Pursuit, not Happiness

I Believe · May 5, 2026 · 29m · transcript

Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia with little money, gave away two rolls, and found an open door where he could sleep. That beginning raises a question for the country that promises a right to pursue happiness: are the doors still open to people just starting out?

In this May 2026 essay, I examine starter homes, occupational licensing, generational obligations, and California’s proposed billionaire tax through the distinction between easing hardship and removing the conditions that produce it. George Mason, Jefferson, Aristotle, and Rawls help frame the argument. A society owes…