We want less government. We want to lead our own lives with as little as possible government interference. At least until we become aware of social, environmental, and other problems, such as in this particular example the polluted Hudson River. The polluted Hudson is only one such problem. There are myriad others that regularly place [...]
Archive for May 2009
What Makes Us Happy?
May 15, 2009Longitudinal studies are rare. And the reason for this is not hard to find. They take time, a lifetime, for example, if you want to determine if X lived a happy life, and on what most of all that happiness was based. “Croesus,” Solon replies, “I see that thou art wonderfully rich, and art the [...]
“largesses” or bailouts from the public treasury
May 15, 2009A Scottish economist, Alexander Fraser Tyler, professed this opinion already in 1776: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesses from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most [...]
