Economic Crimes and Cuban Cigars by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2000 Two years ago, a prominent New Yorker restaurant owner who had never been in trouble with the law was arrested and charged with a federal felony. What was the man’s crime? Selling cigars at his restaurants. Well, not just any cigars. Cuban cigars. You know, Cohibas and Montecristos. The good stuff! Why is ...
Is Mexico Asking the Right Questions? by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2000 In order to solve a problem, it is necessary to ask the right questions. During his recent visit to Washington, Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox asked the wrong questions: "How can we narrow the gap in income on both sides of the border?" and "How can we put together a fund for development?" The ...
Book Review: Power and Prosperity by Richard M. Ebeling September 1, 2000 Power and Prosperity: Outgrowing Communist and Capitalist Dictatorships by Mancur Olson (New York: Basic Books, 2000); 233 pages; $28. MANCUR OLSON, who died in 1998 at the age of 62, was one of the most insightful economic analysts of the political process. His most original and important work was The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Bush and Gore Debate Our Allowance” by Jacob G. Hornberger August 27, 2000 "The debate between presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore over income-tax cuts reflects how far Americans have plunged with respect to their understanding of individual rights. Bush calls for larger income-tax cuts (and assures us that, unlike his father, he really means it) and Gore calls for smaller ...
The Constitution: Liberties of the People and Powers of Government, Part 1 by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2000 Part 1 | Part 2 The most radical experiment in history is the Constitution of the United States of America. Throughout history, people had accepted the commonly held notion that government’s powers over the citizenry were supreme. In 1787, however, for the first time ever, the American people announced to the world that the liberties of the people were ...
Imagining Freedom for the 21st Century: A Presidential Candidate’s Press Conference, Part 3 by Richard M. Ebeling August 1, 2000 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 The New York Times: In a recent public opinion poll, 71 percent of the respondents said that the protection of the existing Social Security system was important in evaluating a presidential candidate. Yet you seem to be calling for the abolition of ...
The Bankrupt Anti-Gun Movement by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2000 IF THE CHARACTER of the anti-gun-rights forces was in doubt before the Million Mom March last spring, there is no longer any doubt. The statements of the leading participants vividly revealed them as demagogues who seek only to play on blind emotion in order to push an agenda that would violate a basic individual right: the right to defend ...
An Echo, Not a Choice by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2000 Must the Republicans' abandon every semblance of principle in order to save us from a Gore presidency? In the minds of the GOP leaders, the answer seems to be yes. Apparently, a decision has been made that victory is so essential that the party will say anything to avoid offending anyone. ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Cuban and American Statists Think Alike” by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2000 "Libertarians are often challenged by statists on two points: first, whether it would be morally proper to terminate such government programs as public schooling, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and public housing for the poor, as libertarians argue should be done. And second, that an immediate termination of such programs would ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Illiteracy Emergency” by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2000 "Both George W. Bush and Al Gore have declared illiteracy a 'national emergency.' What better indictment of the results of public schooling? After all, throughout the 20th century, Americans were required, under pain of fine and imprisonment, to send their children to a government-approved school. To comply with the law, ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “INS Officials Take Bribes” by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2000 "Two INS officials were recently convicted of alien smuggling and conspiracy for permitting people to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States. Witnesses said that they paid the two officials between $1,500 and $2,000 to look the other way at the international bridge in San Isidro, California. Heck, my opinion ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Market Punishes Boy Scouts” by Andy Falkof August 1, 2000 "Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America have a constitutional right to exclude homosexuals, corporate support for the organization has been diminishing and its public image has been eroding. Despite concerns that this ruling might make discrimination against homosexuals socially acceptable, the free ...