Embargoes Infringe on Our Freedom by Jacob G. Hornberger February 24, 2009 U.S. presidents spend a lot of time obsessing over whether they should talk to foreign regimes that are not-so-friendly to the U.S. government. The issue usually arises in the context of U.S. restrictions on trade that have been imposed on foreign countries with the aim of forcing their governments to comply with U.S. dictates. Actually, ...
Mugged by Truth and Reality by Jacob G. Hornberger February 23, 2009 There is one thing that American statists cannot deny: their beloved paternalistic state has failed to protect people and keep them safe and secure. The statists can declaim against deregulation, free enterprise, capitalism, speculators, CEOs, and greed all they want, but the simple fact remains: The paternalistic state has failed in its mission — ...
A New Official Enemy along the Border by Jacob G. Hornberger February 20, 2009 Soon after the Pentagon lost its longtime Official Enemy — The Communists — with the fall of the Berlin Wall, all the talk about a “peace dividend” caused Pentagon officials to go into overdrive developing reasons as to why the military budget should not be slashed. Among the things the Pentagon offered to do ...
How to Achieve Socialism by Jacob G. Hornberger February 19, 2009 Have you ever wondered how countries such as Cuba, North Korea, and China became completely socialist? It’s really not a mystery. Government officials, most of whom suffer from an insatiable thirst for power, seize upon some human tragedy or disaster and tell the people, “If you will just give us power over your lives ...
Liberty, Socialism, and Security by Jacob G. Hornberger February 18, 2009 Let’s assume that there are two banks in society, with Bank A paying an interest rate on deposits of 5 percent and Bank B paying 25 percent. Let’s also assume that there is no FDIC and no banking regulations to protect people from the choice they make on which bank to deposit their money in. Both banks use the deposits ...
Chavez Reminds Us that Democracy Is Not Freedom by Jacob G. Hornberger February 17, 2009 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has won his quest to abolish the constitutional barrier against his running for reelection when his term expires in 2013. Last Sunday, Venezuelan voters approved the measure, which had gone down to defeat only 14 months earlier. The irony in all this is that both Republicans and Democrats honestly believe that ...
Separating Money and the State by Jacob G. Hornberger February 13, 2009 I highly recommend reading a fantastic article in today’s Wall Street Journal: “Capitalism Needs a Sound-Money Foundation” by Judy Shelton. I also recommend forwarding it to all your friends and acquaintances. It provides the means by which a nation is able to protect itself from the profligacy of its own government, not just with a gold standard ...
Gun Control and Enemy Combatants by Jacob G. Hornberger February 12, 2009 Ever since Barack Obama’s election, gun and ammo sales have skyrocketed. Many online gun stores report “out of stock” for AK47s and AR15s, along with the ammunition for such assault rifles. Demand for these products, it appears, is insatiable. The reason for this enormous increase in demand seems to be concern that the Obama ...
Cheney’s Fright Mode by Jacob G. Hornberger February 11, 2009 Former Vice President Dick Cheney, obviously in perpetual fright mode, is continuing to do his best to frighten the American people. He claims that 61 of the inmates that have been released from Guantanamo have “gone back into the business of being terrorists.” He also predicted a “high probability” of a nuclear or biological ...
Tear Down These Walls by Jacob G. Hornberger February 10, 2009 Among the fascinating aspects of the many crises facing America is the refusal of the statists to face an uncomfortable possibility — that it is their beloved welfare state and controlled economy that has failed. Instead, they blame their woes on everything but the welfare state and the controlled economy. Their solution, not surprisingly, ...
Immediately Withdraw from Afghanistan Too by Jacob G. Hornberger February 9, 2009 Permit me to make my proposal for Afghanistan: Get out. Now. No handwringing and no delays. President Obama should issue an immediate order that all U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan and return to the United States at once. Look, they’ve had seven years to kill the terrorists. That’s longer than World War II. Longtime supporters ...
Why I Rejected the Welfare State by Jacob G. Hornberger February 5, 2009 One of the justifications that liberals give for their support of the socialistic welfare state is their purported love for the poor, needy, and disadvantaged. Having been raised a Democrat (Republicans were rare in South Texas in the 1950s and 60s), I bought into this rationale. After I returned to my hometown of Laredo, ...
