People celebrating Labor Day often do so by attending a regional Labor Day celebration, usually organized by labor unions. One undoubtedly hears the phrase “support all labor” being thrown around at these gatherings.
A Google search will reveal the most recent example of this phrase being used. In light of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike, a film festival released the following statement:
HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes. In fact, we support all Labor, including the many people who work so hard behind the scenes to make films, especially independent films which are difficult to get funding for and finish. We owe it to our filmmakers to showcase their wonderful work. HollyShorts 2023 will go forward in this spirit.
HollyShorts is referring specifically to the film

Members of Congress claim to be "concerned" over the proposed merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. They should be supporting it or, even better, backing off completely.

Original Article: "Golf Merger Is Opposed by Congress. This Is Misguided"

The DOJ claims that it has "protected" consumers by standing in the way of a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines. The only thing the DOJ protected was higher-cost flying.

Original Article: "Flying into Foolishness: The DOJ "Saves" Consumers from Low-Cost Airlines"

Forcing the minimum wage above the real market wage causes more unemployment. Small businesses suffer from these mandates as do the least productive workers. 

Original Article: "A Higher Minimum Wage Won’t Improve Life in Pennsylvania"

The PGA Tour and the Saudi-owned LIV Golf are seeking to move past their cutthroat competition and merge together, but United States regulators are stepping in and framing the potential merger as a threat to US sovereignty and an expansion of Saudi Arabian influence, citing the Saudi regime’s brutality and alleged involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
In questioning representatives of the two companies, Senator Richard Blumenthal stated, “Today’s hearing is about much more than the game of golf. It’s about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence—indeed even take over a cherished American institution—to cleanse its public image.”
While the “cleanse its public image” part is not obviously true, does Blumenthal have a point? Senator Rand Paul seems unconvinced, saying that Congress has

Socialists and communists claim to support the rights of "indigenous" peoples. However, that support rings hollow given how the USSR abused the native peoples of Siberia, all while American socialists and communists uncritically supported the Soviet Union.

Original Article: "The Soviet Abuse of Indigenous Peoples"

Yet again, the government destroyed a business partnership that not only promised but actively delivered benefits to consumers. The Northeast Alliance (NEA), a partnership between airline companies JetBlue and American Airlines, was ruled against in federal court after a battle with the Department of Justice (DOJ). Like the rulings of cases that came before it, this antitrust action is void of common sense.
The NEA clearly does not establish a monopoly. JetBlue makes up just 5.5 percent of the airline market. Adding that to American’s 17.5 percent gets the market nowhere close to actual monopoly conditions. But, given that the NEA only services certain regions, it would be inappropriate to simply add their total market shares together.
This partnership only involves sharing certain

Pennsylvania has no state minimum wage. Currently, the law of the land is the federal minimum wage that sits at $7.25 per hour. Not having a state minimum wage can be immensely beneficial assuming that the general business climate is amenable to growth. Pennsylvania definitely can’t boast of that yet, but they have taken steps to get there. However, recent actions by the Democrat-controlled State House of Representatives threatens this potential growth.
In the summer of 2022, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf signed into law a bill to lower the corporate net income tax (CNIT). I wrote about this with cautious optimism at the time, stating, “Pennsylvania should adamantly commit to keep to the scheduled CNIT decreases and continue lowering its taxes in general.” A year later, the tax decrease

The Democratic Socialists of America promotes a supposedly pro-Indigenous people platform. They stress that they do not want to further the “dispossession and exploitation of Indigenous people” while also recognizing the sovereignty of Native Americans. The Communist Party USA’s political program also stresses the inclusion of Indigenous people in the working-class movement. While these organizations are partially right in calling for the recognition of tribal sovereignty (free enterprise would help more than socialism), they must also recognize the atrocities committed by the Soviet Union, the representative of twentieth-century socialism, against the native tribes of Siberia.
I alluded to the abuses of minority groups by the Soviet Union in a recent article, but I did not go into much

Socialists like Bernie Sanders and the editors of Jacobin have decried the possible US government debt default. Marx and Lenin would have vociferously disagreed.

Original Article: "Socialists Should Support Government Default: Their Forebears Certainly Did"

During a debate on capitalism with James Otteson, Michael Anton opined that free markets are harmful to a nation’s economy. Perhaps he needs to learn economics.

Original Article: "The Economic Nationalists Are Wrong: Free Trade Means Freedom and Prosperity"

Bernie Sanders, in a recent opinion piece, attacked Republicans for trying to get concessions out of the Biden administration under threat of debt default, stating, “Defaulting on our nation’s debt would be a disaster.” Writers at Jacobin echo Bernie’s sentiment.
Unfortunately, it seems like modern socialists are against default; however, historic socialists are not on the same page as our contemporaries. Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and other socialists were in favor of debt default, and after communist revolutions, the leaders of those regimes almost always defaulted on the national debt, making socialists consistent with libertarians on this issue.
Marx’s rhetoric on public debt ranges from neutral to negative. Despite giving public debt credit for the transition from primitive to modern

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a debate about the morality of capitalism between James Otteson and Michael Anton, a defender of economic nationalism. Otteson made a good case for capitalism; however, Anton derailed the debate by choosing to focus on specific policies rather than ethical concerns. Ironically, Anton admits that he has hardly ever picked up an economics textbook.
Throughout the debate, Anton made claims that were either misleading or false. I will address the most egregious here.
Tariffs and Free Trade
Anton’s foremost claim is that tariffs are, in fact, beneficial for economic development. Without giving much evidence, he merely appeals to the authority of Alexander Hamilton and the infant industry argument. Perhaps his ignorance of economics stunts his

People from socially and economically marginized groups in the USA tend to support socialism. Yet socialists have a long and bloody history of suppressing these very groups.

Original Article: "Socialism, Minority Groups, and Personal Liberties"

While most free market advocates are fixated on the national debt, they also should be looking at municipal debt over which taxpayers have no say. Maybe default is the answer.

Original Article: "Should Local Municipalities Default on Their Debts? Seems Like a Good Idea"

Socialists have managed to acquire the loyalty of a coalition of disparate groups by championing the principle of personal liberty. Especially in the United States, many women, disabled, gay people, transgender people, racial and ethnic minorities, and immigrants are among the proud supporters of the socialist cause, foolishly believing that capitalism or the free market is antithetical to their livelihood or lifestyles.
They could not be more wrong. Unfortunately, under socialism, people are not self-owners; they belong to the state.
The state owns everyone’s bodies under socialism. No example is more extreme than the gulags of the Soviet Union, where the state sent millions to forced-labor camps in which about 1.6 million died. The individual was merely a producer good in the state’s

Most Americans do not understand debt default. When it is explained, debt default comes off as immorally reneging on the financial obligations of the government. In contrast, libertarians have demonstrated that it is, in fact, moral and beneficial. However, when default is brought up, it is hardly ever discussed in terms of local governments. So, here is why your local government should leave their creditors in the dust.
Government issued debt is essentially immoral. Government debt issuance is an aggressive action and should be rejected as such. It involuntarily transfers money from the taxpayer to the government’s creditors. There is no positive obligation to pay back the creditors because the creditors are fully aware of where the payments come from—involuntary transfers from the