Notable ...
Kay Hymowitz thinks she’s writing about the cultural contradictions of libertarianism. But what she’s really writing about is the paradox of capitalism:echostar driver download
On the one hand, libertarians make a fetish of freedom; it is their totalizing goal. On the other hand, libertarians depend on the family—an institution that, in crucial respects, is unfree—to produce the sort of people best suited to life in a free-market system (not to mention future members of their own movement). The complex, dynamic economy that libertarians have done so much to expand needs highly advanced human capital—that is, individuals of great moral, cognitive and emotional sophistication. Reams of social-science research prove that these qualities are best produced in traditional families with married parents.
Family breakdown, by contrast, limits the accumulation of such human capital. Worse, divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing leave the door wide open for big government.
I can’t speak for all libertarians, but I don’t doubt the benefits of the traditional family, or its importance to a system of free enterprise. (And neither, as Hymowitz acknowledges, did Friedrich Hayek, the father of contemporary libertarianism.) But in any case, “[W]hat,” as Megan McArdle asks, “do you want the government to do? Shall we ban household appliances, so that it’s harder for women to work, so that they’re more economically dependent on their husbands, so that they’re less likely to seek a divorce?” [Emphasis added.] echostar driver download
 |
|
Mammon.echostar driver download |
The paradox — or, if you prefer, the moral hazard — of capitalism is that it undermines the very values that make it possible. Because it begets abundance and comfort, capitalism may replace industry with sloth; thrift with consumption; discipline with indulgence; and sacrifice with gratification. As Hymowitz notes, capitalism starts with “individuals of great moral, cognitive and emotional sophistication,” but it may end with the fat and lazy. (Even our poor are notable not for their work ethic or even their hunger, but for their obesity and cell phone service, as Hymowitz observes.) echostar driver download
If libertarians don’t have an answer for all the cultural implications of a vibrant economy, neither do social conservatives. Though descendants of Burke, they usually share the libertarian’s appreciation for the blessings of capitalism, and their gleaming, well-appointed cathedrals are not attended by the same hardy stock who pitched the old time revival tent.echostar driver download
This is apparently a lark; but if so, it’s a damn freaky one. People say the new generation of ghey bois is butching it up. But I ask you: What does the mascara say? echostar driver download
Are we going to bomb Iran before Mr. Bush leaves office or what? I vote for what. echostar driver download
ADDED — Don’t misunderstand me. Assuming we have actionable intelligence, I’m all for bombing Iran — or, more precisely, I’m for bombing the things in Iran that need bombing. But the chatter aside, I just don’t think the president will actually do it. I’d be happy to have him prove me wrong.echostar driver download
My man Rudy is slipping in the polls, and I can’t feign surprise. Let me paraphrase a line from The Devil Wears Prada: You’re running in the Republican primary, Your Honor. An interest in Republican values is crucial.echostar driver download