Block, Walter E. 2020. “Libertarians Spoil the Election; Jo Jorgensen exceeds Biden’s margin in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia.” November 9; https://www.wsj.com/articles/libertarians-spoil-the-election-11604867668
There are quite a few of them; I attach only a dozen here. Some of them are quite interesting. Happy perusal
Letter 1:
Dear Bob:
Thanks for mentioning this on your blog. I guess we’ll have to continue to agree to disagree on Donald versus Crooked Hillary as president. With her, the Supreme Court would look very different than it now does. That’s pretty important.
Best regards,
Walter
Letter 2:
From: jkefauver
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 1:06 PM
Subject: Sir – we work with Carrie Sheffield, White House Correspondent and host, “Just the News AM” – request for TV interview:
Requesting an interview sometime soon on my new live show, “Just the News AM” (airing on DISH Network, Pluto, Apple TV, etc.). It is a daily morning news show in the 9-10am EST hour. We’d love to conduct the interview Skype or on set at 18th and K in D.C. This would be a 7-9 minute hit.
Possible dates: either this Thursday 11/12 or Friday 11/13.
We caught your piece in the WSJ re: “Libertarians Spoil the Election” and this would be the topic of your segment.
More about us at www.JustTheNews.com we are a digital news startup founded in Feb 2020 by veteran journalist John Solomon. Our staff have worked at ABC News, CBS, CNN, Fox News, WashPost, The Hill, WashTimes, Forbes, POLITICO, etc. We’re already averaging more than 10 million visitors a month to our news, video and podcast content. President Trump often Tweets out our articles and interviews (here’s one of my articles he Tweeted out, for example, and another one here. Here’s another shared by Lara Trump).
We recently launched a nationally-syndicated suite of TV programs airing in 50 million unique homes with a distributor called Real America’s Voice News. They are located on PlutoTV Channel 240, Dish Channel 219, Roku, Apple TV, FireTV or http://AmericasVoice.news.
Just the News website with video promo: https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/just-news-launching-tv-initiative-partnering-real-americas-voice-network
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustTheNews/status/1308393035278024704?s=20
The size of the audience varies per video.
Hope that helps, and feel free to call with any additional questions.
Dear Folks:
I’d be delighted to do this.
Best regards,
Walter
Letter 3
From: Richard Claycombe
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 12:37 PM
Subject: trump or biden
Hello Walter,
Just read your WSJ column. I voted for Johnson in 016 and have been a republican all my life, until the party dissolved into the Trump cult. I live in PA and thank god that Trump lost. No I’m not a blockhead; apparently you are. Trump is thug who cares only about himself and aspires to hide in the presidency the rest of his life. If he had managed to steal this election, the trump party would have continued to nominate him and we would never have another real election. It would take time but corruption would take over the economy and we would end up no more prosperous than Russia. No we dodged the end of democracy. Yes democratic economics are bad, but it looks like Biden won’t control the senate so he will be limited in power. Anything the democrats do to impoverish us will leave us better off than Valimire Trump would.
Richard Claycombe
Economics, McDaniel College
From: Walter Block [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 7:44 PM
To: Richard Claycombe
Subject: RE: trump or biden
CAUTION: This email originated from a non-McDaniel address. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Richard:
Are you a student or a prof?
Yes, Trump is often an ignorant bully, protectionist, big spender. But he’s also reduced taxes and regulations. Biden will lead us in the direction of Venezuela. I don’t relish going there.
Best regards,
Walter
From: Richard Claycombe
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 6:58 PM
To: Walter Block <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: trump or biden
I’m a prof. Aged 68, finishing my last semester. Yeah, democratic economics are awful. But Joe isn’t Bernie and even if they get the senate (not likely), we can vote them out in the coming elections. Donald was already trying to turn our elections in Russian ones. And his faithful would gladly support his autocracy. Given four more years, there would nothing left of our democracy. I find it interesting that the stock market likes Joe so far. They don’t think we’re headed for Venezuela. I didn’t expect that.
Dick Claycombe
Dear Dick:
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
Best regards,
Walter
Letter 4
From: Hans Kempers <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2020 8:10 PM
Subject: Article in the WSJ of July 16, 2020
Dear Mr Block,
I congratulate you with the fact that you have such a majority at Loyola University that is in favor of your point of view that, in order to form a balanced opinion, young people need to see all sides of a certain subject. (A score of 4,500 against 650 is reason to be proud).
