Politics

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 ...

Rhinestone Benevolence

by Sheldon Richman January 2, 1998

If the Senate doesn't think perjury and obstruction of justice are high crimes, they could convict President Clinton of bribery. His State of the Union address was nothing if not an attempt to bribe the American people to let him stay in office. Bill Clinton embodies everything that is wrong with government in the 20th ...

Any Surplus Belongs to the Taxpayers

by Sheldon Richman January 2, 1998

After years of budget deficits in the hundreds of billions of dollars, an increasing number of Washington watchers now see budget surpluses coming in the near future. What happened? It should be said up front that the politicians don't deserve credit for the disappearing deficit -- although, unsurprisingly, they have seized credit. The reason ...

No Federal Role in Daycare

by Sheldon Richman January 2, 1998

Those of us who favor limiting government power should stop accusing President Clinton of treading water during his final years in office. The last thing we need is a new initiative from this lifelong interventionist politician. Last year several observers commented that the president was playing golf more than presiding and that perhaps he had ...

Let the Presidency Be Diminished

by Sheldon Richman January 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 scandal, the presidency, indeed government itself, were diminished. Pundits and others have ...

The Justice Department’s Other Criminal Cover-Up

by James Bovard January 1, 1998

Many Americans have been appalled in recent months to watch the Justice Department use one tactic after another to block inquiries into possible criminal wrongdoing by the Clinton administration. Regrettably, such anti-justice tactics are not a novelty. The Justice Department's continuing falsification and obstruction of justice in the Ruby Ridge case exemplify its devotion to covering up crimes against ...

Some Republican Revolution

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 1997

With revolutionaries like these, who needs counter-revolutionaries? Now that President Clinton has signed all the 1998 spending bills, we have a clear picture just how vigilant the Republican Party, which controls the U.S. Congress, is about cutting back on the scope and power of government. It is not a ...

Campaign Finance Follies

by Sheldon Richman October 2, 1997

Imagine you open a store fully stocked with goodies. Lo and behold, people show up with money eager to buy. Would you be surprised? Of course not. That is the sum total of what is called the campaign finance problem. Politicians have goodies, legislative favors, to sell, and people are eager to buy them with ...

Property as the Key to Self-Determination

by Sheldon Richman October 1, 1997

In political philosophy, no concept is as controversial as property. It excites libertarians, repulses socialists, and leaves inconsistent statists ("liberals" and conservatives) confused. What is it about property that packs such power? To answer that question, it is important to realize that flawed political philosophy will lead to flawed notions of property. Good-faith socialists (those not motivated simply by envy) ...

The Energizer Leviathan: Still Growing and Growing

by James Bovard October 1, 1997

President Bill Clinton has repeatedly announced that "the era of big government is over." Many Republican congressmen have responded by laying down their ideological swords and pretending their work is done. But if freedom is to be revived in this country, Americans must begin paying less attention to the platitudes in politicians' speeches and more attention to the nasty ...

New Laws Aren’t Needed for the Paparazzi

by Sheldon Richman September 2, 1997

Tragedy often spawns new, ill-conceived laws. A good rule of thumb would be to avoid new legislation that is inspired by incidents involving the death or injury of beloved people. Despite good intentions, such laws will turn out to be mistakes. Legislate in haste, repent is leisure. The death of Princess Diana quickly prompted calls ...