By Miguel Hernández Democracy is not the opposite of tyranny. It is its most sophisticated form. Under a monarchy, the ruler at least has the incentives of an owner; he cares for the territory because it is his and he inherits it. He can be brutal, but the logic of high time preference limits him: destroying his own capital is destroying his inheritance. Democracy removes that constraint. The democratic ruler is a temporary custodian with a four-year horizon. He does not own

Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. This talk was delivered at the Mises Circle in Phoenix, AZ, on November 7, 2015. Whether we’re talking about illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America, or birthright citizenship, or the migrants coming from the Middle East and Africa, the subject of immigration has been in the news and widely discussed for months now. It is an issue fraught with potentially perilous consequences, so it is especially important for libertarians to understand

Marisa Jarquin Self-defense and gun ownership are constantly being attacked in modern discourse and by the mainstream media, yet their legitimacy rests on principles far older than any constitution, preceding and transcending any political framework. The importance of self-defense lies in its role as a safeguard against both private and state aggression. Unlike modern states, which increasingly disarm their citizens and leave them defenseless, a private-law society would plac