Liberty Wire Monthly Update

EVENTS
February 2, 2010
Policy Forum: The Rule of Law in Russia

Washington, D.C | 12:00pm



February 4, 2010
Book Forum: From Poverty to Prosperity

By Arnold Kling & Nick Schulz

Washington, D.C | 12:00pm



February 12, 2010
Film Screening: 10 Rules for Dealing with the Police

Washington, D.C | 12:00pm



February 12-14, 2010
Students For Liberty International Conference

Washington, D.C



February 26, 2010
DC Forum for Freedom


Details forthcoming

Washington, D.C | 4:00pm




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OPPORTUNITIES
Institute for Humane Studies Spring Internship
Deadline: January 31

IHS interns work in professional arenas, with world-class leaders in their fields. IHS offers competitive, paid internship positions in both Production and Journalism.



Center for Freedom and Prosperity video contest
A new contest has been opened, accepting submissions of videos that address free-market economic issues from students' perspectives. Cash prizes to be awarded.



Cato On Campus Student Contests
Deadline: rolling

Cato On Campus hosts three student contests every month, and selects winners for the highest quality and best representation of liberty in op-eds, YouTube videos, and essays or other work in college courses. Prizes range from autographed copies of Cato books to full scholarships to Cato University in San Diego, California.



National University, Scholarships for Online Economics Courses
National University is offering a limited number of scholarships that cover the full expenses of tuition and application fees for online courses in Free-Market Economics and the Philosophical Foundations of Capitalism.



Independent Institute Essay Contest
Deadline: May 2010

The Independent Institute is holding its Sir John M. Templeton Essay Contest for junior faculty and students in higher education. Frederic Bastiat said: Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget the state wants to live at the expense of everyone."


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Multimedia
Video: Economics Rap
Havek v. Keynes

George Mason University economics professor Russ Roberts and John Papola have produced an economics hip-hop rap video contrasting the theories of Keynes and Hayek.



Video: Heritage
Debt Limit Made Simple


This Heritage Foundation video makes understanding the debt limit a bit easier by presenting a clearly worded narrative that lays out the problems the U.S. is facing in an engaging allegory.



Video: Mass. Election
Cato Scholars on Brown Victory


Cato's David Boaz and John Samples evaluate what Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts means for Democrats and Republicans in the near and far term.



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NEW BOOKS
Shifting Superpowers: The New and Emerging Relationship between the United States, China, and India
Shifting Superpowers aims to energize the debate over the proper direction of U.S. foreign policy in the changing Asian landscape.
By Martin Sieff.



Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies
For over seven years, drugs have been decriminalized in Portugal. This new study examines the Portuguese model, finding that, "judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese decriminalization framework has been a resounding success."
By Glenn Greenwald.



Climate of Extremes; Paperback
An in-depth look at consistent, solid science on the other side of the gloom-and-doom global warming story that is rarely reported.
By Patrick J. Michaels.
Back-to-School Issue

2009 was a rough year in many ways, but in particular for the liberty movement. Ever the opportunists, Washington politicians did their darndest to exploit crises (both actual and imagined) in an effort to expand the power of government. But those of us who value liberty and limits to government coercion didn’t take it lying down. Students like you wrote letters to local newspapers, turned up in drove to Tea Party protests, and spoke with anyone who would listen about the virtues of a free society. And while statist were dealt some heavy blows recently in the form of a tattered health care agenda and a recent Supreme Court decision that upholds our sacred freedom of speech, we must not let up from the fight.

Here at Cato on Campus we’re dedicated to providing you with resources and opportunities that can help make a decisive difference in your own personal battle for the cause of liberty. With that goal in mind, we recently broadcast our first live-streaming student event. Each month at the Cato Institute, with the help of co-sponsor D.C. Forum for Freedom, we host a student event featuring a lecture from one of our scholars on a topic of the day. Now, through our new webinar system, you can attend and contribute to the discussion from anywhere in the world.

Sincerely,
Joey Coon

www.CatoCampus.org






News
International Students For Liberty Conference
"The annual International Students For Liberty Conference is quickly approaching, and more than 250 students have already registered. February 12-14 will bring one of the largest gatherings of pro-liberty students in the world to American University in Washington, D.C. This year, students will hear from hallmarks of liberty such as Ed Crane and Gary Johnson. The conference also boasts breakout sessions with liberty scholars and professionals, a movie debut, networking opportunities, and interaction with many organizations specifically focused on student development. Please visit Students For Liberty's website for more information and to register.

