Today’s Links: Februrary 1, 2012

OPINION

JAMES PERON: “Why Libertarians Need to Talk to the Left and How to Do It
“A local libertarian party group once complained to me that the gay community never showed interest in them.  A few months later, the Pride festival was coming up and I suggested having a libertarian booth there. I said I would pay half the cost. They rejected the idea as too expensive, which I found that odd since every month they set up booths costing similar sums at gun shows with smaller attendance. […] Why? Because they are infected with what I call “Me-Libertarianism,” that myopic kind of libertarianism that only sees issues as important if they impact the typical libertarian. Who is that typical libertarian? A middle-aged, white, heterosexual male. Issues that don’t impact that demographic just aren’t important and many bluntly tell you so. Abortion rights aren’t important. Immigration isn’t important. Equality of rights for gay people isn’t important. They just ignore all those issues because they don’t impact them.”

FRANCIS FUKUYAMA: “What Is Governance?
“The beginning point of the project is definition of governance that excludes the degree to which governments are either democratic or subject to a rule of law that constrains the executive. The reason for this is simple: it seems obvious to me that countries can be better or worse governed regardless of whether they are liberal democracies or not. Singapore is not Zimbabwe, despite the fact that neither is democratic. Separating the quality of the state from either the rule of law or democratic accountability is one of the foundational ideas in The Origins of Political Order. The reason I want to make this separation is to then be able to empirically evaluate the relationship of governance to democracy and the rule of law.”

PETER ORSZAG: “Fracking Boom Could Finally Cap Peak Oil Myth
“The U.S. oil market could be on the verge of its own fracking revolution, similar to what the natural-gas market is already experiencing. As a result, domestic production is now projected to rise significantly over the coming decades, reducing the relative share of imports in U.S. oil consumption.”

NEWS

PRIVACY – Online Privacy At Risk With Pending Legislation
“The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 would require Internet providers to retain archives of every subscriber’s online activity for up to 18 months, including phone records, credit-card numbers, websites visited and bank-account data.”

WELFARE – House Set to Ban Welfare Payments at Strip Clubs
“As the recession continues onward, House Republicans are worried that those receiving welfare payments may be having a bit too good of a time.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT – Memphis Police Delete Photographers’ Cell Phone Pictures
“If you are on a public street and take pictures or video of Memphis Police with your cell phone, you could end up in the back of a squad car and your pictures could be deleted. ABC 24 News photographer Casey Monroe said that’s what happened to him Sunday morning. Police never charged Monroe with a crime, but this could happen to anyone with a cell phone camera.”