Libertarianism for Normal People

Today, we offer a bonus episode! As you might or might not know (probably not), co-host Pat Flynn has his own podcast – The Pat Flynn Show… clever name, right? The podcast is about expert generalism, which means learning multiple skills that will help you become a more complete and valuable person to others who need the services you can offer. Pat’s had a variety of guests from different backgrounds who have achieved success not by specializing in one particular skill, but in many. A recent guest was one with which many libertarians should be familiar – Michael Malice, author of “Dear Reader: An Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il,” and ghostwriter for several celebrity books. Pat and Michael discussed a multitude of topics, including writing and of course, North Korea. We thought our Libertarianism For Normal People audience would get a kick out of Pat’s conversation with Michael, so please… enjoy!

God bless the Facebook trolls who comment on our LFNP page. They give us so much fodder for episode content. One particular commenter made the mistake of putting forth cliché, weak arguments in response to a meme we posted. Does the term “muh roads!” ring any bells? This got us thinking… a lot of the arguments the Left makes often collapse on themselves when you take them to their logical conclusions. We talk about some examples in this episode.

Libertarian nationalism… In a nutshell, it’s the idea that a libertarian society should be built with a nationalist focus. Seems contradictory with libertarian values, so we decided to discuss with Aaron Fountaine, who happens to be a high school friend of Pat and is a proponent of this idea. The discussion was originally meant to be a debate, but turned into more of a roundtable talk. Is libertarian nationalism a viable option for people of our way of thinking? Take a listen and decide for yourselves (we weren’t exactly convinced).

When it comes to law enforcement, libertarians favor, for the most part, private solutions. We would rather have a market-based security agency than a monopolized police force populated by self-serving, unaccountable individuals who think they’re above the laws they are supposed to enforce. This philosophy has caused many libertarians to ‘act out’ against police officers. You’ve probably seen the videos of anti-statists giving cops a hard time during traffic stops or on the street. But is this a good approach? If you’re getting a speeding ticket, is it worth refusing to answer questions and voicing your objection to state-oriented law enforcement to an officer who might not have a political agenda and just feels that they’re doing his/her job? We discuss in today’s episode.

We recorded this shortly after the incident in Charlottesville. Given the reaction from the media, the left wing, and even conservative and libertarian leaders, it’s clear that there’s a hysteria in America that I haven’t seen in my entire life. A few hundred white nationalists, alt-righters, and a few Nazis and KKK members were present, but if you were to perceive nothing about this event other than the views of politicians and the mainstream media, you would swear that America is on the verge of being overrun by these ideologically twisted people. Now, America has its problems, but white supremacy ain’t one. Yes. I know. There are racists, Nazis, and Klansmen in the America. But they are so marginalized – they have no political power, no influence in the media or Hollywood, and no presence whatsoever in academia – that to consider them a true threat is treading in hysterical waters. If you actually think we’re another tiki-torch demonstration away from the Nazi flag being raised at the Capitol Building, grab the reins and listen to this episode.

One of our value-add episodes to help our listeners find greater success in your professional lives so you can move closer to greater independence. Today we talk about expert generalism. All our lives we’ve been told that the key to success is focusing on one skill and becoming as proficient as possible. But is that still true? In today’s diverse economy, specialization can actually be a detriment to your professional life. Most entrepreneurs, and even 9-to-5 employees are looking to advance themselves by acquiring a set of different skills to make themselves more valuable to employers and clients. It’s called expert generalism, and we explain what it is in today’s episode.

It seems to be a universal truth among libertarians that marijuana should be legal or at least decriminalized. It’s the one thing we all seem to agree upon. We’ve always contended that it should be legal because it’s immoral to throw someone in a cage for possessing, using, buying, or selling a plant. In addition, it’s an obscene waste of tax dollars and resources to enforce the laws prohibiting it. However, some libertarians try to push for legalization by promoting marijuana as a cure-all for anything that ails. While we’re not denying that pot does have its medicinal benefits, we take issue with touting it as a miracle substance. We discuss the issues with this approach.

