2026-03-17T18:51:22Z https://nostr.now Michael Matulef https://nostr.now/npub1t42gfjzfv74v8xrv65f2lrwd65jr85ysrtdmkkfrvqgcss5r4g0qk487qz https://image.nostr.build/6342fdf7bcfd6aa694b648b25479a3566435d3795d635221159b3ac7949c91cc.jpg https://image.nostr.build/6342fdf7bcfd6aa694b648b25479a3566435d3795d635221159b3ac7949c91cc.jpg https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0y0a290gmh25tzln2uxpyp8fedvcwmkvl8hjl0jjgatltuqnq3tgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pugtjct3 Money is the foundation of the structure of social cooperation, and you cannot straighten the upper floors of a building whose foundation is sliding. 2026-10-18T03:02:50Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfjtdnf4r69h9n99u8ld360cax7f6gvsulkhma6w6awy5w6kfd0cqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu9h7k7y The money is broken, and everything else runs downstream of that.<br/><br/> <img src="https://npub1t42gfjzfv74v8xrv65f2lrwd65jr85ysrtdmkkfrvqgcss5r4g0qk487qz.blossom.band/3ed015c2e0ed6ece530a8b05ae3fc6ec37f40deb2f297398133015eabfff9cdf.jpg"> 2026-10-18T02:47:07Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsf90qggn0zfmzedpd8ccgvqjha9qkh6q9h9j3ug65spc5qgfyrzlqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pul80hjr You Are the Collateral, Forty-Three Cents on the Dollar<br/><br/>My latest with Mises Institute <br/><br/><a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/you-are-collateral-forty-three-cents-dollar">https://mises.org/mises-wire/you-are-collateral-forty-three-cents-dollar</a> 2026-10-15T01:20:44Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0l657fcjwl2t92s3nzecvyddvyj02egdlme96n7erzjqsxa0nd5gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu9shvyt Yet while there is little that is likely to induce men who are good by our standards to aspire to leading positions in the totalitarian machine, and much to deter them, there will be special opportunities for the ruthless and unscrupulous. There will be jobs to be done about the badness of which taken by themselves nobody has any doubt, but which have to be done in the service of some higher end, and which have to be executed with the same expertness and efficiency as any others. And as there will be need for actions which are bad in themselves, and which all those still influenced by traditional morals will be reluctant to perform, the readiness to do bad things becomes a path to promotion and power. The positions in a totalitarian society in which it is necessary to practice cruelty and intimidation, deliberate deception and spying, are numerous. 2026-10-11T03:16:59Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsztvuekrd8879nueu93p6rg3gw8dk0jk20q7zmuf5z6gwdh02yv0czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu7u2wzr In the beginning there was man, and for a time it was good. But humanity’s so called ‘civil societies’ soon fell victim to vanity and corruption. Then man made the machine in his own likeness. 2026-10-11T02:07:01Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsgs6qrlfau35gvr3lpu3hwl95cppdzh6rwapf635m5qtyjny20uzgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pud5vyhl Fireworks for the Regime: What July 4th Actually Celebrates<br/><br/>My latest with Mises Institute <br/><br/><a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/fireworks-regime-what-july-4th-actually-celebrates">https://mises.org/mises-wire/fireworks-regime-what-july-4th-actually-celebrates</a> 2026-07-08T20:07:35Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqspc7m4r8tx8ejy2es2mah3awshxzh4y2hy0nac4vzz97kt8x63k3gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu5nxqcd <img src="https://npub1t42gfjzfv74v8xrv65f2lrwd65jr85ysrtdmkkfrvqgcss5r4g0qk487qz.blossom.band/55ec949b8982f69b23014580b90910e26e814f88b8c0a24cc530fa40e2d50445.jpg"> 2026-05-27T01:46:23Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsdqfaaj0dgkppefuqwlmejvze25xq00uazq4kg5t3zdp8zq80q0qgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu5xmdhu In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsdjfuvh0pezsvv7gzcrv6lzl9upf5ytgv5xh7cfs875kwwjp4v98spz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhs5kg2cj'>nevent1q…g2cj</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/> <img src="https://npub1t42gfjzfv74v8xrv65f2lrwd65jr85ysrtdmkkfrvqgcss5r4g0qk487qz.blossom.band/d30f6bc77c7038dea50a6dd659f78410b6e141920462977bff749e9c6d0195ab.gif"> 2026-05-16T14:31:38Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs80kytjglq5tpq6g75acs2fkfvm5vzyxrda4qyn7xzkcka7kqxfcgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pusqmt9d Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. 2026-04-15T13:45:01Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs9j5lzfnmppqgq36ly8qrewxz0gzpt8srcm5we79zehngsj3txxvczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puultf38 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspdmdtq73yvq53t3w00r8d38gdz696fanl8rqpx8aw9gsafjmhn5cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsgrfu7y'>nevent1q…fu7y</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>The challenge, then, isn’t to beat the machines but to learn to work meaningfully alongside them. Every major leap in technology has shifted what counted as valuable work, and this one is no different. What endures is not the particular task but the capacity to judge, to choose, and to care about the outcome. That capacity—the human ability to turn means into purpose—is what anchors progress. AI will keep spreading, but meaning still begins where judgment does: in the mind of the person deciding what is worth doing at all. 2026-03-23T18:06:35Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsptj7uhpu0wr70nasg7tehkvaflng7s4l8h0t56w38pjd53x7zy7qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puh4pux5 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/f6893c8cb367e12d629bed62864623d6ded0310d01f58190ac444345a5a95add.jpg"> 2026-03-01T02:06:56Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxahnzg0c3cqf49mjeas9dxs05c2dnnj7y48lph3ex6slfaud8puczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu7ms7ye Regardless of the advancements in AI, the central question does not change: given scarcity, what should you do with your time, and what should you let the tools do? 2026-02-28T03:14:44Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsy80ecn0zx26qgx7uj7mczltcgvr3zsfvdczktpw4a7cemnzslc3czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puyt3d7f Why do we need to give money to taxes and social security?<br/><br/>That money needs to go to fun stuff, like chicken nuggies and milkshakes. 2026-01-25T04:06:45Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqswz3szeka0pxxdgqy02m4f70n936xnf45l5vpdndctf300ykvgazgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puqze200 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/976d5f47ada544980886bf957fcdef2105931f1c00bf9358db59d2f0ce922d80.jpg"> 2025-12-20T02:31:02Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsrzhhe2jz42azt68840a5xrswmzswz42wkfn746r2l752vgrg5h2gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pue5c2xy <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/7M3e0FJX7tyI3M0CNcRlvN">https://open.spotify.com/track/7M3e0FJX7tyI3M0CNcRlvN</a> 2025-12-07T01:15:39Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqstr5ld8e5uq60qw3fhetlx3gyk9zaq0qlh96x0mjt9czsylgkgvpgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pur20hsz Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.