Over
at The Daily Beast, Asawin Suebsaeng has a
fun little piece talking about the embarrassing lengths to
which libertarian and conservative publications and organizations
have gone to venerate one of the best libertarian characters in the
history of television, Ron Swanson of Parks and
Recreation, which airs its final episode tonight. Sample:
Swanson's demeanor and staunchly libertarian outlook have made him a (regrettably fictional) hero to conservative observers. "He is, let's say, an unlikely hero in the age of Obama," National Review declared. "Ron Swanson's 12 wisest quotes about the government," The Daily Caller compiled. "Swanson's staunch libertarianism is sprinkled throughout the series—and he's a hero of the show, not a heel of all the jokes (as you would expect from Hollywood)," the Heartland Institute raved. "[A] lovably awesome libertarian character," Reason blogged. The libertarian Cato Institute has cited the character both on social media and in policy analysis. And The Washington Free Beacon named Swanson "Man of the Year" in 2012.
Moreover, Republican congressman Joe Wilson (of "You lie!" fame) wrote an op-ed for Politico in 2010 that praised Swanson: "America has a new champion of limited government and spending restraint," the piece reads. "Regrettably, Swanson is not running for Congress."
I'm quoted in the article, but the best quip comes from Luke Kenworthy of the Kochtastic youth-issues organization Generation Opportunity:
Ron didn't just teach us about taxation through a lunchbox demonstration—he also spoke eloquently on the more important subjects, like craftsmanship and bacon.
Reason on Ron Swanson here, including John Payne’s November 2011 piece "Ron Swanson vs. the State."
The near-universality of a slow death
is a triumph of modern medicine. Our success in managing what had
been rapidly fatal diseases has essentially created a new phase of
life—a period of physical and mental decline that can last for many
years. But as David Goldhill observes in Reason’s March
2015 issue, rather than take advantage of the possibilities of
these bonus years, we've allowed them to be defined by the
ultimately futile struggle merely to survive. We've turned over the
last years of our lives to the medical profession.
Source: 
Rolls-Royce announces that it will build an SUV, even thought it won't call it that. Whenever it arrives, we're told to expect a "high-bodied vehicle" on an all-new aluminum platform "that can cross any terrain."
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