September Course Evaluations

Please take the time to fill out this preliminary course evaluation. I like to conduct early evaluations so that I can A) correct problems mid-stream and B) make the class more interesting and informative.

These evaluations are absolutely anonymous, and they will have an impact on the course going forward. I hope to attain 100% saturation. The link is posted below.

September Course Evaluation for POLI 487

A Libertarian Case for Government Protection of the Environment

A great post at Bleeding Heart Libertarians makes the case that libertarians—who are typically vehemently opposed to government intervention in market transactions—should favor government-regulated environmental protections. I'll let the author, Jason Brennan, do the heavy lifting:

1. Pollution and other kinds of environmental externalities impose costs upon others… [a violation of] people’s property rights…
2. Government regulation of environmental issues is USUALLY/OFTEN/SOMETIMES effective, and is USUALLY/OFTEN/SOMETIMES more effective than using courts to defend the rights mentioned in premise 1…
3. Therefore, government should have the right to issue environmental regulations in order to protect property rights, rights to life, and rights to health.

It's a loaded claim, that environmental regulation is on the same level as protecting private property in terms of the government's responsibility to its citizens.

Do you agree or disagree with the premises listed above? Share your thoughts on this topic if you have some.