I respectfully disagree with you that voluntary slavery is an allowed arrangement. If I want to end my life and ask a friend to pull the trigger, that does not get him off the hook for murder charges in case he does what I asked him to do.
Being and immigrant from The Netherlands I am confused by the discussions in this country about slavery.
1. It is a concept that was accepted for hundreds of thousands of years. The Abrahamic religions accepted it, as long as you treated those you owned humanely.
In most civilizations it was an accepted practice. The forefathers of my Italian friends did catch my forefathers to row in their galleys and fight in their arena’s to entertain the Roman citizens. I do not believe that they owe me anything for that horrible fact.
2. America has struggled with the concept since its founding. I do not hear in the present discussion that hundreds of thousands Americans gave their life during the Civil War to change society. I am of the opinion that that was a high enough price paid.
3. The reason that the Dutch and English slave traders were able to get their merchandise in Africa was, that the local black Kings would catch members of other tribes in order to sell them. The Ashanti Tribe was very successful in these ventures. I did not hear one black person ask for reimbursement from the Ashanti’s.
4. Well meaning efforts in this country have had negative consequences for the upcoming black population. Desegregation had as effect that the leaders and successful black entrepreneurs and intellectuals left their neighborhoods and moved to the predominantly white ones. That caused in my opinion a lack of role models in the traditionally black communities and caused a slide downhill. Giving black girls money for getting babies did not help either and added to the diminishing of the traditional strong black family culture.
5. Only a well thought out long term policy can help the black community getting on an even keel with the rest. The fact that many black kids are born in an environment that is not intellectual stimulating gives them a disadvantage from the start. Giving them money to calm them down will only add to the problem. They have to start by being told that nobody at the present owes them anything, but that the Community at large is willing to help them with good education under the condition that they work hard to get better. This country is giving everybody a chance. I have seen that in person. A great example for me was the locker room attended at my country club. He was black and came from a family of small famers. He was a real gentleman with great family values. All his kids worked hard and went to college and are successful in life.
I thank you for your insights.
Hans Kempers
Dear Hans:
Thanks for your good wishes. Sorry, I can’t write you substantively on voluntary slavery, and reparations for coercive slavery, since I’ve already published on those two topics and just would be repeating myself. So, here is what I’ve written on these two issues:
Voluntary slavery:
Block, 1969, 1979, 1988, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007A, 2007B, 2009A, 2009B, 2013, 2014, 2015; Lester, 2000; Nozick, 1974, pp. 58, 283, 331; Philmore, 1982
Block, Walter E. 1969. “Voluntary Slavery.” The Libertarian Connection, Vol. I, No. 3, April 13, pp. 9-11.
Block, Walter E. 1979. Book review of Nancy C. Baker, Baby Selling: the Scandal of Black Market Adoptions, New York: The Vanguard Press, 1978; in Libertarian Review, January, Vol. 7, No. 12, pp. 44-45.
Block, Walter E. 1988. “Rent-a-womb market,” Thunder Bay Ontario Daily; June 26.
