We the Individuals

The novel proposal we each choose our own manners of being governed.
Profile picture
  • Jeff Peterson II, Chris Calton, Blaine Kelley, Henry Moore, Matt Tanous and Rocco Stanzione

Bernies Brainery Blunder Nov 16, 2015

Earlier this year, We the Individuals published a piece following Bernie Sanders’ announcement to run for president. Since that time, Bernie Sanders has made a number of other proposals to “fix” this country which have been echoed by his supporters. Certain issues he has sworn to deal with are healthcare, minimum wage, and college — it is the latter which we will be addressing.   If you are a student in college, you may be aware that the costs of college have continued to rise. Because of this, students take on enormous debt which for many individuals takes years to pay off...

By We the Individuals Vote10 0

Fear the Boom Oct 27, 2015

There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. -Ludwig von Mises   The Austrian Business Cycle Theory (ABCT) elaborates on booms and busts that are happening in the economy. As you might have guessed if you don't know already, this series of booms and busts is known as the business cycle. ABCT was originally developed by Ludwig von Mises in...

By We the Individuals Vote10 1

The Education Calculation Problem Aug 28, 2015

A public and subsidized school system is guaranteed to fail, and will become worse as time goes on. The only way to reliably provide a robust and useful education to individuals is through the free market.

By We the Individuals Vote23 0

Go Home, Bernie Sanders, You’re Drunk. Jun 1, 2015

As the election season draws closer, more and more candidates have thrown their hats into the ring. It seems everyone and their dog is now running for president. Up until the end of last month, the forecast looked as if it was to be, well, the entire Republican party versus Hillary Clinton. That is until late April of this year when the senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy. And if that isn't bad enough, Bernie Sanders brought a couple of economic fallacies with him which have since been regurgitated by his supporters and many others on the Left.   Prior...

By Jeff Peterson II Vote20 4

Only the Individual Acts May 11, 2015

Methodological individualism is the method of social study which realizes that groups and collectives have no existence outside of the actions of specific individuals. An understanding of collectives must begin with an understanding of individual action. Yet this does not deny the existence or significance of groups and collectives. As Mises argues, "Nobody ventures to deny that nations, states, municipalities, parties, religious communities, are real factors determining the course of human events. Methodological individualism, far from contesting the significance of such collective wholes, considers it as one of its main tasks to describe and to analyze their becoming and their disappearing,...

By We the Individuals Vote11 2

Paving the Road with Good Intentions May 4, 2015

Without economics, good intentions rarely translate into good results. Most people don't even know they're making or dealing with economic arguments. You don't start with a goal and try to build economic models to produce the desired results, resisting any understanding that fails to conform to your ideological preferences. No. Our sole pursuit is an understanding of the market, and our political advocacy comes from the results of this analysis, not the other way around.

By Jeff Peterson II Vote9 2

Man, Economy, and Netflix Apr 27, 2015

If you're like me, you may to an extent be a nerd when it comes to economics. Like many who have studied economics, I am the type of guy who will watch a movie like Cast Away or Mad Max and start doing an analysis of the economic systems the characters use or how they trade and survive. Occasionally I will watch a movie like Godzilla or The Avengers and when destruction happens, I am the kind of person who will call the antagonists Keynesians. So you could say I like economics. Some people don't typically care for economics, for...

By We the Individuals Vote11 0

Let the Free Market Abolish the Unions Apr 20, 2015

When the words "labor union" are spoken, many libertarians will rightfully cringe. The student of economics understands the economic complications that unions create and the student of politics recognizes the influence on government that unions exert. In this regard, the free market libertarian approach appears to be clearly anti-union. At least until we begin to explore some of the nuances of the debate. In the debate on unions,  the first distinction to make is between “forced association” and “free association.” Because unions make up some of the largest political contributors, the overwhelming influence of unions - both economically and politically...

By We the Individuals Vote14 5

The Tao of Reisenwitz Apr 13, 2015

I am going to start this article by issuing a formal, public apology. Some time ago I made the claim that the person who is the subject of this article is not a libertarian due to the fact that she cared more for being a libertarian "celebrity" as opposed to libertarian principles. It was my error to assume so. Over the last year or so there has been an individual who has been in the spotlight and has also caused shockwaves amongst various libertarian circles and who goes by the name Cathy Reisenwitz. If you have been around in the...

By Jeff Peterson II Vote17 2

I Fought the Law and the Law Won Apr 7, 2015

In a previous article I described a legal system that doesn’t commit aggression and prohibits aggression. You may have noticed it doesn't rely on armed agents providing ex ante defensive services — rather it relies on a) providing restitution to victims if aggressions do occur, and b) doing so at the perpetrator's expense when possible, such that aggression becomes very risky and expensive. Since law was one of the last things I fought mentally, myself, before being won over, and because it was a basic layout, undoubtedly there will be those with concerns and "what if" questions, which I aim...

By Jeff Peterson II Vote4 1

Login