Joe Kent

Many libertarians have a problem with authority. We don’t like rulers at the top, dictators, kings and queens, or even strict parents. We think life should grow like a garden, from the bottom up. It’s a beautiful philosophy, and it’s easy to see why so many libertarians and entrepreneurs just love the idea of a bottom-up approach to the world. So why are so many businesses run like a socialist country – from the top down? After all, many businesses have a Chief Executive Officer – he’s like the Dictator. He can issue orders and boss people around. Underneath him is...

By Joe Kent Vote5 2

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit North Korea every year, making it quite a popular tourist spot. Guided tours can cost from $1,000 to $4,000 dollars, depending on the length of stay, and more people are paying this cost in order to get a sneak peak into the most isolated country in the world. “Did you ever see any tourists in North Korea?” asked Casey Lartigue, host of North Korea Today. “A lot,” said Yeonmi Park, co-host of the show. Yeonmi escaped North Korea in 2009, and now lives in South Korea. ”During the summer time, there is a big...

By Joe Kent Vote4 1

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By Joe Kent Vote0 0

Sometimes when I’m in line at airport security, I like to imagine that I’m a ninja trying to get through their defenses. I imagine hopping over the scanner, throwing some ninja stars, and then flying up the escalator with my grappling hook. It’s a good thought experiment to see if there’s a hole in their security. But then one day I realized, there is a hole. A huge hole. It’s a design flaw at the checkpoint which invites anyone to wreak all kinds of havoc. If a terrorist wanted to kill a bunch of people, he could simply throw a...

By Joe Kent Vote6 1

I was driving fast, about 60 miles per hour, and I wasn’t planning on slowing down. I didn’t have a passport, my driver’s license was expired, and I was approaching the border. This might have been a dangerous situation, except that the border I was crossing was between Minnesota and South Dakota – a border that’s so open, all that exists is a sign that says, “Welcome to South Dakota”. What’s the difference between a state border, and a country border? If you ask most people, there’s a big difference. Crossing a country’s border could screw up their economy! We...

By Joe Kent Vote4 2

Liberty is a jigsaw puzzle scattered in bits and pieces all over the world. Some countries have privatized this, but not that. Other countries have privatized that, but not this. However, few, if any, have put the entire puzzle of liberty together. So many people say, "Yes, I can see how privatizing this would work, but we could NEVER privatize that." Without seeing the whole picture, many people just give up on the whole idea of liberty. Yet, liberty does exist in thousands of iterations around the world, and if someone took all the seemingly impossible pieces of individual freedom...

By Joe Kent Vote2 0

In the film “Inequality for All”, Robert Reich, former labor secretary for Bill Clinton, takes a look at wealth inequality in the United States and finds a way to make everything more equal — grow the government! According to Reich, the 1% is getting too rich. Reich throws charts and graphs at the viewer, and empathizes with folks who are struggling in the stagnant economy. The movie’s thesis: the free market is filled with bullies, and we need the government to protect us. The movie is fantastic from a documentary perspective, but lousy from an economics perspective. If you are...

By Joe Kent Vote5 2

The first time I took an online taxi cab – I was nervous. Here I was on a street corner, using an iphone app (Uber or Lyft) to call a random driver. Who was this mysterious person? If anyone with a cellphone and a car can turn their vehicle into a cab . . . what is to stop him from driving up next to a cliff and pushing me out the door? The cab pulled up, and the driver immediately got out of the car, greeted me with a big smile, and opened the passenger door. “How are you?”...

By Joe Kent Vote4 0

Sandy Springs, Georgia may look like any other town in America. It has parks, roads, and beautiful places to live. But there’s one thing that separates this town from every other town: Sandy Springs privatized almost everything. In 2005, Sandy Springs outsourced almost all functions of the city government (with the exception of police and fire) to a single company, which runs the town. That company is in charge of running all the vital functions of government, from the running the parks, to paving the roads, and even 911 calls! The town is run very efficiently, with zero backlogs in...

By Joe Kent Vote65 8

Last week I found myself in the middle of Washington D.C. for the Koch Summer Fellowship Program. By some feat of magic and luck, I managed to convince some very wealthy people that I was part of the future of changing the world for the better. It was quite embarrassing then, to find myself completely lost in the tunnels of the Washington D.C. Metro System. “Hello . . .? Can anybody help me . . .?” I called out in an echo which reverberated down the long dark twisting tunnels of a government transportation system gone awry. I must’ve been...

By Joe Kent Vote4 0

Have you ever heard of anybody who never went to school? No, I don’t mean ‘home schooled’. I’m talking about no school at all. No curriculum. No home school course. No online accredited program. Never went to Kindergarten, or any other grade. In America, that is rare, because education is compulsory. Kids are forced by law to go to school. Christian’s mom learned that lesson well. She said when Christian was six years old, “They came out with a police officer, and wanted to inspect the home environment. We eventually moved out of the state because of it . ....