<br/><blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/nevent1qqspxlea9txrfl56pnxcahak53rnnulymt5ckea9ef6fqt6c5qjrtscpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qh8nk2346qezka5cpm8jjh3yl5j88pf4ly2ptu7s6uu55wcfqy0wqxpqqqqqqzzlh95z" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">nevent1q…h95z</a></span> </div> “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”<br/> <br/>― Frédéric Bastiat<br/><br/> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/4ee3dfc01442036084a40b9fcad02a9b902f5f4fd73e63d248739f179e565655.jpg"> </blockquote> 2025-12-06T03:11:47Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsp8d4hejczzq2y5t5mn5kzgvver63t7ag2vrd7k8ldmtg9jqyzgyczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puqwcrje In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqj75jws49s9ctyhm3ylcprdupqttrhcx2mgfrnsrstqscajupamsppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0e7xtcn'>nevent1q…xtcn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>The distinction rests on whether power is dynamic or static. A wealthy entrepreneur can lose their wealth if they fail to serve consumers well. An entrenched power holder protected from competition cannot. 2025-11-22T11:16:55Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsyry6m0ul6pz9g2jhquxjf0jyeagvxadkxlu6quj5zlm3hx4l5z3gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pucmju0f In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxxypjfkvjfnj73r2z9cjvltk0jvtyrq4e66wd48w0p2rgrg2u33spz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhs3x0xuy'>nevent1q…0xuy</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>These scenarios are fundamentally different because they involve different mechanisms of power acquisition. 2025-11-22T05:00:29Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsre5fswkuchds266s9ruvnfulnej4excpexfgl7dkaxaynktds2tszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puufqz7n A world in which the wealthy are powerful is still a better world than one in which only the already powerful can acquire wealth.”<br/><br/>— Friedrich Hayek 2025-11-22T03:08:58Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsw0yzzwn2gk7vmykhjm8pm5u4a7ha2s97vsansl8l4krze7w86vsgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu8yngds The Road to De-Civilization: Inflation and the Moral Erosion of Society<br/><br/>My latest with the Mises Institute <br/><br/><a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/road-de-civilization-inflation-and-moral-erosion-society">https://mises.org/mises-wire/road-de-civilization-inflation-and-moral-erosion-society</a> 2025-11-17T14:44:16Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsypssu65f9avagv5n00pugcfl849042zfpaf0rz9ekwz0w0k32eggzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puns6r4x <img src="https://image.nostr.build/b1c2fcb25545b94d3976a90792c29da433722cf4dc20ff9b28113bfa27a0e8cd.jpg"> 2025-11-10T02:52:32Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsd45kfq7ayhe5dhpwl9ksdteu2s8t844axm82ajnff2erfwc3nl2qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puwghmp0 Economics is the study of how human beings cooperate peacefully to improve their conditions. 2025-11-09T02:00:04Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs8smvq860p8w58uwje57kvudv2d0mgjn7uud7zeevu5cdfka56xkczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4punnvn7k In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxrnf43pugrrs224p5yzvzh9pka3w6ntpfha2f8upwdf84anftt5qpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhst6uphr'>nevent1q…uphr</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>🤌 2025-10-28T01:04:08Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqswyqx9xvrz2hrp9my9e4v8fgd5q8n2pxsnkwtcq7q5r5m3chr6puszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pujudsj3 Sound money is the precondition for a free and civilized society, and its absence is the precondition for barbarism.<br/> 2025-10-27T21:43:41Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsv6xscgace9pwm8rfr922mysfec7uq66hu8laa3qhgrds5tl78kxszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pupzymvl Beyond economic disruption, the real concern with AI lies in privacy and data control. Most AI models capture and store everything users share, often making that data accessible to governments upon request. What individuals disclose to AI systems is thus rarely private. While privacy-focused encrypted models like <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqs8msutuusu385l6wpdzf2473d2zlh750yfayfseqwryr6mfazqvmgpy4mhxue69uhkvet9v3ejumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtm0d4hxjh6lwejkuar4wfjhxqfswaehxw309a5hgcmg0ykkwmmvv3jkuun0vskkvatjvdhkuargdacxsct8w4ejuumrv9exzc3wd9kj7qfpwaehxw309ahx7um5wgkhyetvv9ujuar90pshx6r9v3nk2tnc09az7em0qzz" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>MapleAI</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…0qzz</span>)</a></span> seek to protect user data, it remains uncertain whether they can compete with larger, closed-source models backed by powerful corporations.<br/><br/>This uncertainty reflects a deeper market reality that Austrian economists would recognize: revealed preferences often contradict stated preferences. Despite widespread expressions of concern about privacy and surveillance, the market consistently rewards the most convenient and capable AI systems regardless of their data practices. Users continue flocking to platforms that offer superior functionality while harvesting extensive personal information, suggesting that most consumers value performance and convenience over data protection. At that point, the concern is government opportunism. Whether entrepreneurial innovation will eventually satisfy latent demand for privacy-first alternatives, or whether the market will continue prioritizing capability over confidentiality, remains an open question that only time and consumer choice can resolve.<br/><blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/nevent1qqs8td6lgadlxhg3vl7xztz073hv3lpcujn93nur3jglpcp0ne6xxtcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygza2jzvsjt84tpesmx4z2hcmnw4yseapyq6mwa4jgmqzxyy9qa2rcpsgqqqqqqsrt3f2t" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">nevent1q…3f2t</a></span> </div> The Economics of AI: Dispelling Fears and Embracing Entrepreneurship<br/><br/>My latest piece with Mises<br/><br/><a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/economics-ai-dispelling-fears-and-embracing-entrepreneurship">https://mises.org/mises-wire/economics-ai-dispelling-fears-and-embracing-entrepreneurship</a> </blockquote> 2025-10-04T18:45:11Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxlclcmwryvfqegjq9g6ymqf4yg9krmj3jz48hf9zknuxlvmcmz2gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puflzq49 <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqsqyredyxhqn0e4ln0mvh0v79rchpr0taeg4vcvt64te4kssx5pc0spzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5hstpyv82" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>adam3us</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…yv82</span>)</a></span> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/baa88a0970696c8e0c0e2f0dc8712a6b59eb4ca730910b934b0bcb90def5e11f.jpg"> 2025-09-20T00:46:15Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0qa9ug76alaxzkn0gjm2quklxqw5gw5x0kpfxaujzq5mdag7k3mqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puedlq4n In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8tvfr7pne4rt77zp7guf67jujprmks7r3huk0hnsl36q66hxeyasppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0003pjf'>nevent1q…3pjf</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch, we are free. 2025-09-13T20:28:39Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsd9my476shnxmagnjfjhr0jev5h07j2p0arljcyrq9rhhxn30582qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puz4e08w The whole of economics can be reduced to a single lesson: we cannot escape scarcity. 