor for me.

I like Merlot. Very fruity. I like Cabernet Sauvignon. Nicely balanced. But my favorite?

Shiraz. The Australian Sirah. Good body. Spicy. And it goes great with spicy Doritos and Pringles. Yes, I primarily pair wines with chips. Ah, it's great to be American.

Individual Burden of Government, Part I: For The Card-Carrying Statist

What is a person to do under the weight of government regulation? For starters, I guess it depends on who the person is.

The Card-Carrying Statist: For the individual who wants the state to regulate economic and personal life, the best course of action is to fully comply with all regulations and to follow the social-engineering publications that the government provides to the letter. But the card-carrying statist will need hope, because there are over 9000 federal criminal statutes alone.

Facebook

Bandoleered Bookworm has made the jump to Facebook.

Free-Market Charity?

A realization hit me like a bolt of lightning after reading this quote by Murray Rothbard:

It is easy to be conspicuously 'compassionate' if others are being forced to pay the costs.

I thought of my own level of charity. Recently, I could only give items I no longer want and my volunteer time. If I could put a dollar figure on those things (which I really should be able to), they would be quite valuable compared to my current income.

And then I thought about my conversation with my employer today. She told me that she wished she could afford to pay me what I'm worth. Then isn't my employment - at least a portion of it - a type of charity:  a gift to a small business?

Practical Free-Market Business Resources

I hear and read a lot about resources that libertarians/anarcho-capitalists/sovereign individuals can use to avoid the government in their personal lives and finances. There is Bitcoin, search engines that mask your online ID, picking careers that don't require licenses, etc. But what can the average business owner, contractor, or run-of-the-mill employee to do?

I'm sure that Bitcoin is an option, and many other "off grid" resources and options, are viable for the average business person. But where is there practical advice for those resources? Where are they attractive for the average person?  Is this a failure of "marketing" in the libertarian community, or have I just not stumble across a resource yet?

Tribute and Petition

Does the state own everything? Are property rights dead? Do you have to petition the government for your rights to own certain things, go certain places, and do certain activities? Do you have to pay tribute for some of those same things?

When did we hand sovereignty to the state? "Consent of the governed?" Well I didn't consent to be governed, because I wasn't around when the government was formed, so I never handed over my sovereignty. So why do I pay tribute and petition for my own rights?

Class A people are philosophers. They are interested primarily in ideas, and behave in accordance with intellectually analyzed standards.

Class B people are warriors. They act primarily out of a sense of personal honor, and place it above all other considerations.

Class C people are plutonians. They are interested primarily in money. ...

Class D people are lemmings. ...

Class C people are goblins [now, zombies?] ...

- Jeff Cooper, as quoted in Combat Handguns, August 2008, from the 1992 Volume 12 "Gunsite Gargantuan Gossip"

I guess that we can say that Jeff Cooper is a Class A/B person, being labeled a mythical warrior philosopher. From my scant reading of his writings, I could fairly say that he was really more Class A than Class B, and he was a warrior philosopher - meaning that "warrior" is an adjective and Mr. Cooper was, in essence, a "philosopher" - rather than a philosopher warrior.

And in essence, it is the thinking person that rises above all others. But action should not be undersold.

Government Is The Bad Guy

"The conclusions seem inescapable that in certain circles a tendency has arisen to fear people who fear government. ... Fear of the state is in no sense subversive. It is, to the contrary, the healthiest political philosophy for a free people.”

– Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries, vol. 4, no. 16, December, 1996

 The state attempts to govern us, hence it's preferred name. To question the state's actions and motives is not alarmist, obstructionist, subversive, or treason. It is the supreme obligation of a sovereign individual.

And who is this sovereign individual? Well, you, like it or not.

Pragmatic Philosophy

The study of philosophy is pragmatic - well, can be pragmatic.

For example, with a foundation of self ownership and a process of logic, a student of philosophy would hopefully come to the conclusion that the most sustainable economic system is the free market. And not just a free market governed by a state, but a free market for everything - security, healthcare, food, housing, recreational goods, charity.

The Smallest Minority

I keep stumbling across The Smallest Minority blog. What sticks with me is this quote:

The Smallest Minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand

I guess that I'll finally put The Smallest Minority in My Blog List.