Our Statist Economic Woes by Jacob G. Hornberger August 3, 2011 Imagine that people in society own a total pool of wealth of $1 million. The group is divided into three categories — the poor ($50,000), the middle class ($250,000), and the rich ($700,000). The entire group as a whole produces an annual income of $100,000, divided proportionately between the 3 categories. The government decides to levy a flat tax of 3 ...
Debt-Ceiling Fraud by Jacob G. Hornberger August 2, 2011 I told you so! For the past several months, I have been saying that the Republicans were going to cave on the lifting of the debt ceiling. I’ve been writing it and I’ve been proclaiming it on my weekly Internet show. And sure enough, that’s exactly what they did. After weeks of huffing and puffing about the enormous size of ...
A Society on the Dole by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2011 A good example of the power of the government dole is found in the reaction of Detroit automakers to President Obama’s demand to raise mileage requirements for automobiles. According to an article in the New York Times, four years ago the automakers vehemently protested against the opposition of higher fuel-economy standards. Not so today, however. Today, the auto industry is meekly and submissively ...
Hornberger’s Blog, August 2011 by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2011 Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Perry Is Right about Social Security Not surprisingly, Governor Rick Perry is catching flack from mainstream statists over his calling Social Security “a Ponzi scheme.” For statists, Social Security, as the crown jewel of the welfare state, is sacrosanct. Any challenge to the program or even an accurate description of how it works is, well, close to ...
Sharing Ideas on Liberty at Ron Pauls Congressional Luncheon Group by Jacob G. Hornberger July 29, 2011 I had an interesting lunch yesterday. Congressman Ron Paul invited me to share libertarian perspectives on the warfare-welfare state and the debt ceiling with his private luncheon group, which consists of several of Ron’s fellow congressmen. About 8 other congressmen joined us for the luncheon meeting in Ron’s office for a fun, free-wheeling discussion of the debt ceiling, foreign ...
Shut Down the Postal Service by Jacob G. Hornberger July 28, 2011 The Postal Service has announced that it is closing 3,700 post offices across the country due to financial troubles. I’ve got a better idea. How about closing the Postal Service itself and turning over the delivery of first-class mail entirely to the private sector? After all, the Postal Service is a monopoly. That means the government has granted it an exclusive ...
Norway and Gun Control by Jacob G. Hornberger July 27, 2011 At the risk of belaboring the obvious, the massacre in Norway reminds us, once again, of the three big reasons that our American ancestors enshrined the right to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment. First, the right to own property is a fundamental, God-given right with which no government can legitimately interfere. Guns are private property. Thus, even ...
Norway and the War Against Islam by Jacob G. Hornberger July 26, 2011 Actually the killings in Norway by accused murderer Anders Behring Breivik are logical from the standpoint of those who have been claiming that the West is in a war against Islam. If we’re really at war, as these people have been claiming ever since 9/11, then what’s wrong with killing the enemy? Isn’t that what war is all about? ...
Eyre and Mueller Put the Cops in their Place by Jacob G. Hornberger July 25, 2011 Add my name to the many libertarians congratulating Pete Eyre and his buddy Adam Mueller for their quick acquittal in a jury trial in the town of Greenfield, Massachusetts. I know Pete personally, and he has been a tremendous help to us with Internet projects here at FFF. He is one of the finest, friendliest, and most competent people ...
A Strange Attack on Me by Jacob G. Hornberger July 22, 2011 Yesterday, I had an extensive email exchange with a guy named Rich Aucoin. He was taking me to task for my recent article “They Also Hate Us for Our Hypocrisy” along with articles I have written in the past pointing out that U.S. foreign policy is the root cause of anti-American anger, rage, and hatred among many ...
End America’s Role as a Military Empire by Jacob G. Hornberger July 21, 2011 During our panel discussion at the recent FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas, which was entitled “The War on Terrorism Is a War on Freedom,” an attendee pointed out that there were lots of instances of terrorism around the world and asked, “If terrorism is motivated by anger and rage arising out of U.S. foreign policy, how do you explain ...
They Also Hate Us for Our Hypocrisy by Jacob G. Hornberger July 20, 2011 The front page of today’s New York Times details another instance of the rank hypocrisy that underlies U.S. foreign policy. According to the article, U.S. officials are hopping mad at their partner and ally, the Pakistani government, for trying to tilt U.S. foreign policy in favor of Pakistan’s position in its longtime dispute with India over Kashmir. The feds have indicted ...