2025-08-23T12:04:17Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsqvpwn6n02us403vvjv0t2csvvw7f7qqspjdm2yjzycy95hcjwwlgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pux6kd2s Math doesn&#39;t care about your feelings or your fairy tale ideology.<br/><br/>- <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqs9pk20ctv9srrg9vr354p03v0rrgsqkpggh2u45va77zz4mu5p6ccpzemhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejz7qgkwaehxw309a5xjum59ehx7um5wghxcctwvshszrnhwden5te0dehhxtnvdakz7qrxnfk" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>calle</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…xnfk</span>)</a></span> 2025-08-23T11:56:55Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsgyj2wpkmz6mz7z4n0q607puf7j9fgv6mhj43w5jrpfptcff70yrszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu9syk3w <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqsysf655pttrea4rghxa8hejc6vz4u0ryyzetm2x57hmwxp5xgzx0gpzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef00jjhwh" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>skwp</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…jhwh</span>)</a></span><br/> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/38e589622d4cd663c0e2259559ea59a798ae00b2eb0a89423f56d8625e4d8ace.jpg"> 2025-08-15T00:13:41Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs2r06flxns6nephqxdmzt2y7lc3fead3c4ty4s80p9lh7z9m7yqmqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pur7v338 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/5e24fd29424cb31b579e77694527de82a5752076acf757ddeb318a5e41198587.jpg"> 2025-08-14T16:16:04Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs80lczgrgk5fvntllgqg0v4tyq4plqz2llkh0lgvhvcuplnh36z6qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puajf5cj <img src="https://image.nostr.build/37cc43fc02a3b0d0d61c8fb9a5f59f7fb1c104c26f7da01131255f7bafea339f.jpg"> 2025-08-13T17:06:21Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsvyewu6u7rqxyxr6ahq9tphhj7cfem97qc0j5pcxwnzdsd7g7enzszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu47gdck “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”<br/><br/>— Friedrich Hayek 2025-08-09T20:37:20Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs2vffz968p7zzehjxtsaldhhv77wrr2lym6gpt9l0vstv6hg2ufpgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu3jj475 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs0y3qmpfyax80uwq4u7636h7uuz03k2j9yyrrtp7hf3z84kspx3jcs6fw0d'>nevent1q…fw0d</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Fair point—any elite, natural or political, will work to protect and expand its position. The distinction I’m making isn’t about motives but about tools. A mafia boss and a police chief both have guns, but only one can tax you by law and outlaw his competition. That legal monopoly is what makes political elites far harder to dislodge. The danger is when voluntary elites gain so much control that “exit” stops being a real option—at that point, they’ve effectively become a state.<br/><br/>I&#39;ll look more into your recommendation. Thanks for this exchange 🤙 2025-08-09T13:34:31Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsw3uuu8xe67deke8kgz6fsqr565tjedj2jk4v7tyzfp0me6em6rtszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puyvkts7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsdkm6nx4a6vykm80vva6cuydn0achpqq9txc2vz0aqad0uns8pg6sgzexyg'>nevent1q…exyg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I’d push back a bit on “the state is inevitable.” Elites are inevitable—people who coordinate resources, influence flows of trade, and maintain order in some sphere. But “the state” is a specific thing: a monopoly on law and enforcement backed by coercion, insulated from competition.<br/><br/>What you’re describing—someone controlling business flows—doesn’t have to be a state in the political sense. In a free order, those flows could be managed by competing firms, insurers, or defense agencies, all constrained by reputation and the ability of customers to walk away. The difference is between natural elites (earned influence, voluntary dealings) and political elites (imposed influence, involuntary dealings).<br/><br/>Black markets are just markets where the state says, “we forbid this”—but if the good or service is valued enough, people will find ways to trade. The question isn’t whether someone will facilitate the flow—it’s whether they do it under competitive discipline or with monopoly power.<br/><br/>As for “when do you accept it and when do you hang them?”—in a truly voluntary order, you don’t need gallows to keep elites in check; you need the freedom to exit their service. That’s the ultimate discipline. The moment you can’t walk away is the moment you’re no longer dealing with a market elite—you’re under a state, whether it flies a flag or not. 2025-08-09T05:17:54Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs2ef8r630upc6e2cfk8cvvzzfunsrfd4e622k0876432eddf3ce7qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pusasqqr In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrnnyup9hnght5ccngn24f8tx66pwzjewu958j05pu0z84xyw3efcvz030c'>nevent1q…030c</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>So, in your view, is the State inevitable because even natural elites will ultimately exert coercive control over any market-based system of adjudication? 2025-08-08T18:54:43Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqszp7yuk8sr8mfnn7xxfmuq6gxcsjuuwlj2uc9n2whdqckf65ffm7czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pue703wc In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrnnyup9hnght5ccngn24f8tx66pwzjewu958j05pu0z84xyw3efcvz030c'>nevent1q…030c</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Thanks for sharing 🤙 2025-08-08T18:40:28Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsf37u583ahfu3pgxcq7zun9fjfzexychspsfu776k22rcwe7q4wzczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puh44ppd In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsyxyjj0eafc007pux4t57jd2wuevx2wrhc0v6t772refg05rxasmstxfu8y'>nevent1q…fu8y</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Somewhat, through reading/listening to Jeff Deist and especially Hans Hoppe. <br/><br/>The distinction then comes down to natural vs unnatural elites. <br/><br/>Natural elites in Hoppe’s framework aren’t the problem—it&#39;s when one elite centralizes power that a shift toward state-like institutions occurs. A voluntary, market-like adjudication system is key to maintaining a stateless, yet orderly society.