Read the full story on the website.



Healthcare: The Message from Massachusetts
The election of Scott Brown (R), to fill the late Ted Kennedy's (D) senate seat, sent the clear message that Bay state residents reject the healthcare proposals that are being passed through Congress. Regardless, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said will pass "one way or another." Michael Cannon, Cato senior fellow in health policy studies, outlines the "ways" Democrats could pass their plan through Congress. All such possibilities directly against the will of the American people, as seen in the Mass. election. Cannon states that Congress Democrats "have been willing to do almost anything... to force this bill through." Time will tell how far they are willing to go.

Read the full story on the website.



Can Google Beat China?
In a move that grabbed the attention of the world, Google announced that it would pull out of China if the Chinese government did not rescind its policy of censoring Internet content. Reflecting on the battle of the two titans, Cato information technology scholar Timothy Lee explains that "the basis of effective censorship in China, like all government power, is the ability to punish people in "real life" when they do something online the government doesn't like." He then offers several options for Google to increase liberty in China through their policies.

Enter the contest here.





FEATURED ARTICLES
A Beginner's Guide to Liberty
The Adam Smith Institute has released A Beginner's Guide to Liberty, a ten chapter booklet that presents some of the most important principles of liberty that societies must grapple with everyday, written by some of the most prevalent names in liberty-oriented literature. With chapters like 'How markets work,' 'The importance of liberty,' Welfare without the state,' and 'Why government fails,' the book promises to pack quite a punch into its relatively few pages. Reviewers boast that the book clearly presents powerful ideas in jargon-free language. Whether as a gift or for yourself, the book can be purchased or downloaded for free, here. Stay tuned to Cato On Campus, as we highlight each of the ten chapters over the next few months!

Read the full article here.



Libertarian Review of Obama, at One Year

Cato executive vice president, David Boaz, analyzes on President Obama's first year in office. He states that Obama's approach to governance, by the "never waste a crisis" mentality, was misguided from the beginning, and may now be coming back to take its toll. The people didn't buy into his plan of government take-over, and he "energized a small-government element in the electorate." Therefore, to salvage his office - and at greater stake, his party - Obama would do good to be instructed by presidents past.

Read the full article here.

Free Speech for All

Cato scholars John Samples and Ilya Shapiro discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in favor of liberty in Citizens United v. FEC. The court struck down a law that banned corporations to freely voice their opinion in political matters near an election. Some claim that the decision paves a way for corruption, while others say the control of political speech is a slippery slope. Samples and Shapiro comment that this ruling will allow more ideas to be heard, which promotes a freer, more informed society, adding that "We all will benefit from this affirmation of our Constitution."

Read the full article here.




POLICY STUDIES

Made on Earth: How Global Economic Integration Renders Trade Policy Obsolete

"The factory floor is no longer contained within four walls and one roof," says Dan Ikenson, Cato Institute trade scholar. Rather, it spans the globe and is highly interdependent. However, "trade and investment policy has not kept pace with these remarkable changes in commercial reality." In this Cato Institute policy analysis paper, Dan Ikenson discusses how our modern, global economic system of integration causes out-dated trade policies to be obsolete. The thesis of his study is that, "To nurture the promise of our highly integrated global economy, governments should commit to policies that reduce frictions throughout the supply chain.

Read the full article here.

The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain

Cato health policy scholar Michael Cannon and Kentucky University professor Aaron Yelowitz analyze the healthcare system of Massachusetts, which mirrors much of the healthcare bills being crafted in Congress. Their analysis suggests that if it's bad for Massachusetts, it would be worse for America. Specifically, they find evidence that, "(the) individual mandate induces uninsured residents to conceal their true insurance status," "the official estimate reported by the Commonwealth almost certainly overstates the law's impact on insurance coverage, likely by 45 percent," and "substantial crowdout of private coverage among low-income adults and children." In regard to young people, Cannon and Yelowitz find evidence that "more than 60 percent fewer young adults are relocating to Massachusetts as a result of the law."

Read the full article here.