A short video on how technological innovation born of economic liberty has changed the world.

History is more than dates, places and battles. In many instances it’s technological advances that change the world for the betterment of all mankind. In this case it’s the story of French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson and his creation in France of the first all metal slide rest lathe, the forerunner to all modern machine tools in 1751.

Lathes had been around for centuries, but lacked the precision with hand held cutting tools. The slide rest of the Vaucanson metal lathe that provided the control to produce metal part of exacting dimensions. The lathe is said to be able to produce every other machine and machine tool. This advancement changed everything.

The producer of the video references a profound chart of World Population GCP and per Capita GCP 1 –2008 AD from data of the late Angus Maddison, similar to this produced by the  Visual Capitalist, we credit them for the chart and commentary:

For thousands of years, economic progress was largely linear and linked to population growth. Without machines or technological innovations, one person could only produce so much with their time and resources.

More recently, innovations in technology and energy allowed the “hockey stick” effect to come into play.

The video was produced by Machine Thinking last year.

While some may quibble about which particular machine produced this miracle The larger point is that the machines of the industrial age profoundly changed what people could produce.

As the video noted the average person in 1600 was no better off economically than someone thousands of years earlier. This is what is called the Malthusian trap and for seven thousand years, it was inescapable no matter what we did.

Machine tools such as this changed all of that, one person could produce what had taken many. This surplus could outpace births, allowing the economy to grow at an incredible pace as seen in the chart. All from the genius of the mind undergirded by the Economic liberty of the free-enterprise system. This is why this is vastly superior to the societal slavery of socialism.

Boost This Post

Get this story in front of tens of thousands of patriots who need to see it. For every $30 you donate here, this story will be broadcast to an addition 7000 Americans or more. If you’d prefer to use PayPal, please email me at jdrucker@reagan.com and let me know which post you want boosted after you donate through PayPal.

Will you help revive the American Conservative Movement?

Every Democrat in the House of Representatives but one were joined by two Republicans to sponsor the Equality Act, an amendment to the Civil Rights Act that would add “sexual orientation and gender identity” as protected characteristics under federal anti-discrimination law. The controversial component of the act is how it would force schools to allow biological males who identify as females to compete in girls’ athletics.

The two Republicans who joined the Democrats were Reps. John Katko of New York and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. The lone Democrat who didn’t sponsor the bill was Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski, the only pro-life Democrat left in the House.

234 House Democrats, 2 Republicans Co-Sponsor Bill Forcing Schools to Let Male Athletes Compete on Girls Sports Teams

Opinion

The left loves to talk about “settled science” when it comes to climate change, evolution, and other issues that pertain to politics, culture, and religion. Here’s a taste of science that is actually settled. Males are physically superior to females when it comes to athletic events. They are stronger. They are faster. They are larger.

Let’s not even go into the patently obvious reality that these transgender girls will dominate the sports. It’s continuously well documented; we’ve talked about it ourselves a few times.

Instead, let’s discuss two other important issues: safety and the political ramifications. Is it safe for a biological male who identifies as a girl to wrestle biological girls? How about a biological female who is using hormones to transition to become a male? Texas wrestler Matt Beggs won the state girls’ wrestling championship two years in a row. Watching the video, it’s clear the girls had zero chance of winning, but more importantly they were in more physical danger than they would have been had they been wrestling someone who had not been given male hormones.

The other aspect, and perhaps the only silver lining to all this, is the hope that common sense is still alive and well in America. If the GOP can make this an issue in the 2020 elections, they have an opportunity to highlight the leftist lunacy that’s spreading across the Democratic Party. I find it hard to believe a majority of Americans believe biological males should compete with biological females based on how the males identify.

Then again, this could demonstrate that America really has lost its way. If I’m wrong and a majority really doesn’t see anything wrong with this, then perhaps our fates are already sealed.

Quote

“Very disappointed in @RepBrianFitz and @RepJohnKatko for sponsoring the Equality Act. Have you ever seen a biological male wrestle a girl? If not, I’ll spoil it for you. The one with male musculature wins every time and it’s not even close. Put science over your feelings, guys.” – JD Rucker

Very disappointed in @RepBrianFitz and @RepJohnKatko for sponsoring the Equality Act. Have you ever seen a biological male wrestle a girl? If not, I'll spoil it for you. The one with male musculature wins every time and it's not even close. Put science over your feelings, guys.

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) April 12, 2019

Final Thoughts

The line needs to be drawn immediately. This isn’t just about the unfairness of biological males dominating female sports. It’s about the safety of these young ladies. Identifying as females doesn’t change the reality that they’re bigger, stronger, and faster, period.

This story was updated to demonstrate the proper sex of Matt Beggs.

The ongoing campaign of intimidation and violence against conservatives speaking on college campuses took an ugly turn last night as Daily Wire show host Michael J. Knowles was sprayed with an “odorous substance” made to seem like bleach during a YAF speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He was hit in the face but wasn’t concerned, thinking it was paint or even milk. Later, he realized it was possibly bleach but was told by police it was not.

He was giving a speech titled “Men are Not Women” when the attack took place.

Here is a better angle to see the attacker and subsequent law enforcement take-down:

Great speech Michael, I was in the front row and caught the whole thing on video. pic.twitter.com/fVeaXs0Q4p

— Collin Tuso (@collin_tuso) April 12, 2019

Masked antifa terrorist storms into @michaeljknowles college talk.

Could have been deadly.

Video via @collin_tuso. pic.twitter.com/EK4T06K3G6

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 12, 2019

Here’s what was left from the water gun used by the attacker:

Opinion

Where do we begin? This represents an escalation of tactics that seems to be becoming more prevalent over the last couple of years. It wasn’t too long ago when leftists on campus would simply protest. They learned that these protests didn’t get the kind of attention they wanted and did very little to stop conservatives from speaking on campus, so they turned to more aggressive forms of protests that could actually disrupt the speakers.

The assault on Knowles wasn’t the first time physical violence was employed and it won’t be the last. But since it won’t work to actually stop most speakers from appearing, the next stage of escalation could turn deadly. That’s the real fear and why law enforcement is unfortunately required in order to keep the speakers and those in attendance safe from the unhinged progressives.

As I’ve noted before, this isn’t a question of freedom of speech. It’s about freedom of thought. As college progressives attempt to make their campuses “safe” from the ideas that conservatives spread, what they’re really doing is stifling the types of thoughts that could free some student from a life of helplessness, victimhood, and declining personal responsibility. Many if not most conservative speakers invited by organizations like YAF offer viewpoints that these students will not hear in classrooms or in the cafeteria with friends. The concepts being quashed are driven by the philosophy that made America a great nation, the concepts that desperately need to be heard by a generation that is growing increasingly lost in their own servitude to the leftist mindset.

It’s imperative for conservatives to keep speaking, for students to start listening, and for the radical progressives to stop shouting down the ideas that could actually keep this generation from destroying the United States of America.

Quote

“If a masked idiot came at me during a speech he better hope there’s campus police to take him down and not this pissed off preggo mama. @michaeljknowles has more restraint than I.” – Elisha Krauss

If a masked idiot came at me during a speech he better hope there’s campus police to take him down and not this pissed off preggo mama. @michaeljknowles has more restraint than I.

— Elisha (@ElishaKrauss) April 12, 2019

Final Thoughts

The escalation of suppression techniques used against conservative speakers on campus is scary. Before, it was the heckler’s veto. Today, it’s odorous substances. Tomorrow, it could be more deadly. The left can’t win with thoughts so they rely on anger.

Will you help revive the American Conservative Movement?