Regulation Policy & Welfare

Not Yours to Give

by David Crockett December 1, 2000

MR. SPEAKER — I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the suffering of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of ...

No One Runs the Country

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 2000

Memo to pundits and politicians: You didn’t need to say that we had to finalize the presidential election because it’s important to know who’s going to run the country beginning January 20. The president doesn’t run the country. This country comprises 265 million people who make billions of ...

AmeriCorps: Salvation through Handholding

by James Bovard November 1, 2000

PRESIDENT CLINTON, in an August 9, 1999, speech to AmeriCorps members, declared, “AmeriCorps is living, daily, practical, flesh-and-blood proof that there’s a better way to live ... that if we ... hold hands and believe we’re going into the future together, we can change anything we want to change. You are the modern manifestation of the dream of America’s ...

Morals and the Welfare State, Part 2

by F.A. Harper October 1, 2000

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 THE DECALOGUE serves as a guide to moral conduct which, if violated, brings upon the violator a commensurate penalty. There may be other guides to moral conduct which one might wish to add to the Golden Rule and ...

Rising above the Surplus

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 2000

One of the biggest issues in the presidential race has been what should be done with the surplus. How much of the extra tax revenue should be used to shore up Social Security? To protect Medicare and Medicaid? To pay down the national debt How much should be returned to the ...

Morals and the Welfare State, Part 1

by F.A. Harper September 1, 2000

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 TO MANY PERSONS, the welfare state has become a symbol of morality and righteousness. This makes those who favor the welfare state appear to be the true architects of a better world; those who oppose it, immoral rascals who might be expected to rob banks, or ...

Ten Thousand Czars

by James Bovard September 1, 2000

The Founding Fathers sought to build a government that was constrained both by law and by the Bill of Rights. Modern legislators and bureaucrats have completely forgotten the reasons coercive power must be confined in narrow boundaries to avoid becoming a public curse. Instead of the rule of law, we have one new government czar and petty dictator after ...

Abolish NHTSA

by Sheldon Richman September 1, 2000

Purely for the sake of discussion, let’s assume the worst about Firestone and Ford: that someone’s gross negligence led to the production of tires that endangered drivers of Ford Explorers. The common law tort process should be allowed to take its course. If there’s evidence of ...

Economic Crimes and Cuban Cigars

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2000

Two years ago, a prominent New Yorker restaurant owner who had never been in trouble with the law was arrested and charged with a federal felony. What was the man’s crime? Selling cigars at his restaurants. Well, not just any cigars. Cuban cigars. You know, Cohibas and Montecristos. The good stuff! Why is ...

Is Mexico Asking the Right Questions?

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2000

In order to solve a problem, it is necessary to ask the right questions. During his recent visit to Washington, Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox asked the wrong questions: "How can we narrow the gap in income on both sides of the border?" and "How can we put together a fund for development?" The ...

An Echo, Not a Choice

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2000

Must the Republicans' abandon every semblance of principle in order to save us from a Gore presidency? In the minds of the GOP leaders, the answer seems to be yes. Apparently, a decision has been made that victory is so essential that the party will say anything to avoid offending anyone. ...

Census Bureau: A Threat to Freedom

by James Bovard June 1, 2000

THERE ARE three certainties in life — death, taxes and the continuation of the Census Bureau’s proud tradition of keeping information it collects about individuals strictly private.” So announces the Census Bureau’s web page, seeking to assure Americans that they have nothing to fear by opening their lives to the prying of this year’s census. Regrettably, after seven years of ...