Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr.'s Blog, page 2345

Is Tax Reform Libertarian?

The Republicans in the House and Senate have passed their tax bills. Because they have some notable differences, they will have to be reconciled so a final version can be sent to President Trump for his signature. Liberals, predictably, have generally condemned both bills even as conservatives, predictably, have generally commended them. Libertarians have weighed in as well, but unfortunately, not always from a libertarian perspective.

What makes tax reform libertarian?

Before addressing this...

Peak Fantasy Time

If you want to know why both Wall Street and Washington are so delusional about America’s baleful economic predicament, just consider this morsel from today’s Wall Street Journal on the purportedly awesome November jobs report.

Wages rose just 2.5% from a year earlier in November—near the same lackluster pace maintained since late 2015, despite a much lower unemployment rate. But in a positive sign for Americans’ incomes, the average work week increased by about 6 minutes to 34.5 hours in Nov...

Doggo Lingo

What’s in a name? If you’re a dog, a clue into your pet parents’ favorite movies, television shows, and musicians, apparently. Rover.com, the country’s largest online network of dog walkers and pet sitters, has just revealed the most popular dog names of the year. While the majority of those names follow (human) baby-naming trends—11 of the top 20 names are also among the top 100 baby names—pop culture also plays a big part in the moniker pet parents bestow upon their four-legged furballs. Ho...

Just How Many Shots

World Mercury Project gets questions about the number of vaccines given to young children in America today. Different articles cite different numbers and the totals can be confusing. This article and chart are designed to clarify the vaccine schedule and explain why the numbers may not always “add up.”  To be accurate, wording about total numbers of vaccines should include phrases like, “may receive up to” or “typically” or “between X and Y” number of vaccines. The individual numbers for any...

The 2 Biggest Car Stealing Days Are Almost Here

Two of the biggest holidays for vehicle thefts are just around the corner: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. They are among the top five holidays targeted by car thieves according to new data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Researchers looked at 2016 theft numbers. 22,705 vehicles were stolen over the 11 holidays included in the report. (Overall in 2016, a total of 803,719 vehicles ended up in the wrong hands.)

As you can see from the chart below, Halloween was the top holiday for...

The Survival Mom’s Christmas Gift Ideas

I could swear that it was only last week that my family and I celebrated the New Year, welcoming in 2017. How is it possible that we are talking gift guides, cold weather, and the biggest holiday season of all?

In my last year’s gift guide, you can read my recommendations here (they’re still all great gifts), my suggestions were all over the place from fleece-lined tights to my favorite LED flashlight! This year, my list is a little more organized, and I think there’s something here for just...

Towards a World War III Scenario

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.” –Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

The US has embarked on a military adventure, “a long war”, which threatens the future of humanity. US-NATO weapons of mass destruction are portrayed as instruments of peace. Mini-nukes are said to be “harmless to the surrounding civilian population”....

Doug Casey on the New Fed Chairman

A few words are in order about the likely new Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell.

I don’t know the man personally. Not that it would make any difference; denizens of the swamp within the Beltway usually present well, and a brief meeting rarely allows you to penetrate someone’s social veneer. But I’m pretty confident that if we dined together it would be tense and unpleasant. We’d have no common ground, after the obligatory two minutes on the weather and the state of the roads.

He’...

Unquotable Abe

Volumes can be, and have been, on how Abraham Lincoln was far from the president or the man that history (written by the winners in the North) claims he is. But the funny thing is, the point can be made without narrative from historians. The point can be made, and amply, with Lincoln’s own words.

Edited and with commentary by Lochlainn Seabrook, The Unquotable Abraham Lincoln does exactly that. With chapters on the REAL Lincolnian motives of the Civil War, his views on slavery, his Fedcentric...

Charlottesville

A review was conducted of the recent events in Charlottesville: Independent Review of the 2017 Protest Events in Charlottesville, Virginia (PDF).  The review was led by Hunton & Williams, a law firm founded in Richmond but with offices now around the world.

The report examines three events in the city during 2017; I will focus only on the most recent one – the one that generated the most coverage, controversy and destruction. The report is 220 pages; I will not go through all of it, but draw...