Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday September 26, 2011

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Who creates jobs? Paul Jacob of Citizens in Charge Foundation knows that it’s not government that creates jobs. It’s people that do. And, there is one presidential candidate who knows this too. This candidate said during a recent debate “The fact is I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor.” Read more at Who Creates Jobs?

Pompeo to address Pachyderms. This week’s meeting (September 30th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club presents U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

Supremes to make road trip. This week the Kansas Supreme Court will conduct sessions in Greensburg and Wichita. On Wednesday September 28th, the court will meet in the Kiowa County Courthouse beginning at 9 am. The next day the court will meet in the Wichita City Council chambers, starting at 9:00 am. Details about the cases the justices will hear may be read here: Greensburg Appeal Summaries, Wichita Appeal Summaries.

March for the chicken. The recent visit to Wichita by economist Walter E. Williams produced many memorable moments, such as when Williams explained how private property works to save animal species from extinction: “I was listening to NPR, a number of years ago, and people were picketing the UN because they were concerned about the extinction of the giraffe, the gorilla, and the lion. So I wrote down a list of animals that people were in a tizzy over the possibility of their becoming extinct. … Then I wrote down another list of animals, very valuable to us, but people are not worried about them. I said ‘How come people are not marching for the chicken? Why are people not forming save the pig clubs?’ … What’s the difference between these two lists of animals? The essential difference is that with this list of animals — cows, chickens, and pigs — they belong to somebody. Somebody’s personal private interest is at stake. But this other list of animals — they don’t belong to anybody. Nobody’s personal private wealth is at stake. If you’re concerned about the extinction of various animals, I would recommend trying to privatize them.”

Economic freedom. In a short video, Professor Aeon Skoble explains the linkage between economic freedom and personal liberty. Often the two are portrayed as competing forces, but this is not true at all. In the video, Skoble explains: “The truth is, there’s no real distinction between civil liberties and economic liberties. They’re one and the same, and it’s a mistake to separate them out and defend one at the expense of the other.” Economic freedom, explains Skoble, provides the means to express civil liberties, such as the right to publish your thoughts, and the right of someone else to read them: “When we make transactions in the economic realm, we are putting into physical reality in the social setting the choices we make. So if I don’t have the freedom to transact then my freedom of choice is hollow — an abstraction. … Economic liberties simply are the physical, social manifestations of the freedom of choice or freedom of conscience that we take so seriously.” The video is from LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies.

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