To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for results. This is not only intellectually invalid, it is, in practical terms, blinding oneself in advance to some of the unwanted consequences of the process.
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...no civilized society can long exist, with an active power in its bosom that is stronger than the law.
...no civilized society can long exist, with an active power in its bosom that is stronger than the law.
One of the peculiarities of the American Revolution was that its leaders pinned their hopes on the organization of decision-making read more
One of the peculiarities of the American Revolution was that its leaders pinned their hopes on the organization of decision-making units, the structuring of their incentives, and the counterbalancing of the units against one another, rather than on the more usual (and more exciting) principle of substituting "the good guys" for "the bad guys.".
We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to attain excellence. To discover what a read more
We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to attain excellence. To discover what a man truly craves but knows he cannot have we must find the field in which he advocates absolute equality. By this test Communists are frustrated Capitalists.
It is precisely those things which belong to "the people" which have historically been despoiled- wild creatures, the air, and read more
It is precisely those things which belong to "the people" which have historically been despoiled- wild creatures, the air, and waterways being notable examples. This goes to the heart of why property rights are socially important in the first place. Property rights mean self-interested monitors. No owned creatures are in danger of extinction. No owned forests are in danger of being leveled. No one kills the goose that lays the golden egg when it is his goose.
The unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism.
The unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism.
I'm the lamest lame duck there could be.
I'm the lamest lame duck there could be.
I think there are only three things America will be known for 2,000 years from now when they study this read more
I think there are only three things America will be known for 2,000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music, and baseball.
If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization.
If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization.
By the end, everybody had a label -- pig, liberal, radical, revolutionary ... If you had everything but a gun, read more
By the end, everybody had a label -- pig, liberal, radical, revolutionary ... If you had everything but a gun, you were a radical but not a revolutionary.