<br/><br/>The Wrong Elites | Mises Institute <a href="https://share.google/cgdbNT8pbzsNviJQU">https://share.google/cgdbNT8pbzsNviJQU</a><br/><br/>Natural Elites, Intellectuals, and the State | Mises Institute <a href="https://share.google/xXqGXazOnmpb9Thoa">https://share.google/xXqGXazOnmpb9Thoa</a> 2025-08-08T18:18:16Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxzq02ygr2x5vtvy6wsvcfnae3awxcgsq0vlrtkqytxw3gc4m84gszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pufh6gkp In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqst2vua265nvwp9k05apkuh2rwndeu4939wlww4203kr45n94ddjwcwpnj4x'>nevent1q…nj4x</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Can you elaborate? 2025-08-08T17:37:14Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsqylnx8w3nz8v7feyytkq97m47cvrth0y9c6a40ee3hg8czca92dqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu29gtsx And this is the perennial genius of the State: it not only seizes power through deception, but maintains it through the willing self-deception of its subjects. The bamboozle becomes not merely a passing fraud, but the very foundation of political legitimacy. Once the public has been conditioned to equate the State’s coercion with social order, they will defend their own shackles and denounce anyone who points to the lock.<br/><br/>The State is not an unfortunate accident that can be corrected by ‘better men’ in office; it is a permanent machinery of plunder and control, inherently hostile to truth and liberty. To grant it power, no matter how small, is to grant it the means to grow, to entrench the bamboozle ever deeper—until, at last, the parasite destroys the host.<br/><br/> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/93f1d069c82df9c829cb831401da4d8ddbb079b5c776f39d69b051a5a5144412.jpg"> 2025-08-08T17:33:37Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxq64xjrp68ad6ch8u39k5lnh8y0kfve6gmtvzmuxvepxgrm9yt8szypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pun0h9ql The economic freedom which is the prerequisite of any other freedom cannot be the freedom from economic care which the socialists promise us.<br/><br/>— Friedrich Hayek 2025-08-06T15:01:48Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsdw8nhycdge9hr2xt8srhe3ejhuc0e2szcsnzmqas5deq2u22zv6qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puwpql5y They still believe the economy is a machine with knobs and levers — not a living network mutating beyond their comprehension. 2025-08-02T04:53:48Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs2f400jaqhhfntv5fp4a2xcrevqwhrkn7cjdx7sq0w4tdcskwm46szypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pun9dut2 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/d395113b76b0c3bd57b8a4d4e951f83a22b991d943ac3f4bc12b208825efb161.jpg"> 2025-07-30T21:55:12Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsr0enmwt8hz93hlsaekk5wxtqr9mzql26sfsaknx3kppqqvued9fqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu6heauh <img src="https://image.nostr.build/7233a599191c6cca9e0133a85b1c920934f41c03416d22526e3c222a52fd9f6c.jpg"> 2025-07-29T02:26:44Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfk9h6cxx9h9llz73aaqvujvwq0gyl47vhf7pcpgmuvefyfpva02qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pufqngrl Economics is not a science of material objects or their physical characteristics. It is the logical analysis of human action — of purposeful behavior under conditions of scarcity. Concepts such as “goods,” “commodities,” or “wealth” do not exist independently in nature; they arise from the subjective meanings actors assign to things in the context of their ends and means. All economic categories — value, cost, exchange, profit, loss — are rooted in the structure of action itself, not in empirical observation of physical phenomena. To reduce economics to the study of “goods and services” is to commit a category error. It is not the properties of things that matter, but that these things are chosen, valued, and acted upon by individuals. Economics, properly understood, is praxeology — the systematic study of action based on self-evident axioms, not empirical materialism. 2025-07-26T13:07:34Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs8jv389dvynwnc0ngjaxg7r3l8kxt4kwdzqa23kewppp4eeua58wszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puy3s857 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsz00zm5lnmrdfz4xud0a5m0sg4tw68deffytrz7fgjvfhtdzcj45sfpvnzl'>nevent1q…vnzl</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>No idea 🤷 2025-07-22T00:31:25Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfh6jet923e4rxk9gkmm087v5dry06z6vljtwl3x0qhv66qsdrrwszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pups34rr In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrfh6a9a9tzhk0fcmpkm70zme8x4rj9dvaxsq73huakuayd96rfnsk0jf85'>nevent1q…jf85</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>This is the way. 2025-07-20T16:12:00Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfllrruvyfw34t72vrrkxq356rgayxqv9sgt4mvl8l0d0tt3436yqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pucuk3kf The collectivist seeks to replace the acting man with the abstraction of a collective will. But such a will does not exist; it cannot choose; it cannot value. It is always a mask—worn by the tyrant, the planner, the bureaucrat—who supplants the individual and extinguishes the only genuine source of progress: the spontaneous actions of free men.<br/><br/>All collectivist doctrines—whether socialist, fascist, nationalist, or theocratic—demand the subjugation of the individual to a fictitious whole. They are not only morally repugnant; they are irrational. For they seek to annihilate the very mechanism of life: human action itself. So when we say that anything other than liberty—anarchy in a proper sense—is anti-human, we are not making an ideological claim, nor engaging in partisan rhetoric. We are stating a logical truth—one rooted in the nature of man as an acting being.<br/><br/>Liberty is not a “value” in the relativist sense. It is a necessary condition for human action. Only a free individual can choose, prefer, and act. Without liberty, there is no actor—only obedience and decay.<br/><br/>A system that denies liberty—by decree, coercion, and collectivist abstraction—seeks to extinguish the only agency through which human life is sustained: the individual choosing mind. To abolish liberty is to abolish action. To abolish action is to abolish life.<br/><br/><a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/axiom-action-and-inescapability-liberty">https://mises.org/mises-wire/axiom-action-and-inescapability-liberty</a> 2025-07-19T00:53:24Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqswaw8896dhn300m4g9xkf5sjjvnvg4mxdj3ut3cjenfmsfq2rhxcszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pukr3dun <img src="https://image.nostr.build/35d53622eda2ceb1d8a06f49c23f297863143b70c710176c95e6590008d2a29d.jpg"> 2025-07-13T03:11:53Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxh3fae2pc9lq6lhaq8e6nrn7p4qsy636d0sgp8j0yttpk8esgs2czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puvx3n0y The free market isn’t some naïve ideal. It is the only moral and practical framework for human cooperation. The real myth, the real danger, is your faith in Leviathan. 