Two recent stories came out recently, neither of which we thought we could riff on for 30 minutes: Trump’s ban of transgender people in the military and the microchipping of employees by a Wisconsin company. So we combined the two topics in one episode. Enjoy!

There’s a lot of buzz in the news these days about jobs being eliminated through automation: machinery, computers, artificial intelligence, etc. But why so much concern today? From the early days of humanity, advancements in technology has made humans more productive and wealthier, not the opposite. Sure, there are people who lose jobs when a new innovation makes an occupation obsolete. But the human resources no longer used in that occupation can be used elsewhere where they’re more needed. Are we worse off now that farm equipment has taken over those jobs that humans and animals used to do in the agricultural economy? It’s a silly fear, but one that perpetuates because of political reasons. We discuss.

A few weeks ago, Sen. John McCain was diagnosed with a brain tumor. While I know libertarians have no love for McCain and his political legacy, I found it disturbing the joy that was taken when hearing the news of his disease. This is probably a personal thing for me, rather than an objective observation, but I’ve always felt that libertarians are more principled and morally superior to others who hold strong political beliefs. I still do, but this instance threw me for a loop. In the latest episode, we discuss why libertarians should think twice about openly celebrating the diagnosis of a horrible disease on anyone and the inherent danger of projecting that sentiment to others who already think we’re “heartless.”

When it comes to spreading the idea of a free-market education system on line, I’ve often tried to stress the horribly inefficient, bureaucratic system perpetuated by the government. When I’ve tried to engage people on Facebook, I’ve gotten the argument, “Well, you’re not an educator, so you don’t really know what you’re talking about!” Well, now we have a friggin’ educator on our show! Our guest for this episode, Alyssa Lauren, is a former public school teacher who became an educator in order to make a difference in the lives of children, but eventually grew to become frustrated with the system and the bureaucratic treatment of students. Alyssa is now the owner/operator of her own online fitness coaching business, Aly Di Fitness, but is still passionate about the lacking, one-size-fits-all, education monopoly that has turned out generations of people who are unable to appropriately face life’s challenges.

One of the cornerstones of a free society is freedom of the press. We at LFNP firmly believe that. A free press is one that can keep a check on the government’s overreaching powers and infringements on civil rights. The problem is, what we call “the press” or “journalism” today isn’t even close; it’s a mouthpiece for one particular side of the political spectrum with the goal of furthering its agenda and expanding its power. For those who are on the whole #journalismmatters kick in the era of Trump, we have some insights for you in this episode.

When we think of creativity, we often think in terms of art – a painting or sculpture, for instance. But creativity is a valuable trait that goes beyond just artistic expression. Professionals need to find creative solutions to increase productivity or reduce costs. Entrepreneurs use creativity to find solutions to problems customers are experiencing. Marketers need to think of ways their companies can stand out from the competition. Even libertarians need to be creative if they want to discover new ways to spread the message of liberty. So what is the essence of creativity, and how can it be nurtured even in someone who doesn’t think he/she is creative at all? We discuss in today’s episode!

A recent study by the University of Washington found negative effects of the minimum wage increase implemented by Seattle in the last few years. In a progressive city like Seattle, this wasn’t what they wanted to hear (which is probably why they commissioned UC Berkley to do another study, which, SURPRISE!... said that the minimum wage increase was just jim dandy!) But what’s the reality? What are the basic economics of increasing the mandatory minimum rate of pay? We hash it out in today’s episode.

In a nation that elected an African-American president to two terms, the state of race relations seems to be as low as it’s been in decades. So what’s at the root of the problem? Is it actual racism among the American population? Are we white people just so darned privileged and unaware of our inherent racism that it’s affecting minority citizens? Or is it something else? We discuss this hotly debated topic.