Competitive human nature efficient tool of power

It is difficult to express the extent to which our perceptions are engineered because it is pervasive and we have no baseline against which it may be measured.

Loaded issue of the Second Amendment

Any argument about guns is an argument about people, an argument about power and who holds it.

Currency not worth its weight in gold

The nice thing about being a libertarian is that I have front-row tickets to the very best conspiracy theories.

The manipulative power of words

Words are fascinating things.

Redefining ‘us’ and ‘them’

We humans can be huge jerks, and we’re getting better at it every day. Society, however cracked, provides a structure that encourages good behavior* and discourages the bad. Most of us would behave a bit worse if we knew we…

The trouble with democracy today

Eric Baldwin is an electrical engineering senior and Mustang Daily libertarian columnist. Democracy comes in two flavors — direct and representative. Direct democracy takes place when enfranchised citizens vote on the issues and problems they face, while in a representative…

Labor unions have the potential to spark debates

Eric Baldwin is an electrical engineering senior and Mustang Daily libertarian columnist.

Power and responsibility in government

I like the Spider-Man films (well, not the third one, but who does?) and have liked them since they came out. Bless my little heart, I liked the catch-phrase too: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It was inspiring to…

Government should protect property rights

Say you own a llama ranch, but I decide how it is operated, how the money is spent and whether or not to sell the entire operation to the alpaca cartel down the street. Which of us really owns the…

Taking the fun out of obesity

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors made a bad decision — not by manipulating children, but by assuming that volition is less important than behavior.

Lessons about the Electoral College

Every four years we have a presidential election, and every presidential election at least one person complains bitterly about that barbaric anachronism, the Electoral College. And they’re always wrong.