1. After ten years, Megan McArdle takes a break from blogging to work on another project.
2. Julian Sanchez offers an online pre-resignation letter from his employer The Cato Institute, effective if and when the Koch brothers take command of the organization.
Well, I for one wouldn't be too sad to see CATO change a bit. It's become over the past few years a caricature of "libertarianism"; hopelessly confused in paranoia about wars and drugs and raw milk...and guest appearances at Kremlin TV...or whatever the cause of the day is. Soon I expect their "experts at everything under and beyond the sun", will be appearing at Press TV too.
ReplyDeleteI guess that is what happens when your day job is to "sit and think and write about whatever you find interesting". It's a great job to sit there and write "daring" and "brilliant" exposes of how your pal Putin who pays you to go on his private TV channel, wasn't really to blame for the war in Georgia. It was America's fault! Bravo CATO! It will be a pity to see such genius go to waste.
"...I for one wouldn't be too sad to see CATO change a bit. It's become over the past few years a caricature of "libertarianism"; hopelessly confused in paranoia"...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can easily imagine that's how a liberal would see it...
"Yeah, I can easily imagine that's how a liberal would see it..."
ReplyDeleteOh yes I'm a liberal because I don't like Rick Santorum. Thanks for reminding me.
Wait, I'm pretty sure no one at CATO likes him either.
I think CATO is great, I just think that they get their panties in a bunch when focusing almost exclusively on foreign affairs and social issues.
I'd have less of a problem if any of their commentators made any foreign policy points that were supported by some sort of evidence, be it on constitutional grounds or on practical outcomes.
Instead they typically degenerate into the same sort of accusations and language you hear from the extreme Left. That, coupled with their rather...despicable...appearances on RT, makes me question not just their authority on the issue, but their sincerity.
If you are incapable of comprehending that you are being paid by a dictator to appear on his private TV network to propagate anti-American propaganda, that is used to reinforce dictatorial regimes and dictatorial practices in Russia...then you clearly aren't on the same wavelength as most free-market people on this planet. You're the "right's" equivalent to Sean Penn.
AIG,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you. This is just personal choice, but I've noticed myself reading less and less stuff from cato, mainly due to weird subject matter that I've found less than compelling.
"Oh yes I'm a liberal because I don't like Rick Santorum. Thanks for reminding me"...
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to get back to this aig but that's not what I meant at all...
No, I know quite a few liberals that really do like Cato because Cato didn't have the typical leftist or rightest agenda, hence they were considered rather more trustworthy...
Now I'm nominally a pro Koch brothers fan for their efforts but if they actually taint Cato with their viewpoint exclusively (a viewpoint I generally agree with) then I too will be very sad that a once dependable source of info will now be at best questionable...
I don't know that the authors would lie outright to enhance a particular Korh brothers' agenda (I don't think they would) but a writer can lie by ommission also...