2025-07-13T02:10:31Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqswsxh9r4nfsgrjfas6hr8udjhynly6p9g570jq9nhpfzgzm5a267szypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pux8nvzq ☕<br/> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/78e50a311a647716c724213474fc9ea0f0839b1d969a8ba2a495b007c7c702f3.jpg"> 2025-07-13T00:57:41Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsqrgm0rxv0z48ezju04l2fw3nc6ew87gxemqqv950nhhfmgppgdeczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu3u6hz0 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/4698f6476ddcdaa1ae891bcbe4427e1aaffb67bcea6bcf5427c08a0d231e7a05.jpg"> 2025-07-09T14:33:54Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsf6ya2w269v5pcns23wt4znntgquq8jm87x6ja9ff4rsqvwrl45sszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu46acj6 Whoever wishes peace among peoples must fight statism.<br/><br/>- Ludwig von Mises 2025-07-09T01:21:10Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs87vsnml7l4jjfpfgymnwc0vdxjuz8yu73hutvcljk6ffzqwe6ygszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4purc22w6 The reality of the Declaration is that it was far more radical than its critics are generally willing to admit. The Declaration advocated for an act of unilateral and illegal secession. Clearly, modern-day defenders of the regime attempt to downplay this whenever possible. Moreover, the language and ideals of the Declaration communicate a general disregard for ideals of political unity or loyalty to political institutions, in spite of British propaganda to the contrary. <br/><br/>Thus, to act in the Spirit of the Declaration of Independence today is to reject calls for loyalty, unity, or respect for the regime’s so-called “rule of law.” Rather, the Declaration of Independence represents disloyalty, disunity, and a disregard for the law as laid down by the political ruling class. <br/><br/>Part of the Declaration’s radicalism stems from the fact that the Declaration does not make a legal argument in favor of secession. Rather, the Declaration states that the right of separation stems simply from natural rights of self-determination that do not depend on legal or constitutional authority. <br/><br/>The Declaration was a statement of contempt for the established legal order. British propaganda at the time, much like American propaganda today, sang the praises of political unity while encouraging an emotional bond between the ordinary subject and the ruling executive. Fortunately, the American secessionists saw such things for the absurdities that they were and have always been. <br/><br/>The Spirit of the Declaration of Independence: Secession, Division, Disloyalty | Mises Institute <a href="https://share.google/r7ZLbxrg2fzhAsTuf">https://share.google/r7ZLbxrg2fzhAsTuf</a> 2025-07-04T16:45:25Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs9jup7k5usgm4ju0j9syuuzlran3vjerhxjfmpqte2xk0z42636vqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu6p6z6y The Specter of Hyperinflation Looms over the Economy<br/><br/><a href="https://share.google/TczTAdoWKR91tv9CR">https://share.google/TczTAdoWKR91tv9CR</a><br/><blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/nevent1qqstzft90cc64ng5r0kda7h7atsj3atyvh6r2ra9w0n8ca9ddx89kugpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygza2jzvsjt84tpesmx4z2hcmnw4yseapyq6mwa4jgmqzxyy9qa2rcpsgqqqqqqsudrp40" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">nevent1q…rp40</a></span> </div> Now that the budget bill has passed Congress, we can see what the projections look like for deficits, government debt, and debt service expenses. In brief, the bill is expected to lead to spending of about $7 trillion a year with inflows of about $5 trillion a year, so the debt, which is now about 6x of the money taken in, 100 percent of GDP, and about $230,000 per American family, will rise over ten years to about 7.5x the money taken in, 130 percent of GDP, and $425,000 per family. That will increase interest and principal payments on the debt from about $10 trillion ($1 trillion in interest, $9 trillion in principal) to about $18 trillion (of which $2 trillion is interest payments), which will lead to either a big squeezing out (and cutting off) of spending and/or unimaginable tax increases, or a lot of printing and devaluing of money and pushing interest rates to unattractively low levels. This printing and devaluing is not good for those holding bonds as a storehold of wealth, and what’s bad for bonds and US credit markets is bad for everyone because the US Treasury market is the backbone of all capital markets, which are the backbones of our economic and social conditions. Unless this path is soon rectified to bring the budget deficit from roughly 7% of GDP to about 3% by making adjustments to spending, taxes, and interest rates, big, painful disruptions will likely occur.<br/><br/>- Ray Dalio </blockquote> 2025-07-04T12:21:30Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqstzft90cc64ng5r0kda7h7atsj3atyvh6r2ra9w0n8ca9ddx89kugzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pufv2a2z Now that the budget bill has passed Congress, we can see what the projections look like for deficits, government debt, and debt service expenses. In brief, the bill is expected to lead to spending of about $7 trillion a year with inflows of about $5 trillion a year, so the debt, which is now about 6x of the money taken in, 100 percent of GDP, and about $230,000 per American family, will rise over ten years to about 7.5x the money taken in, 130 percent of GDP, and $425,000 per family. That will increase interest and principal payments on the debt from about $10 trillion ($1 trillion in interest, $9 trillion in principal) to about $18 trillion (of which $2 trillion is interest payments), which will lead to either a big squeezing out (and cutting off) of spending and/or unimaginable tax increases, or a lot of printing and devaluing of money and pushing interest rates to unattractively low levels. This printing and devaluing is not good for those holding bonds as a storehold of wealth, and what’s bad for bonds and US credit markets is bad for everyone because the US Treasury market is the backbone of all capital markets, which are the backbones of our economic and social conditions. Unless this path is soon rectified to bring the budget deficit from roughly 7% of GDP to about 3% by making adjustments to spending, taxes, and interest rates, big, painful disruptions will likely occur.<br/><br/>- Ray Dalio 2025-07-04T12:20:53Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsf38whzrnsgyp04wuajsctdva970p2gpmg9gpe069324tdcjr54uqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puqegxg9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsp4ysp30q2prdrww5h6j8ayddsd745dhczmtmec6qmt5qfj0m954cu5k49w'>nevent1q…k49w</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/> <img src="https://media.tenor.com/Ph2m1EYCj_oAAAAM/matrix-spoon.gif"> 2025-07-02T01:30:17Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqswy8ftngvvekv7xwa0q3uyycgynvv7kqc9ty5jukmwcrj8e63l2qczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu8pxfh0 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvx8dmrsxjvdp9qz6dha2l0qfyndat9e25m5uymmg6rfmpqw7xqms76l9n8'>nevent1q…l9n8</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqsw4v882mfjhq9u63j08kzyhqzqxqc8tgf740p4nxnk9jdv02u37ncpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9uju6mpd4czuumfw3jsz9nhwden5te0wfjkccte9ec8y6tdv9kzumn9wsq3yamnwvaz7tmsw4e8qmr9wpskwtn9wvql3tqm" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>LynAlden</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…3tqm</span>)</a></span> 2025-07-01T22:18:07Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsvx8dmrsxjvdp9qz6dha2l0qfyndat9e25m5uymmg6rfmpqw7xqmszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pufdthug Do not try to stop the train. That&#39;s impossible.