Politics

Carrying on Obama’s Legacy

by Ken Sturzenacker October 18, 2016

Barack Obama seems to think that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency next month, she will carry on his legacy. What is Obama’s legacy? Let's start with the numbers that impact most people younger than age 65: those associated with ObamaCare, more formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Remember, "If you like your doctor, you'll be able to keep your doctor" and 'you'll ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Second Presidential Debate

by Future of Freedom Foundation October 12, 2016

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling talk about the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Go to the podcast.

The Libertarian Angle: Millennial Support for Gary Johnson

by Future of Freedom Foundation October 5, 2016

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss how younger voters are supporting Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson. Go to the podcast.

The Libertarian Angle: Presidential Debate Follies

by Future of Freedom Foundation September 28, 2016

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss the recent presidential debates. Go to the podcast.

The Election Has Been Hacked

by John W. Whitehead September 1, 2016

The FBI is worried: foreign hackers have broken into two state election databases. The Department of Homeland Security is worried: the nation’s voting system needs greater protection against cyberattacks. I, on the other hand, am not overly worried: after all, the voting booths have already been hacked by a political elite comprised of Republicans and Democrats who ...

Political Fiction in an Age of Televised Lies

by John W. Whitehead July 29, 2016

“We’ve got to face it. Politics have entered a new stage, the television stage. Instead of long-winded public debates, the people want capsule slogans—‘Time for a change’—‘The mess in Washington’—‘More bang for a buck’—punch lines and glamour.”— A Face in the Crowd (1957) Politics is entertainment. It is a heavily scripted, tightly choreographed, star-studded, ratings-driven, mass-marketed, costly exercise in ...

Six Steps in Analyzing Political Issues

by Wendy McElroy July 15, 2016

Every political issue can be analyzed or argued on at least six levels. The levels are usually conflated, but they should be addressed separately even when there is overlap. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity results. Indeed, sometimes the only way to make sense of a disagreement is to peel away the layers and inspect them one by ...

Trump and Libertarians in the Political Arena

by David S. D'Amato July 1, 2016

For perhaps most self-described libertarians, supporting any politician is an uneasy exercise in bullet-biting pragmatism, premised on the idea that we ought to support the most libertarian individual in the race—even if that person is really not very libertarian. The author has, as it happens, spent years arguing against this view, suggesting that abstaining from the voting booth is ...

Donald Trump the Corrupt Creation of America’s Bankrupt Politics

by Richard M. Ebeling June 22, 2016

Commentators from the political “left” as well as the “right” have attempted to analyze and dissect the rise and appeal of Donald Trump. The reality is, I would suggest, is that he represents the essence of the modern interventionist state, with its regulated economy and redistributive politics. Those on the “left” see Trump as the epitome of an undercurrent of ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Johnson-Weld Ticket

by Future of Freedom Foundation June 14, 2016

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling dissect the presidential ticket for the Libertarian Party and its impact on the future of the libertarian movement. Go to the podcast.

Government Interventionism Created Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

by Richard M. Ebeling May 23, 2016

America and Europe, and, indeed, other parts of the world are going through major political, economic and cultural crises. In the U.S., some social critics consider the likely Democratic and Republican candidates for president to be among the most corrupt, power lusting and personally offensive that have ever run for that high office. In Europe, the Social Democratic and moderately ...

What Sports Can Teach Us about Politics

by Wendy McElroy April 6, 2016

What can sports teach us about civil society and federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services? In his most famous speech, Senator Robert A. Taft (1889–1953) answered that question. Taft was a passionate defender of private enterprise in domestic policy as well as non-intervention in foreign affairs. This made him oppose the New Deal policies adopted under ...