Explore Freedom

Any Surplus Belongs to the Taxpayers

by Sheldon Richman January 2, 1998

After years of budget deficits in the hundreds of billions of dollars, an increasing number of Washington watchers now see budget surpluses coming in the near future. What happened? It should be said up front that the politicians don't deserve credit for the disappearing deficit -- although, unsurprisingly, they have seized credit. The reason ... [click for more]

No Federal Role in Daycare

by Sheldon Richman January 2, 1998

Those of us who favor limiting government power should stop accusing President Clinton of treading water during his final years in office. The last thing we need is a new initiative from this lifelong interventionist politician. Last year several observers commented that the president was playing golf more than presiding and that perhaps he had ... [click for more]

Let the Presidency Be Diminished

by Sheldon Richman January 1, 1998

The hand-wringing over President Clinton's extracurricular activities is misplaced. Whatever else can be said about what Mr. Clinton did or didn't do, we can say this: it would be no tragedy if, as a result of the scandal, the presidency, indeed government itself, were diminished. Pundits and others have ... [click for more]

The Justice Department’s Other Criminal Cover-Up

by James Bovard January 1, 1998

Many Americans have been appalled in recent months to watch the Justice Department use one tactic after another to block inquiries into possible criminal wrongdoing by the Clinton administration. Regrettably, such anti-justice tactics are not a novelty. The Justice Department's continuing falsification and obstruction of justice in the Ruby Ridge case exemplify its devotion to covering up crimes against ... [click for more]

Some Republican Revolution

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 1997

With revolutionaries like these, who needs counter-revolutionaries? Now that President Clinton has signed all the 1998 spending bills, we have a clear picture just how vigilant the Republican Party, which controls the U.S. Congress, is about cutting back on the scope and power of government. It is not a ... [click for more]

Campaign Finance Follies

by Sheldon Richman October 2, 1997

Imagine you open a store fully stocked with goodies. Lo and behold, people show up with money eager to buy. Would you be surprised? Of course not. That is the sum total of what is called the campaign finance problem. Politicians have goodies, legislative favors, to sell, and people are eager to buy them with ... [click for more]

Property as the Key to Self-Determination

by Sheldon Richman October 1, 1997

In political philosophy, no concept is as controversial as property. It excites libertarians, repulses socialists, and leaves inconsistent statists ("liberals" and conservatives) confused. What is it about property that packs such power? To answer that question, it is important to realize that flawed political philosophy will lead to flawed notions of property. Good-faith socialists (those not motivated simply by envy) ... [click for more]

The Energizer Leviathan: Still Growing and Growing

by James Bovard October 1, 1997

President Bill Clinton has repeatedly announced that "the era of big government is over." Many Republican congressmen have responded by laying down their ideological swords and pretending their work is done. But if freedom is to be revived in this country, Americans must begin paying less attention to the platitudes in politicians' speeches and more attention to the nasty ... [click for more]

New Laws Aren’t Needed for the Paparazzi

by Sheldon Richman September 2, 1997

Tragedy often spawns new, ill-conceived laws. A good rule of thumb would be to avoid new legislation that is inspired by incidents involving the death or injury of beloved people. Despite good intentions, such laws will turn out to be mistakes. Legislate in haste, repent is leisure. The death of Princess Diana quickly prompted calls ... [click for more]

School Candy in Virginia

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 2, 1997

It's election time in Virginia and voters are being offered a host of goodies. Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer Jr. and former state Attorney General James S. Gilmore III, the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor of Virginia, are involved in an educational bidding war in their attempt to win election this fall. Both candidates ... [click for more]

The Communist Manifesto

by Karl Marx July 1, 1997

We were warned of the general procedure and the specific measures for a successful communist or socialist revolution by Karl Marx, the "father" of communism, in 1848: "We have seen . . . that the first step in the revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, ... [click for more]

The Key to Race: Depoliticize It

by Sheldon Richman June 2, 1997

President Clinton has called for an "unprecedented conversation about race." That's curious, since we've been talking about race nonstop since who knows-when? Mr. Clinton said that "we have torn down the barriers in our laws. Now we must break down the barriers in our lives, our minds, our hearts." That's also curious, because there are ... [click for more]