The Political Economy of Health Care by Sheldon Richman February 1, 2010 Trouble begins the moment health care becomes a matter of government spending. From then on, unless the policy is reversed, society is on the road to state intervention in peoples most personal decisions. Its easy to see why. If government starts picking up the tab for some peoples medical services, those people will not face the full costs of those ...
The Feds’ Post–9/11 Airport-Worker Purge by James Bovard February 1, 2010 In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the federal government feared that people would lose faith in the government’s promise to protect them. The feds had dismally failed to stop the 19 hijackers who took down four planes and sowed panic from coast to coast. So the government did what it does best: Round up the usual suspects. Starting in ...
From Safe Republic to Unsafe Empire by Bruce Fein February 1, 2010 It is the best of times for the American Empire. The United States bestrides the planet as an unrivalled colossus. Its annual military budget exceeds $650 billion. That staggering sum is greater than the annual military expenditures of the next 25 countries combined. The defense spending of Russia, the superpower opponent of the United States during the Cold War, is ...
The Rule of Law, Part 1 by Ridgway K. Foley Jr. February 1, 2010 Part 1 | Part 2 Americans laud the rule of law. They invoke its majesty during common discussion and learned discourse. They applaud their storied adherence to this grand old concept and disparage nations and cultures that seem less inclined to live by its guidance. Despite this adulation, I suspect that few of those employing the doctrine could ...
The Illogic of Gun Controllers by Benedict D. LaRosa February 1, 2010 On August 9, 2009, seven people died and three others were badly injured in Dinuba, California, near Fresno, when a car being chased by police for a traffic infraction slammed into a pickup truck carrying five children and two adults. Four of the children in the pickup died at the scene along with the three occupants of the car ...
Bursting the Myths of the Great Depression by George Leef February 1, 2010 The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal by Robert P. Murphy (Regnery, 2009); 272 pages. Government of all kind depends on elaborate mythologies to keep the people complacent in the face of constant attacks on their liberty, their property, and even their lives. Kings used to proclaim that they were divine or at least ...
The Liberal Assault on the Poor, Part 2 by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 2010 Part 1 | Part 2 When it comes to economic policy, liberals suffer from two major weaknesses. One, they believe that all that matters with respect to policy are good intentions. As long as liberals mean well, they think that the policies they implement, especially with respect to the poor, are justified. Two, they have a woeful lack of understanding of ...
The Phony Radicalism of Michael Moore by Sheldon Richman January 1, 2010 With phony radicals like Michael Moore around, the ruling elites have nothing to worry about. The filmmaker likes to pose as a radical critic of the status quo, but he isnt. All the evidence you need is in his latest documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story. Sure, he rails against home foreclosures, bank bailouts, low wages, and other real and imagined ...
The Bush Secrecy Legacy by James Bovard January 1, 2010 Many Americans assumed that the Bush administration’s peril to their freedom ended when George Bush exited the White House on January 20, 2009. Unfortunately, the precedents the administration established continue to threaten Americans’ rights and liberties. This is stark on government secrecy. Shortly after the 2000 election, Vice President-elect Richard Cheney convened a task force on energy policy. After he ...
How a Rich and Proud Nation Went Broke by Jim Powell January 1, 2010 Amidst a multitrillion dollar spending spree, President Obama apparently believes it’s inconceivable that a mighty nation such as the United States could go broke. Yet France, once the most powerful nation in Europe, went broke and was plunged into a revolution that consumed the king and queen. Germany was bankrupted by reparations following World War I as well as the ...
A Lesson in the (Re)distribution of Wealth by Edmund Contoski January 1, 2010 Through the company where I worked more than 35 years ago, I had an opportunity to meet an unusual man. I had not seen him since, but his recent obituary caught my eye. His name was Wayne Field, a name I’m sure few, if any, of you will recognize. In his 87 years he accomplished a great deal. He founded ...
New Deal Charades by George Leef January 1, 2010 New Deal or Raw Deal? by Burton Folsom Jr. (Threshold Editions, 2008); 318 pages. The New Deal rescued the United States from the terrible depression caused by the instability of our capitalist economy. Thats the standard line peddled to gullible Americans by most history books, historians, and politicians. It was not surprising when Republican Speaker of the House Newt ...