Explore Freedom

Celebrating the Fourth of July

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 4, 2003

Let’s not mince words: The “freedom” that Americans celebrate today is opposite to the freedom that Americans celebrated on, say, July 4, 1890. Think about it: In 1890, Americans were celebrating a way of life in which there was no income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, drug war, gun control, ... [click for more]

What’s Happened to America?

by Sheldon Richman July 4, 2003

Who says the government schools and the welfare state don’t work? They work perfectly. They were designed to put the American people into a political coma, and that’s what they’ve done. The objective would never be framed that way. The politicians would say that the purpose was to create ... [click for more]

Cuban Military Tribunals Reflect Contempt for Our Constitution

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 2, 2003

The federal government has announced that it intends to go forward with military tribunals for trials of suspected terrorists. The trials will not be held in the United States, however, but instead in Cuba, where military tribunals are also a central part of Fidel Castro’s “war on terrorism.” In fact, ... [click for more]

Phony-Baloney Constitutionalists

by Sheldon Richman May 26, 2003

Conservatives favor strict construction of the U.S. Constitution. How do we know? They never stop telling us so. But judging by what they say about the late Iraq war, we may conclude that most conservatives are just phony-baloney constitutionalists. These politicians, such as Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), and ... [click for more]

Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 12

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2003

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |  Table of Contents Elsie Parrish, a chambermaid at the Cascadian Hotel in ... [click for more]

Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 11

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2003

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |  Table of Contents One of the important cases in the history of ... [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]

Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 10

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 2003

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |  Table of Contents An analysis of the Gold Clause Cases, decided by ... [click for more]

The Poisoning of “States’ Rights”

by Sheldon Richman March 1, 2003

Schadenfreude. That’s what I felt watching former Senate majority leader Trent Lott twist in the wind over his expressed wish that Strom Thurmond had won the presidency in 1948. “A malicious satisfaction in the misfortunes of others.” Lott is a typical Republican leader. He occasionally talks about limiting government power, but his actions are those of a conservative big-government wheeler-dealer ... [click for more]

Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 9

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 1, 2003

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |  Table of Contents The ancient Chinese symbol for “crisis” is made up ... [click for more]