Explore Freedom

Freedom, Not Growth

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 1996

All politicians favor economic growth. They all promise to create jobs and "grow the economy." That is a vintage Republican issue, but the Democrats aren't dummies. Many of them have learned that the old appeal to class warfare and other quasi-Marxist themes are passé. They too have thrown themselves onto the growth bandwagon. Bill Clinton's so-called New Democrats can ... [click for more]

Zoning: The New Tyranny

by James Bovard August 1, 1996

Modern zoning laws presume that no citizen has a right to control his own land and that every citizen has a right to control his neighbor's land. Zoning laws have become far more invasive and restrictive in recent years. If you want to use your own land, increasingly you have to beg, bribe, and grovel to the nearest government ... [click for more]

Minimum-Wage Law as Political Racketeering

by James Bovard July 1, 1996

President Clinton and many congressmen are hankering to raise the federal minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 an hour. The minimum wage epitomizes government pseudo-paternalism, and Clinton's proposal should receive harsh condemnations from anyone who has looked at the history of minimum-wage policies. Early in the century, after a ... [click for more]

Whose Bread I Eat — His Song I Sing

by J.G. McDaniel M.D. July 1, 1996

I remember, as a small boy in knee britches, going with my father to hear an address given by the Honorable Stephen Pace, then congressman from the old Georgia 12th District. It was on the banks of the Ocmulgee River. There was a barbecue, and citizens, especially farmers, from all the counties gathered. This was before the first World ... [click for more]

Repeal the Welfare System

by Sheldon Richman June 1, 1996

The presumptive Republican presidential candidate, Robert Dole, and his party are distressed that President Clinton may have preempted them on the issue of welfare reform. The GOP favors shifting welfare responsibility to the states. Just before Dole was to give a major speech on the subject, Clinton ... [click for more]

The ADA: Attorney’s Dreams Answered

by James Bovard May 1, 1996

President Bill Clinton declared on July 26, 1994: "The Americans with Disabilities Act is a national monument to freedom. Contained within its broad pillars of independence, inclusion, and empowerment is the core ideal of equality that has defined this country since its beginnings." In reality, the ADA has ... [click for more]

Escape from Responsibility

by Sheldon Richman May 1, 1996

The welfare state teaches the implicit lesson that you are not responsible for yourself. You will be taken care of. The "safety net" will catch you if you fall. And because of that, you may be required to do certain things and prohibited from doing other things — all in the name of taking care of you and others. We ... [click for more]

Subverting Freedom through Benevolence

by James Bovard May 1, 1996

President Bill Clinton declared on July 26, 1994: "The Americans with Disabilities Act is a national monument to freedom. Contained within its broad pillars of independence, inclusion, and empowerment is the core ideal of equality that has defined this country since its beginnings." In reality, the ADA has become a symbol of the confused, paternalistic, interventionist concept of modern freedom ... [click for more]

Ideas on Liberty in the Strangest Places

by Sheldon Richman April 1, 1996

Now and then something happens that makes you wonder if freedom's revolution isn't further along than we might think. Ideas about liberty can pop up in the strangest places. Here are some examples. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now ACORN calls itself the "largest low- and moderate-income membership organization in the country." As an outgrowth of the National ... [click for more]

The Minimum Wage

by James M. Liebler December 1, 1995

The standard political reason for wanting to raise the minimum wage is to aid the downtrodden, especially minority groups, by increasing their earnings and hopefully their employment opportunities. However, this move will not help these people; it will in fact only hurt them. Instead of raising their income, the actual effect of the law is to cut off the ... [click for more]

Abolish the Federal Cultural Agencies

by Sheldon Richman November 1, 1995

According to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, "This is an ominous time for those of use who care for the arts in America. A misguided, misinformed effort to eliminate public support for the arts not only threatens irrevocable damage to our cultural institutions but also to our sense of ourselves and what we stand for as a people." That is ... [click for more]

Unemployment Compensation: None of the Government’s Business

by Dave Honigman November 1, 1995

The New Deal ushered in a lot of socialistic ideas that still plague us, and one of the worst is the notion that the government should protect people against the loss of income. If a person suddenly finds himself without employment and, therefore, without a paycheck, "society" supposedly has an obligation to help support him ... [click for more]