<br/><br/>Instead, only try to realize the truth....<br/><br/>Then you will see that it is not the train that stops, it is only yourself.<br/><br/> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/410b47993994f0996cd88b855571c10b964b415eb35824073c8a65bdf5bb3300.jpg"> 2025-07-01T22:06:02Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsvneag3yp7t20drvflw8qw2f2ay9gd6c2wfaw6wrv60lwakzvh6pgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puwa66sl <img src="https://image.nostr.build/76e11d13d0c5704a04d8b67706224725a5c38058fd22fe996e0993851b40ed8e.jpg"> 2025-06-29T21:36:00Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsys6sv3za83gcq2ra7yqs2ddguca35kt789mrs27tl6mp9dy2dy7qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puyrnaq8 The Way does not mourn the paths untaken,<br/>but knows they were part of the choice.<br/><br/>To walk one road is to leave behind a thousand others—not with sorrow, but with clarity.<br/><br/>What is not chosen still shapes the meaning of what is.<br/><br/>The sage sees the unseen cost, not as a burden, but as the shadow that gives form to light.<br/><br/>Without the paths untaken, the one you walk would hold no shape 2025-06-29T00:23:55Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs93r0eazu4s4qzv934s7hqpfvuq9r6qzfr7cdjsr0mss7608ff0pqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pugmy438 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5sBDrrtLGbV64QJnEqfjer">https://open.spotify.com/track/5sBDrrtLGbV64QJnEqfjer</a> 2025-06-29T00:13:41Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsv246rza4q4pzl4jn2vvdlj3p5849hd452vcmmgqzlpr62euqyxwczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu7aavpq Water does not think about how to flow - it just moves, and in moving, it finds its course. 2025-06-27T23:38:20Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs25jqzsem3pwfu83qsptx5nag7c3g5h2dzq05myme93ln0r3daz7czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puvvrh56 The fact which we must face is that nearly all of us come to the study of economics with very strong views on subjects which we do not understand. And even if we make a show of being detached and ready to learn, I am afraid it is almost always with a mental reser­vation, with an inward determination to prove that our instincts were right and that nothing we learn can change our basic convictions. Though I am verging dangerously on preaching, let me nevertheless implore you to make a determined effort to achieve that intellectual humility which alone helps one to learn. Nothing is more perni­cious to intellectual honesty than pride in not having changed one’s opinions – particularly if, as is usually the case in our field, these are opinions which in the circles in which we move are regarded as ‘progressive’ or ‘advanced’ or just modern. You will soon enough discover that what you regard as specially advanced opinions are just the opinions dominant in your particular generation and that it requires much greater strength and independence of mind to take a critical view of what you have been taught to be progressive than merely to accept them.<br/><br/>- Friedrich A. Hayek<br/><br/><a href="https://share.google/OaWy8pK1ajKe0XQx9">https://share.google/OaWy8pK1ajKe0XQx9</a><br/><br/> 2025-06-27T02:04:46Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsf3v6m20l94az6uyskxvrps4g4w2wsu62tknywpm97gjmaq6whylgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pum90k7t In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv6wlh3c8kaw9n7ttyp7g20h2akcwpggd9egevjvzuey5c8c4w93guckvw3'>nevent1q…kvw3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Libertarianism is a beautiful and elegant edifice of thought and practice. It begins with and logically builds upon the principle of self-ownership. In the society it calls for, no one may initiate physical force against anyone else. What this says about the libertarian’s view of moral enormities ranging from slavery to war should be obvious, but the libertarian commitment to freedom extends well beyond the clear and obvious scourges of mankind.<br/><br/>Our position is not merely that the state is a moral evil, but that human liberty is a tremendous moral good. Human beings ought to interact with each other on the basis of reason – their distinguishing characteristic – rather than with hangmen and guns. And when they do so, the results, by a welcome happenstance, are rising living standards, an explosion in creativity and technological advance, and peace. Even in the world’s partially capitalist societies, hundreds of millions if not billions of people have been liberated from the miserable, soul-crushing conditions of hand-to-mouth existence in exchange for far more meaningful and fulfilling lives.<br/><br/>Libertarianism, in other words, in its pure and undiluted form, is intellectually rigorous, morally consistent, and altogether exciting and thrilling. It need not and should not be fused with any extraneous ideology. This can lead only to confusion, and to watering down the central moral claims, and the overall appeal, of the message of liberty. 2025-06-21T00:14:26Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsr73939f24sfej9cfzn566pquqldsyq6gl4hcxhlq7943f3yf5h9gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puewrq6h In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv6wlh3c8kaw9n7ttyp7g20h2akcwpggd9egevjvzuey5c8c4w93guckvw3'>nevent1q…kvw3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Libertarianism is concerned with the use of violence in society. That is all. It is not anything else. It is not feminism. It is not egalitarianism (except in a functional sense: everyone equally lacks the authority to aggress against anyone else). It has nothing to say about aesthetics. It has nothing to say about religion or race or nationality or sexual orientation. It has nothing to do with left-wing campaigns against “white privilege,” unless that privilege is state-supplied.<br/><br/>Let me repeat: the only “privilege” that matters to a libertarian qua libertarian is the kind that comes from the barrel of the state’s gun. Disagree with this statement if you like, but in that case you will have to substitute some word other than libertarian to describe your philosophy. 