Block, Walter E. 1999. “Market Inalienability Once Again: Reply to Radin,” Thomas Jefferson Law Review, Vol. 22, No. 1, Fall, pp. 37-88; https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/794d/06bfb1186588c840ae3c68d09aa21e74732a.pdf; http://www.walterblock.com/publications/market_inalienability.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2001. “Alienability, Inalienability, Paternalism and the Law: Reply to Kronman,” American Journal of Criminal Law, Vol. 28, No. 3, Summer, pp. 351-371; http://www.walterblock.com/publications/reply_to_kronman.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2002. “A Libertarian Theory of Secession and Slavery,” June 10; http://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block15.html; http://libertariantruth.wordpress.com/2006/12/08/a-libertarian-theory-of-secession-and-slavery/
Block, Walter E. 2003. “Toward a Libertarian Theory of Inalienability: A Critique of Rothbard, Barnett, Gordon, Smith, Kinsella and Epstein,” Journal of Libertarian Studies, Vol.17, No. 2, Spring, pp. 39-85; http://www.mises.org/journals/jls/17_2/17_2_3.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2004. “Are Alienability and the Apriori of Argument Logically Incompatible?” Dialogue, Vol. 1, No. 1. http://www.uni-svishtov.bg/dialog/2004/256gord6.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2005. “Ayn Rand and Austrian Economics: Two Peas in a Pod.” The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. Vol. 6, No. 2, Spring, pp. 259-269
Block, Walter E. 2006. “Epstein on alienation: a rejoinder” International Journal of Social Economics; Vol. 33, Nos. 3-4, pp. 241-260
Block, Walter E. 2007A. “Secession,” Dialogue. No. 4; pp. 1-14; http://www.uni-svishtov.bg/dialog/2007/4.07.WB.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2007B. “Alienability: Reply to Kuflik.” Humanomics Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 117-136; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=0685BBB744173274A5E7CE3803132413?contentType=Article&contentId=1626605
Block, Walter E. 2009A. “Yes, Sell Rivers! And Make Legal Some Slave Contracts” The Tyee. July 25; http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2009/07/24/SellRivers/
Block, Walter E. 2009B. “Privatizing Rivers and Voluntary Slave Contracts” July 27;
http://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block134.html
Block, Walter E. January 26, 2013. Podcast with Stephan Kinsella on voluntary slavery, debtor’s prisons; http://www.stephankinsella.com/paf-podcast/kol004-interview-with-walter-block-on-voluntary-slavery/; http://archive.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/132588.html; Wenzel: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/02/why-walter-block-and-stephan-kinsella.html
Block, Walter E. 2014. “A Collection of Essays on Libertarian Jurisprudence: Alienability, once again; a libertarian theory of contracts.” Saint Louis University Law Journal; Vol. 58, No. 2, Winter, pp. 547-554
Block, Walter E. 2015. “On slavery and libertarianism.” Journal of Economic and Social Thought. Vol. 2, Issue 3, September, pp. 161-174; www.kspjournals.org
http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEST/issue/view/42; http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEST/article/view/346
Lester, Jan Clifford. 2000. Escape from Leviathan. St. Martin’s Press. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312234163/qid%3D989845939/107-8070279-6411737).
Nozick, Robert. 1974. Anarchy, State and Utopia, New York: Basic Books
Philmore, J. 1982. “THE LIBERTARIAN CASE FOR SLAVERY.” The Philosophical Forum 14, no. 1 (Fall): 43-58; http://cog.kent.edu/lib/Philmore1/Philmore1.htm
Reparations for coercive slavery:
Alston and Block, 2007; Block, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2019, 2014, 2020A, 2020B; Block and Yeatts, 1999-2000; Crepelle and Block, 2017; Nouveau and Block, 2020.
Alston, Wilton D. and Walter E. Block. 2007. “Reparations, Once Again.” Human Rights Review, Vol. 9, No. 3, September, pp. 379-392; http://tinyurl.com/2b75fl
Block, Walter E. 1993. “Malcolm X,” Fraser Forum, January, pp. 18-19; http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/5361.aspx
Block, Walter E. 2001. “The Moral Dimensions of Poverty, Entitlements and Theft,” The Journal of Markets and Morality, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 83-93; http://www.acton.org/publicat/m_and_m/2001_spring/block.html; http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=922087; http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketsandmorality.com%2Findex.php%2Fmandm%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F587%2F577&ei=lBn9UuLIOtDOkQe1toHwBw&usg=AFQjCNF2MZ5XoFKKMF5UcOfOT5Kv-HQgZA&sig2=VVYWZhyl0ZmAWRAKXtkxWw; Search for “Walter Block” under “Authors” here: http://www.marketsandmorality.com/index.php/mandm/search
Block, Walter E. 2002A. “On Reparations to Blacks for Slavery,” Human Rights Review, Vol. 3, No. 4, July-September, pp. 53-73;
http://www.walterblock.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/reparations_slavery.pdf; https://link.springer.com/journal/12142/3/4/page/1; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12142-002-1003-4
