Politics

Exploiting JFK Jr.’s Death

by Sheldon Richman August 2, 1999

Advocates of activist, overbearing government claim to be against exploitation. But they did not hesitate to exploit John F. Kennedy Jr. in death. Do you believe for a moment that the death of the son or daughter of any other ex-president (or even an ex-president himself!) would have set off the shameful media frenzy we ...

Watering Down the Separation of Powers

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 1999

Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening is exercising political power that would be the envy of dictators all over the world. Declaring an emergency due to the current drought, Glendening has issued orders criminalizing the usage of water in Maryland. The governor's decrees prohibited watering lawns; topping swimming pools; washing ...

What’s Compassion Got to Do with It?

by Sheldon Richman July 2, 1999

Gov. George W. Bush has distinguished himself from the pack of Republican presidential aspirants by calling himself a "compassionate conservative." Some conservatives have taken umbrage, charging that Bush's label implies that conservatives aren't generally compassionate. That lame response is to be expected of conservatives, who lack a coherent political philosophy. The better response is: ...

Bill Clinton: World Cop

by Sheldon Richman June 1, 1999

In a major foreign-policy address delivered a few months back in San Francisco, President Bill Clinton solemnly affirmed that everything everywhere in the world is the business of the United States. If you ever entertained the thought that we Americans should be free just to live our lives, raise our families, and participate voluntarily in our communities — forget ...

Sabotaging Privacy for Political Profit

by James Bovard June 1, 1999

Federal regulators announced last December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, a brazen scheme to convert banks into conspirators against their depositors. The "Know Your Customer" rules were a landmark in the history of the attempted subversion of American privacy and property rights. But enough Americans rallied — at least temporarily — to block this power grab. The proposed rules vastly expanded ...

Thank You, Mr. President

by Sheldon Richman March 1, 1999

Maybe we should be grateful for and to President Clinton. Not since Richard Nixon has a tenure in the White House illustrated the evils of the political class with such clarity. Every day brings a new lesson. Libertarians get it. Let's hope the rest of America does too. The last few months have been most enlightening. Through much of 1998, ...

Don’t Blame the Termometer for the Fever

by Sheldon Richman January 1, 1999

When communism collapsed a few years ago, people thought the last grand ideological debate over political economy had finally ended. Supposedly, we were all capitalists now. But this is clearly not the case. The world's political leaders show no signs of a commitment to capitalism, if by that term we ...

A Better State of the Union Address

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1999

"My fellow Americans, I, William Jefferson Clinton, am pleased to report on the state of the union on the eve of the millennium and to propose a different direction for our country. "For most of the 20th century, the primary role of the federal government has been to take care of ...

Thought Crimes and Presidential Tantrums

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 1998

In an era of "hate crime" legislation, which makes it an added offense to think certain bad things when committing a real crime, we have a new forbidden thought: that President Clinton launched a savage attack on Iraq to delay, if not scuttle, the impeachment effort in the House of ...

Why Does Government Meddle in the Arts?

by Sheldon Richman October 2, 1998

When the Washington Post recently honored Sidney Yates, 89, on the occasion of his retirement, it emphasized that he had "made his mark on the arts." Is Sidney Yates a composer? Musician? Painter? Poet? Writer? None of the above. He's a congressman. Don't laugh. In Washington, you can make your mark on the arts just by chairing the ...

Politics Won’t Produce Moral Heroes

by Sheldon Richman September 2, 1998

Much of the reaction about President Clinton's difficulties can be summed up thus: Our leader let us down. The premise is that the president is not just a chief executive officer, but much more: a moral and spiritual leader of the nation. I submit this is an unfortunate attitude for free people. Americans have long had ...

Clinton’s Job Performance Puzzle

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 1998

The pundits are bewildered over the public's apparently contradictory response to President Clinton during his recent troubles. Most people have a low opinion of his character. Yet at least 60 percent of those polled think he's doing a terrific job and should not resign. How can this be? Assuming the polling ...