Austrian Economics Research Conference, Citation by Wall Street Journal Editorial Page

I spent Thursday through Sunday at the Austrian Economics Research Conference, which is sponsored by the Mises Institute. The Mises Institute is next door to Auburn University.  The conference is small but lively, and the speakers were excellent. I was delighted to meet Bob Luddy, the founder of CaptiveAire Corporation; Hans Herman Hoppe, who received an achievement award;  Sam Johnson, who is a retired Exxon executive who adjuncts at Auburn University; and the founder of the Mises Institute, Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

I gave a presentation on the historical evolution of political groupthink and intolerance in higher education. It went well, and I am looking forward to further exploring the data that I presented. 

While I was at the conference, someone from Boston emailed me to ask for links to the work I've done on faculty political affiliation because the Wall Street Journal (paid access) editorial page had cited my research on Friday.  I was thrilled to get the cite, but I disagree with the editorial.

According to the Journal,  President Trump's executive order has the right impulse, but the executive order is unclear.  It merely mandates that a list of federal agencies review incursions on free speech on campus.

The Journal argues that absent the executive order markets will correct for incursions on free speech, but the institutional history suggests otherwise.  Colleges have received enormous institutional support from government and from tax-exempt foundations, and much of this support has had ideological strings attached. Such support extends to tax-exempt endowments that shelter the leading colleges from market concerns.  As well, monopolistic media that collude with and ideologically support Antifa extremists on campus support the reputations of colleges that abuse free speech. The major media outlets take their cues from and collaborate with campus Antifa terrorists.

As it is written, the executive order merely encourages agencies that oversee funding to colleges to consider whether the colleges are violating federal laws, including the First Amendment.  One of the laws is Section 501(c)(3), which prohibits tax exemption for political or ideological advocacy.  Although when in power the Democrats may abuse these provisions, they have already abused their privileges to an unlimited extent, so that the current intolerance on college campuses can hardly be increased.  Hence, there are limited downside risks from the Democrats, who have shot their wad.  When Republican administrations are in power, they now have some impetus to enforce the law and at times to revoke tax exemptions of endowments.  Although the threat to colleges may be intermittent because it is limited to Republican administrations, colleges need to think long-term because it is difficult to change programs and policies.  Hence, an intermittent threat is almost as good as a permanent one.

An additional step that the Trump administration might take is to make explicit that all federal aid is contingent on compliance with the First Amendment and that when colleges violate First Amendment Rights affected individuals have a cause of action that includes punitive damages.

Letter to Rupert Murdoch Re Tucker Carlson

PO Box 130

West Shokan, NY 12494

March 15, 2019

Mr. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman

Fox News

1211 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10036

Dear Mr. Murdoch:

I support Tucker Carlson, and by copy of this letter I am urging President Trump to award Carlson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  However, I have a criticism of Fox News that is related to the recent adverse publicity.

Antifa is a new kind of terrorist organization that uses erosion of privacy arising from the communication power of the Internet to uncover supposedly embarrassing information about people with whom it disagrees.  Of course, socialism is the greatest evil of the past millennium, yet Antifa and the media are untroubled by its advocacy.  What is embarrassing in the opinion of America’s failing media ain’t necessarily so, and I can attest to that because I easily survived one of their dumbed-down assaults.

Antifa has cultivated links with the media; many in the media are sympathetic to Antifa’s far-left aims; members of Antifa work in the media.  Many in Antifa have criminal records or associate with people with criminal records.  In other words, much of the American media, including some of your employees, have been willing to work with left-wing extremists, some of whom have criminal records, in order to boost ratings or further aims that the journalists share with Antifa.

I urge your organization to develop a data base, to work with the FBI, and to identify links among journalists, Antifa extremists, and criminals.  The same goes for professors with criminal affiliations and even convictions.  The relationships exist, and Fox has dropped the ball. Most of the media capable of investing time into investigating these claims are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

As far as Carlson, give him a raise and a promotion. I’ve read his book, and although I disagree with much of it, if you ask me whether I’d prefer a country dominated by a Tucker Carlson or an Arthur Sulzberger, I have little trouble answering.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.

mlangbert@hvc.rr.com

Cc:
Tucker Carlson

The President

Letter to the Honorable Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster County) Re A05498

The Honorable Kevin Cahill

New York State Assembly

LOB 716

Albany, NY 12248

Dear Mr. Cahill:

I urge you to support A05498, a bill that will, when passed, divide New York into three autonomous regions: upstate, New York City, and the suburbs of New York City.  It proposes regional governors and legislators, and it limits statewide taxation to a sales tax. It also proposes that state court and prison systems be separated. 

In an emailed press release, the Divide NYS Caucus Inc. says that under the bill a token New York State government will remain, with most taxing power transferred to regional governments. About three-fourths of state laws will become regional laws. Each region will have its own legislature and regional governor. 

The time is right to consider separation. As an aside, separation will be beneficial to assemblymen because it will open up promotional opportunities.

Years ago I briefly moved to Northern New York, and I was surprised to hear some of the North Country people talk in terms of separation of upstate and downstate.  It seemed to me that the idea wouldn’t be helpful because the flow of funds favored upstate since Wall Street and other major corporations are based in the city.

However, the issue is no longer flow of funds.  The issue is strategic. The city has gotten into the habit of destroying the upstate economy.   The city has moved further and further to the left, with extremists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez influencing important policies.  The recent extremist triumph vis-à-vis  the proposed Amazon headquarters deprived the state of an infusion of jobs and taxes net of the tax reduction.  Extremists increasingly dominate the city government and increasingly receive support from the city’s voters. 

The policy mix favored by the city has consistently harmed our region economically.  A few years ago I read David Soll’s Empire of Water, and I realized how high a cost old-time families around here have paid over the years.   I live in a beautiful area and have a secure income, but for the majority of upstate New Yorkers the end result will be exit of business, exit of jobs, and dependence on government.  

The resulting culture of hopelessness eventually will turn into desperation. What is going to happen in the city is that there will be increasing calls for wealth redistribution and regulation. In turn, the tax base will exit, the super rich will exit, and corporations will exit,  creating a massive underclass that will no longer be able to depend on the state’s welfare system. Sooner or later the 36-year-old stock market bubble will pop, and Wall Street will lay an egg.  The end result will be widespread poverty and possibly economic collapse.  Upstate will be better off free of the city’s problems.

Years ago a restaurateur in Babylon, NY, Robert Matherson, posted a sign in various places, including outside his restaurant: “Move out of New York State Before It’s Too Late.”  It is time to heed Matherson’s warning.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D.