(David Horowitz, Randall Robinson)
Block, Walter E. 2020B. “Return of Stolen Property: A Libertarian Case for Reparations.” December 18; https://www.theepochtimes.com/return-of-stolen-property-a-libertarian-case-for-reparations_3177301.html
Block, Walter E. 2019. “Return of Stolen Property: A Libertarian Case for Reparations.” December 23; https://www.theepochtimes.com/return-of-stolen-property-a-libertarian-case-for-reparations_3177301.html
Block, Walter E. 2020. “Reparations.” February 16;
https://www.unz.com/article/reparations/
Block, Walter E. and Guillermo Yeatts. 1999-2000. “The Economics and Ethics of Land Reform: A Critique of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace’s ‘Toward a Better Distribution of Land: The Challenge of Agrarian Reform,’” Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Law, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 37-69; http://www.walterblock.com/publications/ethics_land_reform.pdf
Crepelle, Adam and Walter E. Block. 2017. “Property Rights and Freedom: The Keys to Improving Life in Indian Country.” Washington & Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Vol. 23, Issue 2, Article, 3, pp. 314-342; http://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1435&context=crsj; http://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/crsj/vol23/iss2/3/
Houma Indian
Nouveau, Lucas and Walter E. Block. 2020. “A comment on reparations for slavery.” Libertas: Segunda Epoca; http://www.journallibertas.com/online-first.html
Best regards,
Walter
Letter 5
Dear Jim:
You’re a sweetie pie, as Murray Rothbard might have said. Thanks for trying to make me feel better about my laziness. I guess I’m an intellectual masochist. I still regret not reprising our Libertarians for Trump effort in 2019. But I’m very grateful for your letter.
Best regards,
Walter
From: jmwj
Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2020 3:15 PM
Subject: Your 11/9/20 WSJ Column
Dear Dr. Block:
I enjoyed reading your 11/9/20 WSJ column. However, I don’t believe that you should beat yourself up for not telling 2020 voters when they should and shouldn’t vote for the Libertarian candidate.
Everyone who voted for president in 2020 knew that the winner would be either Trump or Biden. If they really wanted their votes to count toward determining the winner, they would vote for one of those two. The votes for other candidates wouldn’t affect the presidential winner. All voters knew that. Therefore, voters for other candidates decided that they weren’t going to vote for Trump or Biden and their vote would not affect the winning and losing totals for the two contenders. Their alternative to how they voted was to not vote for a presidential nominee. Therefore, I believe the way to look at votes for other candidates is not that if they had voted for Trump, Trump would have won. They didn’t want to vote for Trump and they weren’t going to vote for Trump. If one wanted to look at the other votes from a Trump perspective to make themselves feel better, those voters didn’t vote for Biden either.
I believe I’m right and I hope my way of looking at the situation makes you feel better.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Williams
Letter 6
Dear Mike:
Thanks for your support.
Best regards,
Walter
From: Mike Holmes
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 6:15 PM
To: Walter Block <[email protected]>
Subject: Nice WSJ opinion item today
Walter,
Just wanted to thank you for your WSJ op-ed today.
Now we know who to blame for Biden’s victory!
(Not.)
We can now resume hating almost everything the Federal govt. does w/o any reservations. Situation normal.
Thanks again.
Mike Holmes
Katy TX
Letter 7
Dear Jay:
Thanks. Good point.
Best regards,
Walter
From: Jay Lynn
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 8:45 AM
Subject: WSJ article
Mr. Block,
I very much enjoyed your article in this morning‘s Wall Street Journal. You have been given a second chance in the runoff elections in Georgia. I pray you take advantage of it.
Thanks so much,
JAY LYNN
Letter 8
Dear Christine:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. We’ll have to agree to disagree, at least for the moment. In my view, this isn’t over until the Supreme Court weighs in
Best regards,
Walter
From: Christine
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 1:47 PM
Subject: WSJ opinion 11/9/20
Mr Block,
It seems that lying with the intent to inflame other old white guys is pro forma for Republicans, but YOU LOST AND DECENCY WON! Time to stop beating the dead (orange) horse and try to find the long lost honor of the GOP.
Sincerely,
Christine
Letter 9
Dear Eric:
Thanks for your support on this.
Best regards,
Walter
From: Eric Jones
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: WSJ OpEd
Dear Dr. Block,
I appreciated your article in today’s WSJ regarding Libertarians as the spoiler. For years I have described myself as a “Pragmatic Libertarian.” My dad first laughed at me when I articulated that position, as though I was experiencing an identity crisis of sorts. However, this election highlights the pragmatism I personally try to apply.
