Democracy and Government Schools by Sheldon Richman January 1, 2007 Let’s be frank. We advocates of a completely free market in education are making little progress. I think I know why. Before I get to that, let’s look at where we are. Roughly 90 percent of American children attend government schools. That share has not changed substantially in the last 20 ...
Hungary’s New Lesson for America by James Bovard January 1, 2007 This past October was the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising against the Soviet military. Hungarians bravely expelled Soviet tanks from Budapest and trumpeted their intention to create a democracy. But the Soviets returned with almost 5,000 tanks, killing thousands of Hungarians and re-fettering 10 million people into servitude to Moscow. But at least Hungarians had the gumption to stand ...
Soft-Hearted Economists Need Clear Heads by Bart Frazier January 1, 2007 One of the issues at stake in the 2006 midterm elections was a raise in the minimum wage. Voters in six states had minimum-wage increases on the ballot, and unfortunately all of the initiatives passed. This is not surprising, however. On the surface, it appears that requiring employers to pay at least a subsistence living ...
Executive Orders and the Decline of Law, Part 1 by William L. Anderson January 1, 2007 Part 1 | Part 2 During his presidency, Bill Clinton would conclude his trips abroad by telling his advisors that he was determined to use the powers of his office. Those “powers,” of course, included what are called “executive orders,” which are orders that come from the office of the president of the United States and have the ...
Inflation Is Legalized Robbery, Part 2 by Gregory Bresiger January 1, 2007 Part 1 | Part 2 Whether one believes in the “price stability” policies of our nation’s central bank, or believes such policies have caused countless economic problems, the onus is on the Federal Reserve. It is a strange, quasi-secret public/private agency with little or no accountability.
The Myth of War Prosperity, Part 2 by Anthony Gregory January 1, 2007 Part 1 | Part 2 Depression, War, and Cold War: Studies in Political Economy by Robert Higgs (Oxford University Press: 2006); 240 pages; $35. So the New Deal was far from a success. But most conservatives and even many leftist scholars will concede this; ...
The Choir is Key! by Jacob G. Hornberger December 1, 2006 Dear Friend of FFF, We need your end-of-year financial support more than ever! With the U.S. mired in the quicksand of Iraq, with out-of-control federal expenditures causing the dollar to plunge in international markets, and with civil liberties of the American people under the greatest federal assault in our lifetime, the question naturally arises: What can we do to restore American ...
Thinking about Foreign Policy by Sheldon Richman December 1, 2006 The reason there is so much sloppy thinking about foreign policy among libertarians (not to mention nearly everyone else) is that most people don’t know how to approach the subject. You can see this whenever someone uses analogies such as the bully on a playground or the madman with a baby ...
My Time in the Tower of London by James Bovard December 1, 2006 I visited the Tower of London in May on an overcast, dreary Friday afternoon. The home of so many famous executions and king-approved murders is kept in spiffy shape. The tour guide — a former British sergeant-military wearing a large “Beefeater”-style hat — regaled listeners with tales of beheadings gone wrong, drunks with axes hacking ...
The Failed Attempt to Leash the Dogs of War by Bart Frazier December 1, 2006 Of the many powers that government is granted, none has more potential for disaster than the power to wage war. Not only does warfare cost a country in terms of lost lives, it also has detrimental effects on the economy and society itself. In order to keep the country out of senseless and unjust ...
Inflation Is Legalized Robbery, Part 1 by Gregory Bresiger December 1, 2006 Part 1 | Part 2 Inflation. It’s the biggest problem in the world. — Paul Cabot, legendary money manager quoted in The Money Masters, by John Train. A dangerous specter once again haunts our economy, our pocketbooks, and the value of almost ...
I Lift My Sword above the Bolted Door by Samuel Bostaph December 1, 2006 Emma Lazarus had better stay in her grave if she knows what’s good for her. Why do I say that? Well, the blackhearted villainess deliberately contributed to what is now known as “the immigrant problem.” When she wrote her sonnet “The New Colossus,” and donated it to be auctioned off as part of the fundraising to build a pedestal ...