Politics

Don’t Blame the Termometer for the Fever

by Sheldon Richman January 1, 1999

When communism collapsed a few years ago, people thought the last grand ideological debate over political economy had finally ended. Supposedly, we were all capitalists now. But this is clearly not the case. The world's political leaders show no signs of a commitment to capitalism, if by that term we ...

A Better State of the Union Address

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1999

"My fellow Americans, I, William Jefferson Clinton, am pleased to report on the state of the union on the eve of the millennium and to propose a different direction for our country. "For most of the 20th century, the primary role of the federal government has been to take care of ...

Thought Crimes and Presidential Tantrums

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 1998

In an era of "hate crime" legislation, which makes it an added offense to think certain bad things when committing a real crime, we have a new forbidden thought: that President Clinton launched a savage attack on Iraq to delay, if not scuttle, the impeachment effort in the House of ...

Why Does Government Meddle in the Arts?

by Sheldon Richman October 2, 1998

When the Washington Post recently honored Sidney Yates, 89, on the occasion of his retirement, it emphasized that he had "made his mark on the arts." Is Sidney Yates a composer? Musician? Painter? Poet? Writer? None of the above. He's a congressman. Don't laugh. In Washington, you can make your mark on the arts just by chairing the ...

Politics Won’t Produce Moral Heroes

by Sheldon Richman September 2, 1998

Much of the reaction about President Clinton's difficulties can be summed up thus: Our leader let us down. The premise is that the president is not just a chief executive officer, but much more: a moral and spiritual leader of the nation. I submit this is an unfortunate attitude for free people. Americans have long had ...

Clinton’s Job Performance Puzzle

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 1998

The pundits are bewildered over the public's apparently contradictory response to President Clinton during his recent troubles. Most people have a low opinion of his character. Yet at least 60 percent of those polled think he's doing a terrific job and should not resign. How can this be? Assuming the polling ...

Treating Us Like Children

by Sheldon Richman July 2, 1998

It's getting harder and harder to imagine a Republican keeping a straight face while proclaiming the GOP to be the party of limited government and personal liberty. The latest reason? The Republican-controlled Senate recently voted 90-10 to outlaw gambling over the Internet. The prohibition, tagged onto an appropriations bill, would impose a penalty of three ...

The Politics of Scandal

by Sheldon Richman July 1, 1998

The hand-wringing over President Clinton's extracurricular activities is misplaced. Whatever else can be said about what Mr. Clinton did or didn't do, we can say this: it would be no tragedy if, as a result of the scandals, the presidency, indeed government itself, were diminished. Quite the contrary. Pundits and others have been heard to say that it is too ...

Service without a Smile

by Sheldon Richman June 2, 1998

Stop the presses! Here's a news headline that will send shock waves through the nation: Compulsory community service doesn't work. Imagine that: When students are forced to be compassionate volunteers, they rebel and find ways to game the system. Who'd have believed it? In a recent article, James Youniss and Miranda Yates are crestfallen that ...

Loving the Children

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 1998

Love for the children is one of the favorite justifications that Democrats and Republicans use to maintain and expand government control over people's lives. Whenever libertarians propose ending the war on drugs, along with all of its terribly destructive consequences, a standard Democratic-Republican response is, "We have to maintain the war on drugs for the sake of the children." ...

The Capricious State

by Sheldon Richman February 2, 1998

A little noted passage in President Clinton's State of the Union speech offered a stark clue about the hypocrisy of politics. In announcing that his administration would sue the tobacco companies to recover money Medicare has spent on treatments for smoking-related illnesses, Mr. Clinton said, "Now, I ask this Congress to resist the tobacco lobby, ...

Pay Equity Errors

by Sheldon Richman February 2, 1998

President Clinton has pledged to step up enforcement of the Equal Pay Act. The promised $14 million to fight wage discrimination was on his list of bribes to the American people, otherwise known as the State of the Union address. The president's Council of Economic Advisers says women make only 75 cents for each dollar men ...