I live in Colorado, which in the past decade or so is decidedly more blue than purple. Still, I realize that I am going to be governed by one political party or the other. In the absence of ranked voting, I view my vote as a binary choice and wish other Libertarians would consider some pragmatism mixed in with idealism.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I wish you and your family well.
Sincerely,
Eric Jones
Letter 10
Dear Mr. Tabedzki:
Hey, this proves we’re both libertarians! We disagree!!
This is my answer to you:
Block, Walter E. 2016. “Libertarians for Trump.” March 15; https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/03/walter-e-block/libertarians-trump/
Block, Walter E. 2016. “Libertarians for Trump, Revisited.” March 29; https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/03/walter-e-block/whats-libertarians-trump/
Best regards,
Walter
From: Mr. Tabedzki
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: “Libertarians Spoil the Election”
Good afternoon Prof. Block,
I read your column and disagree. Simply put, many Americans in the “swing states” could not vote in good conscience for the Republican nominee this year. Left with the choice between voting for their ideology and voting for the Democratic nominee, many chose the former. The Republican nominee has not provided an adequate response to the pandemic and has shown blatant disregard for the coronavirus (please look at the first time the Republican nominee wore a mask in public and when he endorsed it as well as his comments when the CDC had announced the voluntary guidelines). Additionally, the nominee did not even provide a feeble attempt to mitigate the racial tensions after the death of Mr. Floyd. The Republican nominee has shown his incompetence and the Libertarian nominee was more appealing than both the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee.
If you believe the Libertarian voters spoiled the vote, perhaps the Republicans should’ve offered a stronger candidate.
Sincerely,
Mr. Tabedzki
Letter 11
Dear Paul:
Hey, Trump didn’t lose yet! Let’s see what the Supreme Court says about all of this electoral fraud.
Best regards,
Walter
From: Paul Petrone
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 9:33 AM
To: Walter Block <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: WSJ Post
Fair on abortion – although I cannot imagine a true libertarian being against gay marriage. Most libertarians would argue that marriage shouldn’t be a government issue at all.
Either way, the bigger point is that Trump was far from being a libertarian. He was against many things I’m for. It’s his own fault he lost the election, he simply wasn’t a good enough candidate – same was true for Gore in 2000.
On Nov 9, 2020, at 9:38 AM, Walter Block <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Paul:
But immigration, abortion, even gay marriage (albeit to a lesser degree) are highly contentious issues amonst libertarians.
For example, Ron Paul is pro life, Murray Rothbard, pro choice. I favor open borders, Hans Hoppe opposes them. Many religious libertarians oppose gay marriage
Best regards,
Walter
From: Paul Petrone
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 7:38 AM
Subject: WSJ Post
The idea that us Libertarians should fall in line and vote for a Republican simply because you want us to is ridiculous.
Republicans generally stand for less economic intervention, although Trump has been a strong supporter of increase immigration restrictions (not the wall, but limiting visas) which flies in the face of that. They also are for the war on drugs, fought against gay marriage, and continue to fight against abortion, all restrictions of liberty.
Democrats favor more economic restrictions, and yet favor freedom on drugs, marriage, social issues, etc..
Here’s the bigger point – both parties are broken. We shouldn’t vote for the best of two evils, we should vote who we think is best. And there’s nothing more annoying than people who cry for a vote they don’t deserve.
-Paul
Letter 12
Dear Eric:
Thanks. Excellent points.
Best regards,
Walter
From: eric gutterson
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 8:08 AM
Subject: A new Libertarian
Dr. Block,
I read with interest your Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal this morning. In particular, I was heartened to know that you advised a conservative voter in a deep Blue state to vote for the Libertarian candidate (the “porcupine”) as opposed to throwing your vote away.
I live in Massachusetts and voted for Jo Jorgenson because I realized the Libertarian party stands for what is most important for me: smaller government, less regulation and a return to true government by the people as originally envisioned by the Founders. Washington and its career politicians have lost contact with our country. We cannot return to our Colonial roots, but we can find ways to reconnect Washington with the country.
Unless something changes radically in the next four years, the chances are good I will cast my second Libertarian vote. Who knows, the porcupine may have begun to morph into a bobcat by then.
Eric Gutterson
Westwood, MA
3:01 am on November 12, 2020
