Beware the compromisers — a lesson from this generation’s history. In 1998, President Bill Clinton announced: “We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say Government is the problem and those who say Government is the solution. My fellow Americans, we have found a Third Way.” Third Way politics became popular in the […]
Third-Way Politics and Its Bitter Fruits [Good Life series] Read More »
Bad things happen in free markets. Some people lie, cut corners, commit fraud, and write bad checks. Others renege on contracts, offer or accept bribes, give kickbacks, embezzle, and more. Often this translates into an argument for government regulation. Free markets maximize liberty, the argument runs, so they give much more scope to immoral individuals,
Corruption—Is It Worse in Free or Government-Regulated Markets? [Good Life series] Read More »
Coisas ruins acontecem no livre mercado. Algumas pessoas mentem, utilizam atalhos, cometem fraudes e passam cheques sem fundo. Outros não cumprem contratos, oferecem ou aceitam suborno, pagam propina, roubam e assim por diante. Frequentemente isso se traduz em argumentos em prol da regulamentação governamental. O livre mercado maximiza a liberdade, diz o argumento, dando mais oportunidades
Corrupção — a regulamentação governamental ajuda? Read More »
Outra eleição se aproxima e a questão na mente de todos é a seguinte: os grandes doadores terão o retorno esperado? O cinismo sobre o financiamento de campanhas é uma resposta saudável a nossa longa história de capitalismo de compadrio. Quando os US$ 700 bilhões do pacote de resgate foram distribuídos durante a crise de
O dinheiro compra as eleições? Quando os bilionários cortejam os eleitores Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Another election looms, and the question on everyone’s mind is: Will the big donors get their money’s worth? “Cynicism about money in politics is a healthy response to our long history of cronyism. When $700 billion in bailout funds were distributed during the 2008 crisis, politically-connected financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs received
Does Money Buy Elections? When Billionaires Court Voters [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Here’s a print version [pdf] of my post on “’Third Way’ politics and its fruits” from earlier this year. Thanks to Chris Vaughan for his graphics work. The opening: “In 1998, President Bill Clinton announced: ‘We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say Government is the problem and those who say Government
“Third Way” Politics and Its Fruits — reprint version Read More »
Professor Capaldi lectured recently at Rockford University on the topic of “The Lockean Liberty Narrative versus the Rousseau Equality Narrative, and How These Narratives Explain Everything.” Afterward we discussed his themes — the conflict between the Lockean and Rousseauian narratives, enterprise and civil societies, the nature of the corporation, corporate philanthropy, cronyism, and more. Professor
Video interview with Professor Nicholas Capaldi Read More »
The 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, is one of the major business ethics cases of the past generation. A hazardous chemical was spilled and, tragically, many people died. Awful. But I am weary of reading the standard journalistic accounts that run like this: In the name of profit, a large American multinational corporation neglected safety;
Lessons from the Bhopal chemical-spill disaster Read More »