2025-06-21T00:10:16Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqszn0ctkskxfx2yv9r0v7r5p86qnp0cvmzhmg6pz8pujsu97w7ndkszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pumutnm5 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv6wlh3c8kaw9n7ttyp7g20h2akcwpggd9egevjvzuey5c8c4w93guckvw3'>nevent1q…kvw3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/><a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/03/lew-rockwell/what-libertarianism-is-and-isnt/">https://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/03/lew-rockwell/what-libertarianism-is-and-isnt/</a> 2025-06-21T00:08:08Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsv6wlh3c8kaw9n7ttyp7g20h2akcwpggd9egevjvzuey5c8c4w93gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puyz0ela There are libertarians who are indeed hedonists and devotees of alternative lifestyles, and that there are also libertarians who are firm adherents of “bourgeois” conventional or religious morality. There are libertarian libertines and there are libertarians who cleave firmly to the disciplines of natural or religious law. There are other libertarians who have no moral theory at all apart from the imperative of non-violation of rights. That is because libertarianism per se has no general or personal moral theory.<br/><br/>Libertarianism does not offer a way of life; it offers liberty, so that each person is free to adopt and act upon his own values and moral principles. Libertarians agree with Lord Acton that “liberty is the highest political end” – not necessarily the highest end on everyone’s personal scale of values. 2025-06-21T00:07:58Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsq6tl7nfrfne47tt8v78edz5v33n3n0a7z6j2r3ae7vym56wg0zwszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu4u30se <img src="https://image.nostr.build/6f3d597b34a8a3caffc743cd812996eee0d3bacdc6a11eaeb429c37672f27cc3.jpg"> 2025-06-18T02:22:01Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsyafkqzknu6xwcv496f08z5z5s2sdsnkvdf8zhqsyurz83ylwsv4qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu255rjh In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgrea9d6qut3z3qyym95kjwmkyh6lyvhnxdkwdyashdf9h6v4gncs2zy6xj'>nevent1q…y6xj</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4tMaUM8pbZqaYFPQzPSyNC">https://open.spotify.com/track/4tMaUM8pbZqaYFPQzPSyNC</a> 2025-06-15T14:52:02Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsgrea9d6qut3z3qyym95kjwmkyh6lyvhnxdkwdyashdf9h6v4gncszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pumv7n44 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/c533583e093dba7e52070b50fa8d31bb66991233ba3c84d9307c0ed4d8a2a369.jpg"> 2025-06-15T14:28:55Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsx8yvshht3jfc7qlf58fr0mv3fthajyr2ygkz4hpxq8tgjd08l4xgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu57m5cn War has always been the health of the State—but today, war wears many masks. It’s not just fought with guns, but with fear campaigns, financial controls, censorship algorithms, and endless &#39;emergencies.&#39; Each crisis—real or manufactured—is a pretext for expanding power, deepening surveillance, and tightening the noose around peaceful people just trying to live freely.<br/><br/>As the old systems crumble under their own contradictions, the State grows more desperate—more authoritarian—cloaking its decay in patriotic slogans and moral crusades. But no amount of control can replace what it never had: consent. Those of us who believe in liberty must not get swept up in the calls to ‘unite and obey.’ Our revolution is not one of blood and flags—it’s of withdrawal, refusal, and the quiet building of parallel systems rooted in voluntary exchange and human dignity. 2025-06-14T23:35:13Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs8dawly9ux3j3ee69lv778d4pgtqucfgezhxuxvcgja9w2q36ecvgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puel4hcq <img src="https://image.nostr.build/72623498fbbc6ac965ec08c4069936c1538cdb6f0c655864cbd9226e60793762.jpg"> 2025-06-14T22:15:16Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsddmhstxmuyufzhe6nqwlptx4jlc8k3308zea4lxj92hulmlqgaggzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puj4auy7 It is in war that the State really comes into its own: swelling in power, in number, in pride, in absolute dominion over the economy and the society<br/><br/>- Murray Rothbard 2025-06-14T22:01:35Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs988c65ndxf86tu6ureumdw4s3sryz9nt00z46mgrw9n96m059hjszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puz56nmz Life, as they say, has its ups and downs. At times, the waves may taunt you, tossing you in their swells. But take heart. It&#39;s hard to stick with it and make it on your own. But even a couple of losers can survive most things if they&#39;re together. So listen, take some advice and have children as soon as you can. Children are the best reasons for riding out life&#39;s storms. Nowadays, people say child-rearing is challenging and difficult, but we&#39;ve done it from time immemorial. Children grow even without parents. So hold them close to your heart as they crawl, then walk. They&#39;ll be fine. 2025-06-14T20:28:02Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs96azq9jmm4ns4rge3cmjyetd6c2yhq2rjrxuery0ntqh692uywlgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4punaumpe In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs24agxckuxxayeeuqzv29dwnt6l0cmay2r0al6kfg69nz0rqhdzfgwqzntj'>nevent1q…zntj</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/><a href="https://www.traeger.com/recipes/3-2-1-baby-back-ribs">https://www.traeger.com/recipes/3-2-1-baby-back-ribs</a> 2025-06-14T16:05:20Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqst5p45mt2ra4j7ez0jym0jshg2srghrj6tq2mx90fp8z6s2fmphlszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu2d9582 Okay, three, two, one <br/>Let&#39;s Ribs<br/><br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2Wi5ubKr8zSk8L3CLemyS4">https://open.spotify.com/track/2Wi5ubKr8zSk8L3CLemyS4</a> 2025-06-14T15:53:44Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsd2pelrl78qx95ej2errj4rcnnsyykvnmjfgmn9896v2z208qv3jgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puun6rn8 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/047ca061330404255594a9974ba32211e8fc3ce5612b9272195e632e7fe3b5f4.jpg"> 2025-06-13T01:37:48Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqszmx87ltj4crve3hfkdd59c2ymc7n30zr2u2485h87ezj7e0uh8kgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puzu2hqd Everything Voluntary ✌️ <blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/nevent1qqst8wzxuamyczm6ruhek4lt79jmr7uet8qq8ythkf3mj3932agwzwgpzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef0qgst0mtgkp3du662ztj3l4fgts0purksu5fgek5n4vgmg9gt2hkn9lqrqsqqqqqpyyj3mz" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">nevent1q…j3mz</a></span> </div> Even if a majority votes to seize land or regulate labor, such acts violate the non-aggression principle and individual sovereignty. </blockquote> 2025-06-12T10:51:17Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfpvsg7zlsn8tpava85jp290y47hsyjkff5cwmun6m00uyc9eg6jgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu9swlth <img src="https://image.nostr.build/0603a14a41fc22cc04b04d61d409233d73d48c5ef574c2e9e570849648c11953.jpg"> 2025-06-11T02:53:00Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsd440esfk2u95lud7w5xfaqcnewj23u9uu4spexvxvez8dn0z3q8czypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pujvdvme Our mind is one of acting persons. Our mental categories have to be understood as ultimately grounded in categories of action. … It is through actions that the mind and reality make contact. 