Book Review: Patterns in the Dark by Richard M. Ebeling November 1, 1999 Patterns in the Dark: Understanding Risk and Financial Crisis with Complexity Theory by Edgar E. Peters (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999); 222 pages; $39.95. In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, the Austrian school of economics was considered one of the leading contributors to both economic theory and economic policy. The Austrian economists challenged the premises and arguments of the ...
Moderation: Virtue or Vice? by Sheldon Richman October 2, 1999 The death of Rhode Island Senator John Chafee provides an occasion to look at some fundamentals of what passes for political philosophy in the United States. Chafee was one of those Republicans best loved by big government advocates everywhere, including those at the editorial pages of the establishment newspapers. When he died of heart ...
Has Compassion Gone Astray? by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1999 As part of his presidential-campaign theme of "compassionate conservatism," Texas Gov. George W. Bush recently announced nearly $500,000 in state-financed grants to Christian groups in Texas. "America will be changed because people of faith and good heart are willing to help people in need," Bush said. "I believe rallying ...
Educational Coercion and Aberrant Behavior by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1999 Many years ago, a high-school teacher from North Dakota invited me to deliver a lecture to one of her classes, assuring me that I would find it to be a fascinating experience. The class was composed of approximately 10 students who had been classified by the school authorities as "slow ...
The Art of Plunder by Sheldon Richman October 1, 1999 Now that the controversy surrounding the art exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum has calmed down, it's a good time for some sober reflection. To recap, the museum, which is subsidized with taxpayer money, is hosting an exhibit that includes among other things, a painting purportedly of the Virgin Mary adorned ...
Monetary Central Planning and the State, Part 34: Free Banking and the Political Case against Central Banking by Richard M. Ebeling October 1, 1999 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 ...
The Consequences of World War II by Sheldon Richman October 1, 1999 The hysterical reaction to Pat Buchanan's hardly unique views on World War II reveal more about his critics than about him. Why are they so afraid of this man? World War II is often viewed as the last good war. In contrast to the wars that followed it-Korea and Vietnam, primarily--World War ...
Professional Courtesy by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1999 "Cuban authorities recently sentenced a Cuban-born U.S. resident to life in prison for smuggling Cuban citizens out of Cuba. Meanwhile U.S. officials, working in cooperation with their Cuban communist counterparts, continue to attack defenseless Cuban refugees and repatriate them to Cuba. If any of the Cuban or U.S. government ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Our Governments Black Box” by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1999 "In last Sunday's edition of the Washington Post, Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst at the National Security Archive, details the U.S. government's refusal to disclose its full role in the violent overthrow of Chilean president Salvador Allende and the murder of American journalist Charles Horman. The CIA in particular refuses to ...
CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Compulsory Charity” by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1999 "Texas Gov. George W. Bush has announced nearly $500,000 in state grants to Christian groups. Bush said, 'America will be changed because people of faith and good heart are willing to help people in need.' Where exactly is the goodness in this? The Texas state government collects tax from the people ...
The Myth of Public Service by Sheldon Richman October 1, 1999 The death of John F. Kennedy Jr. filled the airwaves with much rhapsodizing about "public service." Never mind that Kennedy did not go into public service, but rather launched a for-profit enterprise, George magazine (although it glamorizes public service). That didn't stop commentators and politicians from lavishing praise on the Kennedys for, as Vice President Al Gore put it, ...
Ethnic Cleansing, American-Style by James Bovard October 1, 1999 The United States government intervened earlier this year in a civil war in Yugoslavia. President Clinton and other Western leaders justified the NATO bombing by the crackdowns that Serbian forces had conducted on Kosovar Albanian rebels and civilians. However, prior to the onset of NATO bombing, the actions of the ...