For the NCFCA LD resolution, “Resolved: In the realm of economics, freedom ought to be valued above equity,” tax and regulatory policy are relevant. I will argue that income taxes do not lack equity...
Where might you look in the 1920s to 1950s for an intellectual atmosphere vibrant with discussions of classical liberal ideals, defending freedom and democracy and a strong civil society? Consider the country where a leading...
Governments want citizens to have access to education, but that doesn’t mean governments should run schools. Similarly, governments have an interest in monitoring visitors and immigrants to keep terrorists out. But that doesn’t mean...
Military disasters can spread rapidly in and around Syria and Iraq. Battlegrounds feed radical ideologies, from Bolshevism in Russia after World War I, Communism in Eastern Europe after World War II, and Maoism in...
This debate topic should encourage homeschool students to research American and Middle Eastern history, international affairs, geography, and the economics of trade, development, and energy. For over ten years Economic Thinking workshops have helped...
Most of the Middle East is troubled because most cities lack open societies and economies. State capitalism and socialism are the rule on most countries. Tradition-heavy societies regulated by entrenched elites is more the rule in world...
Imagine a government license was required to start a debate club, or to coach a student for free or for pay. Actually, that’s not so hard to imagine. Any city council that could ban...
I posted on the NCFCA policy topic, asking how refugee camps could be reformed or transformed to allow more economic freedom. Could refugee camps be Startup Cities. Lincoln-Douglas debaters might be suspicious of a LD...
In this 2012 interview Hernando de Soto explains how his ILD team was drawn into economic research in the Middle East. DeSoto’s discussion of legal institutions and elites and how they obstruct economic reform and...
Summer in Seattle shines wonderfully warm and leaves most mornings and evenings still cool. Spring and fall usher in clouds and drizzle, but it’s summer now. I was born here and elated to move...