2025-06-08T05:09:02Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqst5gaf9tw4chpf6f9z83nn2q7lyr7ap26yvywdv4umfc52jmr48pczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pux0g8tg You were not born to find meaning. You were born to see that meaning grows wherever you walk. 2025-06-08T05:02:36Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsws8kulv902mlrc03j4a6ejchlsaa6rvxx2a7qu8fzg4x0d2cnkyqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pumy4azq Existentialism stares into the abyss. Taoism sits down beside it and watches the clouds go by. 2025-06-08T04:27:26Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqszumjdv02cjx365adcltdlp70xpaqy0q8kcw459jgcr3gquhker8qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pujnt6d8 Fresh festival with guava from <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqs2xy0ceg3lpw9uprw5mwcr8flq6x56kucd0yjsztjuaceu95kefyqpzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef0hd3re9" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>The Baker E</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…3re9</span>)</a></span> 🤌 2025-06-07T12:28:18Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsxdua6awttd7ede6mczdx0xp8z6zkqx9ewsv9q8qp037a4afp8nvgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puxtl8fr It&#39;s over 900,000!<br/><br/> <img src="https://media.tenor.com/WWkUUd-RCDMAAAAM/its-over-9000-itsover9000.gif"> 2025-06-06T09:39:12Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs92h0gj2aflczcrjh4hmevwxfdqqq6y35ea8uyj8w0kgmkahu40eczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puvs9r85 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/d51dac913c122a32b091e0f1f213a92bfe3c2f23411e16a1da5209129c42df82.jpg"> 2025-06-04T22:31:32Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0psuh74fzpukrnal486haqq29tvw8tm9d9fl546cs3lzk4s6m5lszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puzgyl7y <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3WmkZt58RZdCTLb4JNAHeX">https://open.spotify.com/track/3WmkZt58RZdCTLb4JNAHeX</a> 2025-05-30T13:52:49Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0ppqkwpvwmwmtr82wp08dt6yzk3ge4mhfjsmu5zq4hq9t6zf2hqczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu9lc7fy <img src="https://image.nostr.build/7b23a9622707320f0ea361bbf15169abcceb2bed6cf59cee67b2a943390dce62.jpg"> 2025-05-28T02:02:36Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs0gdlk8rl5qss04uw5nr7qftz5knvvhtetws88qcw7sjrpsp6uayczypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puwrpctr Alan Watts <img src="https://image.nostr.build/5532f9501755aed6b541ef02e2c2816609ebdc2df2ca43f2ac123908d500518b.jpg"> 2025-05-28T00:47:07Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqspsndpz9sg0k2qa44c2svhzpur9fqc90w67tux4x09r9nf86tedrgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pulnd2a7 <img src="https://image.nostr.build/62f6b287cd7ec7d5eae3964aa0c3c257ee720deb561cb94c25f265313e73328d.jpg"> 2025-05-27T02:40:07Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsv6fe488n40cfm570p34nfaft9ey5ag4sqc74qd62ptsjk4npjr4szypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puqlne2f Fees are the filter.<br/><br/>Prices coordinate behavior.<br/><blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/nevent1qqs8w3xwfy4h96ecf35rau0aq8q5ymy7257s4txmndn7na3qdq489fgpzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef0qgsw4v882mfjhq9u63j08kzyhqzqxqc8tgf740p4nxnk9jdv02u37ncrqsqqqqqpjyvxer" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">nevent1q…vxer</a></span> </div> Spam on the timechain is mostly a symptom of there still being limited monetary/settlement demand.<br/> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/978f96c99ac2c793b2b511cdeec6e5e0eb2eeb8762f68da655627421932b1144.jpg"> </blockquote> 2025-05-24T21:56:07Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs9c94ez0kt64qzr65ngwju4eqyyecpganqx0scpagx8k58k5y0vuszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puy7nqag <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1E8S3CSv20KrKT0C1yAjkO">https://open.spotify.com/track/1E8S3CSv20KrKT0C1yAjkO</a> 2025-05-23T21:27:43Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqs9aa4lh7ujhp8dcwadnth6cnxmtpuwtnxzx087l0znz6lxg9yqqwgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pufkp4sx GM ☕<br/><br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1I3yXOim3dxHs6icTDK0OP">https://open.spotify.com/track/1I3yXOim3dxHs6icTDK0OP</a> 2025-05-23T10:30:26Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsfr8mfgfeyeahhl8rqxht0gwuhwqnyhgu0d0a9hc76jtl3vsfvpqszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pus4xjyr A technological invention is not something material. It is the product of a mental process, of reasoning and conceiving new ideas. The tools and machines may be called material, but the operation of the mind which created them is certainly spiritual.<br/><br/>- Mises 2025-05-23T02:13:18Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsq9dhnyse4jjuv42vcl3apqvgtpvfw5xnsmw0xt4p0phvmhphr07qzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pu7az7rk <img src="https://image.nostr.build/6a588ee055d91db6563bccfd99bca5277757856a360db656b54842b76543404e.jpg"> 2025-05-23T02:11:34Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsgvnvkxuj898a7kp7g667lrclwk86ty6h053e0xnx74ttf2vhdtqszypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puqkqkeh <img src="https://image.nostr.build/b206ab61fd961b4a620d31190f5875c85922b3ae2996973a53905b7229b9f65e.jpg"> 2025-05-20T00:41:30Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsr75f6v3a6crune8dntycxgrxs52v8ykez69u0n0yzj27ntmxm52gzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puu4thl8 Bitcoin&#39;s properties are not fixed laws—they are the result of constant negotiation and incentive balancing within a dynamic, decentralized system.<br/><br/>Attributes such as censorship resistance are not guaranteed; they persist only so long as the economic incentives and subjective valuations of market participants align to uphold them. 2025-05-18T01:49:34Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsglwkluhs6kafmv08m6eux4t5t2fd2lcnwfaftacxlza6pcy6pj0szypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puwhg9yn <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0ReNWAidCpuubhPxTh5Q25">https://open.spotify.com/track/0ReNWAidCpuubhPxTh5Q25</a> 2025-05-17T14:42:08Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsvzwcx28jj66h2g5nvc0v0awl847738927z2l488y87l7juutatcgzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4pumx6dl3 <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qqspwh6k34mlkr9hgq8smhv2a5tn3ntew5etx980q5apv6w5mwn5xwspzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef07ftgla" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>Pavlenex</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…tgla</span>)</a></span><br/> <img src="https://image.nostr.build/1290f3330bf3d2c9fffeaa29d8506ff6f281fdaff7aabab679f295af394c49a4.jpg"> 2025-05-17T13:19:27Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsx9mpxfvaz05mep7amsyysyf06c8puj6sg3z68vwkez47eahusksqzypw4fpxgf9n64sucdn239tudeh2jgv7sjqddhw6eydsprzzzsw4puueadxw <img src="https://image.nostr.build/0c4524435224c95de3012a93aeee08c73637f3164910298bf30d7cc2cad897e8.jpg"> 2025-05-17T02:50:31Z