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Anti-Freedom Conservatism

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 2003

“A prescription drug entitlement is not inherently unconservative, unless the welfare state itself is — and it isn’t.” — George Will Writing in the Wall Street Journal back in August, Fred Barnes, executive editor of the neoconservative magazine The Weekly Standard, asks, “Is President Bush a conservative?” Barnes replies that, although many conservatives ... [click for more]

What If Gore Had Won?

by Scott McPherson August 13, 2003

Whenever anyone complains about George W. Bush and his love for big government, someone else can be counted on to apologize, “Sure, but it would be worse under Gore.” I beg to differ. If Gore had won in 2000, there wouldn’t be a Department of Homeland Security, that mammoth government ... [click for more]

Conservative Conundrum

by Sheldon Richman June 9, 2003

Conservatives become more inscrutable every day. They spend half their time praising the federal government for its miracles in Iraq (and, if they get their way, in Iran) and the other half of their time ridiculing the Democrats for thinking that the same federal government can provide medical ... [click for more]

What the Republicans Should Have Said

by Scott McPherson May 28, 2003

According to the Washington Times, “Six Washington-area lawyers ... say they’d be happy to file suit against landlord ... who ... cited a prospective tenant’s Republican affiliation when rejecting request for housing.” “I assume someone will inform about the fair-housing laws,” one self-described ... [click for more]

Response from Bill Frist

by U.S. Senator Bill Frist March 19, 2003

This letter from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is in response to Howard Baetjer’s open letter of March 17. Thank you for sharing your open letter with me. For reasons of timing and policy, I cannot in good conscience agree to follow the course you propose in your letter. Your ... [click for more]

Howard Baetjer’s Rejoinder

by Howard Baetjer Jr. March 19, 2003

This is Howard Baetjer’s rejoinder to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s response to his open letter of March 17. Bill, Thanks for your response. I’m surprised and gratified to receive a response. I had underestimated you. You take five paragraphs to establish the legality of Congress’s abdication of its Article I ... [click for more]

An Open Letter to Bill Frist

by Howard Baetjer Jr. March 17, 2003

Dear Bill: Working the only way I know for sanity and prudence against the president’s mad rush to war, I offer a complaint and a suggestion to you, both as a Princeton classmate and as U.S. Senate Majority Leader. Background: The framers of the Constitution sought to deny the power to declare war ... [click for more]

Mr. Bush Neglects the Constitution

by Sheldon Richman February 7, 2003

It isn’t entirely encouraging that the top man of the political party theoretically dedicated to the Constitution, limited government, and individual liberty thinks the government he runs should cure AIDS in Africa, create a hydrogen-powered car, pay for retirees’ medicine, and provide mentors to troubled kids. Ominously, President Bush’s state ... [click for more]

Suppose a Democrat Were in the White House

by Sheldon Richman January 8, 2003

It certainly is a good thing that we have a pro-capitalist Republican president in office. I can just imagine what a socialist-leaning Democrat would have done after the terrorist attacks on September 11. For example, I can just bet that a Democratic president would have pushed for government terrorism insurance. It would ... [click for more]

The Other Terrorism Problem

by James Bovard June 1, 2002

A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT report observed, “The feature distinguishing police from all other groups in society is their authority to apply coercive force.” Americans are taught to view police as trustworthy symbols of authority. Programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) put “Officer Friendly” in classrooms in order to endear law enforcement to children at an early age. The ... [click for more]

Bill O’Reilly and the Conservative War on Drugs

by Thomas L. Johnson June 1, 2002

BILL O’REILLY IS HOT. He is a broadcast journalist who has a very popular cable-news program on the Fox News Channel called The O’Reilly Factor, and a widely read book of the same title. His latest book, The No Spin Zone, has been number one on the nonfiction bestseller list for many weeks. O’Reilly is intelligent and loquacious and a ... [click for more]

The War on Drugs and Police Funding

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 7, 2001

The following was published as a Capsule Commentary in the November 7, 2001 edition of the FFF Email Update. The October 14 issue of the Washington Post reported that Washington area police and sheriffs' departments garnered a bonanza of nearly $2.2 million last year from the war on drug's asset-forfeiture ... [click for more]