The Wisconsin State Journal has a fine story today, about the success of a local venture, exhibiting admirable creativity, industry, and individuality: John Sotherland [of Bicyclewise] has been building his own custom, light-weight steel bicycles since 2006 with little marketing push. That will change next week when the Whitewater bike shop owner officially launches his Sotherland Custom Bicycles line at the National Handbuilt…
Free Markets
City, Free Markets, Libertarians, Liberty
Sundry Libertarian Themes
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve had an eclectic set of posts lately, perhaps more even than usual. Someone asked me if there’s a theme to them, and there is. These recent posts reflect a libertarian view (although not exclusively a libertarian one.) I’ll list some posts, with a few remarks on each. First, what do we believe? Libertarians support…
Free Markets, Liberty
Executive Q&A: ‘I believe in the American dream’
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yes — no better opportunities in all the world: “I believe in the American dream,” said [accountant Julia] Arata-Fratta. “This is a country of opportunity. If you work hard, you are rewarded.”That meant learning the language and renewing her tax accounting skills to re-enter the work force. Now, she’s dedicated to making it easier for…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Politics
Postville judge calls proceedings “travesty” in new documentary
by JOHN ADAMS •
The massive meat packing plant raid in Postville, Iowa – and the prosecutions of immigrant workers arrested there – have been drawing heat since agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement swarmed Agriprocessors Inc. in May 2008. Via Grass Roots: Postville judge calls proceedings “travesty” in new documentary.
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Institute for Justice Defends the Rights of Street Vendors
by JOHN ADAMS •
The presence of a street vendor should be a welcome sign for a community, as evidence of a flourishing, diverse economy. More to the point — should government be used to discriminate against popular, efficient street vendors and in favor of less popular, less efficient brick-and-mortar retailers? Shouldn’t picking one over the other be a…
Free Markets
Curiosity Thrilled the Cat — The American, A Magazine of Ideas
by JOHN ADAMS •
….the free market promotes another virtue [additional to independence, productivity, and self-responsibility] that is rarely mentioned: curiosity. In 2004, psychologists Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson created an index of 24 character strengths, such as kindness, wisdom, and gratitude; based on their research, curiosity was one of the top five most closely linked to fulfillment and…
Free Markets
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a fine story over at the GazetteXtra entitled, New Janesville business planning to stick around, about a cane and walking stick manufacturer. [Lenny] Staller, a self-taught cabinetmaker, spent years making wooden toys. Now the 70-year-old Janesville man creates canes, walking and hiking sticks. He works in a shop in the back of the store…
Free Markets
Will new Walmart be good for Whitewater? — Walworth County Today
by JOHN ADAMS •
Economy, Free Markets, Libertarians
Dorian Electra: I’m in Love with Friedrich Hayek
by JOHN ADAMS •
Simply wonderful. DORIANELECTRA | December 19, 2010 | A love song for economist F. A. Hayek. Original song by Dorian Electra. Filmed by Clara Lee, Madeline Scholl, and Ciaran Finlayson. Lyrics: Hey there Friedrich Hayek, ya lookin really nice Your methodology is oh so precise You break down social science to the fundamentals Rules and…
Free Markets
Phone-Wielding Shoppers Strike Fear Into Retailers – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
The power of buyers in the market: Last year, he might have just dropped the $184.85 Garmin global positioning system into his cart. This time, he took out his Android phone and typed the model number into an app that instantly compared the Best Buy price to those of other retailers. He found that he…
Economy, Free Markets, Poverty
Libertarians and Economists Think Economic Progress Is Very Cool | The Atlantic Wire
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yes, libertarians do. Dynamic markets have improved lives for Americans of all classes. So much so, that we’re far less interested in economic classes than other peoples are. Progress so considerable that wealth from a century ago offered less, in so many ways, than an average income today. We’ll gladly leave a defense of stagnation…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations
WSJ Editorial Board Member Advocates For Free-Market Immigration | Worcester Business Journal
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a wholly libertarian position: The free market should govern how many legal immigrants are allowed into the country, a member of the Wall Street editorial board said during a discussion hosted by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. Jason Riley, author of the book “Let Them In: The Case For Open Borders,” spoke about the…
Books, Free Markets
‘Birds of America’ by John James Audubon Sets Book-Sale Record – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Maybe print’s not dead after all. In a four-minute bidding battle in London that set Sotheby’s astir, an original edition of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America” on Tuesday set what the company called a record for the sale of printed books at auction. Michael Tollemache, a London fine art dealer and bird enthusiast, bought…