Daily Articles

Betraying the Constitution

by John W. Whitehead December 10, 2019

“It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”—Thomas Paine While Congress subjects the nation to its impeachment-flavored brand of bread-and-circus politics, our civil liberties continue to die a slow, painful death by a thousand cuts. Case in point: while Americans have been fixated on the carefully orchestrated impeachment drama that continues to monopolize headlines,

A Progressive Case for Free Trade and against Protectionism

by Laurence M. Vance December 9, 2019

Conservative free-traders who support Donald Trump don’t talk about trade much anymore. To do so would mean that they have to criticize the president — an economic nationalist with a mercantilist mindset whose ignorance and incoherence on trade knows no bounds — and risk being labeled “Never Trumpers.” Since Trump’s election and the imposition of his protectionist trade policies, other ...

Socialism and the Green New Deal are Economically Impossible

by Richard M. Ebeling December 6, 2019

The Spanish philosopher, George Santayana (1863-1952) is usually credited with the phrase, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Nowhere is this truer than with the renewed idea and demand for the establishment of a socialist economic system. A noticeable number of intellectuals inside and outside the ivy tower of academia, as well as a vocal ...

Should There Be a Federal Cap on Interest Rates?

by Laurence M. Vance December 5, 2019

Although every state has laws that limit the rate of interest that can be charged on loans, there exist broad exemptions, exceptions, and loopholes based on the type of lender or borrower, the loan amount, the nature of the loan contract, or the subject of the loan contract. Some lenders have found a way to get around those laws. According to ...

The Destruction of American Liberty

by Jacob G. Hornberger December 3, 2019

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, were a watershed event for the United States, not only because of the large death toll and property destruction but, more important, because they spelled the death knell for American liberty. Americans had already lost a large portion of their freedom when the federal government ...

Habits of the Heart and Character of Mind

by Richard M. Ebeling December 2, 2019

In American election cycles all of the possible candidates for government office of both major political parties assure those who may vote for them in primaries and the general election that they are voices for the real or true “American values.” Voting for them is voting for what America has been, is, or should be all about. But what ...

Thanksgiving and the Birth of American Free Enterprise

by Richard M. Ebeling November 27, 2019

Once more it’s that time of the year when most Americans gather with family and friends to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The turkey is carved, the stuffing and sweet potatoes are passed around, and many slices of pumpkin pie are happily consumed. But how many of us know or appreciate that Thanksgiving really celebrates the failure of socialism and ...

Monsters and U.S. Foreign Policy

by Laurence M. Vance November 26, 2019

It looks like the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity will be having some competition. The formation of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft was recently announced. The think tank gets its name from John Quincy Adams. According to the organization’s website, The Quincy Institute promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy ...

Drugs, Dogs, and Democrats

by Laurence M. Vance November 25, 2019

Although the word federalism does not appear in the Constitution, it is one of the most important and innovative concepts in it. The states of the United States of America created the national government in 1789. The states had been in existence as independent, sovereign colonies for many, many years. Only Georgia (1732) among the original thirteen colonies was not ...

Rogue Agencies Have Been Abusing Their Powers for Decades

by John W. Whitehead November 22, 2019

“When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper . . . despotic in his ordinary demeanour — known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty — when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity — to join in the cry of danger to liberty ...

Business Ethics and Morality of the Marketplace

by Richard M. Ebeling November 21, 2019

Who do people consider to be less ethical or honest than either telemarketers or used car salesman? If you said Washington politicians, you’d be right on the button. According to Gallup News Services, members of Congress are right at the bottom of perceived ethical behavior and honesty. Every year Gallup issues the results of a public opinion survey concerning people’s ...

Discrimination and Liberty

by Christine Smith November 18, 2019

Wise individuals discriminate all the time. Think about it. In today’s society, “discrimination” has become a trigger word used to vilify anyone who chooses not to associate with another because of a difference he rejects. As such, liberty is being trampled as freedom of speech, association, and even thought become prohibited. But “discrimination” is not a bad word. It is a ...