By Joe Kent Vote44 11

Why is rent in Hawaii going up, up, up? (Hint: it's because of government) Libertarian Joe Kent talks to economist Ken Schoolland, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, developers, land owners, realtors, and even landlords to find out the truth about the "Price of Paradise". The show is broadcast across Hawaii's public access stations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00TMKaEumLA 1 hour

By Joe Kent Vote3 1

In Hawaii, and much of America, teachers get paid by how many years they've worked. They start at the bottom of the pay scale, and every year their pay goes up automatically. So imagine if teachers gave grades in the same way they were paid. In kindergarten, all kids would get an F. By the first grade, the entire class would get a D-minus. Second Graders would get a D, and third graders would have a D+. Fifth-graders would all get a C, and so on, until in the 12th grade, every student would have an A-plus! It would look...

By Joe Kent Vote9 1

A talk I gave about how government is a monster in the classroom. I talk about the lack of safety, Common Core, wasted money, and the lack of power for individuals in the education system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVKi1ohPKcQ The talk was given at the "Foolish Things Salon" on Oahu. By Joe Kent. The Foolish Things Salon is led by Ken and Li Schoolland.

By Joe Kent Vote4 1

There's a new fad sweeping through Hawaii's schools. The Kendama! You know, that little cup and ball and string that you played with for two seconds when you were a kid? Well, this isn't a dinky little toy anymore. In Hawaii, there are competitions and tournaments, where Kendama champions show off their coolest tricks! At the school where I teach, Kendamas are at a fever pitch. The recess playground is filled with giant mobs of kids all playing Kendama. And they are pretty expensive! It's hard to find a Kendama for less than $30, and the really good ones can cost more...

By Joe Kent Vote2 0

I like democrats because they are very honest and they have big hearts. But as a libertarian, I often scratch my head, wondering how democrats would answer these questions. 1) When you read a list of all the questionable things Obama has done, is he still a “good president”? For example: He continues to hunt down Edward Snowden as if he were a terrorist. He lied about letting people keep their health insurance. Obama increased the National Debt more than any previous president. He renewed the Patriot Act. He wanted to go to war in Syria (stopped by the American people). Guantanamo Bay is still open and bigger than before....

By Joe Kent Vote14 0

I'm paying $1000 a month to live in a tiny studio on the west side of Maui. This is comparable to rent in New York City, except that gas and groceries are cheaper in New York. Why is rent going up on Maui? Ask most people and they'll say, "It's because of greed. Landlords are just too greedy on Maui." But landlords are greedy all over the world, and they have been since the dawn of time. It must be something else. In 2006, the County Council of Maui enacted the "Workforce Housing Policy", which was supposed to increase housing...

By Joe Kent Vote1 0

One day I was leaving a county council meeting on Maui, and I got in the elevator with a group of older ladies. I pretended to ignore them while I listened intently. “Can you believe it? We did it! We got the government to buy the land!” “Thank goodness,” another lady said, “I was afraid the view of the ocean would be blocked from my house.” “Well,” the leader said, “I heard that a developer is planning on buying some land up north. We'd better hop to it again, ladies!” They all cheered. I kept my mouth shut and wondered:...

By Joe Kent Vote3 0

“Eww, I can't believe you're eating all those GMOs,” a kid once told me, as I was eating Burger King french fries for lunch. Needless to say, it didn't really help my appetite. I asked, “How do you know that GMOs are bad for you?” as I ate another fry. She said, “Everybody knows that.” Indeed. Everybody does seem to know lately that GMOs are bad for you. News articles, documentaries, and protesters have been telling us about the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms for years, and many people are very upset about the food on our dinner plates. Recently,...

By Joe Kent Vote27 6

Growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, I remember stories of how the sugar cane industry died so long ago, and how the Big Island economy died along with it. So when I first moved to Maui, I was in awe. Out the window of the airplane, I saw beautiful green fields of sugar cane like a carpet over the windy valley isle. “What a miracle!” I thought. It was like stepping back into Hawaii's golden age of sugar. Then, one day, I noticed a giant black pillar of smoke stretching miles into the air. It looked like someone...

By Joe Kent Vote3 0

Why are Businesses Run Like Socialist Countries? Aug 23, 2014

Why You Should Not Visit North Korea Aug 6, 2014

I, iPhone Jul 31, 2014

The Giant Hole in Airport Security Jul 24, 2014

Has best price levitra What’s the Difference Between a State Border and a Country Border? Jul 17, 2014

Liberty is a Jigsaw Puzzle Jul 15, 2014

Generique levitra 20mg Lowest price for levitra 10 Economic Fallacies in the Movie “Inequality for All” Jul 11, 2014

The Market for Morality Jun 25, 2014

The Town that Privatized Everything Jun 23, 2014

Preisvergleich levitra 20 mg How to Change the World Jun 11, 2014

The Boy Who Never Went to School Jun 9, 2014

The Price of Paradise May 17, 2014

What if Kids Were Graded like Teachers Were Paid? May 3, 2014

The Monster in the Classroom May 3, 2014

Why Fads are Healthy for Kids May 3, 2014

5 Tough Questions for Democrats May 3, 2014

Why is Rent Rising on Maui? May 3, 2014

The Market for Open Spaces May 3, 2014

A Libertarian Visits Monsanto May 3, 2014

Sugar Cane Burning May 3, 2014