Socialism

Paycheck Plus Welfare

by Laurence M. Vance January 1, 2018

Just as a rose by any other name would still smell just as sweet, so welfare by any other name still reeks of dependency, taxation, wealth redistribution, fraud, redundancy, inefficiency, and income- transfer payments. Yet, pleas to maintain the welfare state never cease. And some even want to expand it. Like MDRC, “a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research ...

Exporting Roosevelt’s New Deal through Aid, Investment, and Threat of War

by Wendy McElroy January 1, 2018

The Marshall Plan is more than a historical event — it has become a modern myth. As such, it may be mostly true or mostly false, but it exercises a powerful hold over reality. And the perceived success of the Marshall Plan has influenced American policy since the late 1940s. — Tyler Cowen The European Recovery Program, known as the Marshall ...

The Libertarian Angle: America’s Santa Claus (video)

by Future of Freedom Foundation December 20, 2017

What happens when the national government starts handing out presents to everyone? FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss socialism in America. Go to the podcast.

Millions Paid for Not Working

by Laurence M. Vance November 15, 2017

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), part of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), releases its monthly jobs report on the first Friday of every month. The jobs report is perceived as a gauge of the health of the economy. The BLS also issues a weekly report of unemployment insurance claims. According to a ...

Republicans for All

by Laurence M. Vance October 20, 2017

Last month, self-proclaimed socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released his Medicare for All plan. Said Sanders, Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income. The only long-term solution to America’s health care crisis ...

Free Markets, Not Government, Improve Race Relations

by Richard M. Ebeling September 4, 2017

Politically we seem to be living in some trying times. The political polarization, as captured in the mainstream news media, appears to be intensifying with even acts of destructive violence on the streets and campuses of American cities. At the same time, pictures out of Houston during and following Hurricane Harvey show empathetic assistance and cooperation between people and ...

Free the Fire Stations!

by Laurence M. Vance August 1, 2017

Many boys, at one time or another when they are growing up, become enamored with firetrucks after taking a school field trip to their local fire station. Some of them will then insist that they want to be firemen when then grow up. They want such an occupation because of the excitement and the adventure they envision — and, ...

Why Planned Parenthood Should Be Defunded

by Laurence M. Vance July 21, 2017

For years now Republicans in Congress have expressed their intention to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood. Although they failed to accomplish either goal individually, they came up with the bright idea of introducing a bill that would jointly achieve their objectives. If it passes. Because the Republicans had nearly absolute control of the government once Donald Trump was sworn into ...

The Libertarian Angle: What Is Socialism?

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 13, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss the nature of socialism. Go to the podcast.

Liquor Socialism

by Laurence M. Vance July 7, 2017

As long as America has been a nation, governments at all levels have sought to tax, regulate, control, and even prohibit the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most infamous example, of course, is the era of Prohibition. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution took effect in January 1920. It didn’t ban outright the consumption or possession of alcohol, ...

Socialism: Marking a Century of Death and Destruction

by Richard M. Ebeling March 6, 2017

In August of 1993 I was in invited to participate in a conference in Vilnius, Lithuania on “Liberty and Private Business.” This was less than two years after the formal disappearance of the Soviet Union as a political entity on the map of the world. During our time there my wife and I were offered the opportunity to be given ...

Free the Airports!

by Laurence M. Vance March 1, 2017

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States carry about 900 million passengers per year systemwide on more than 9 million flights (domestic and international). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projects that the total number of enplanements will grow to 1.2 billion by 2036. More than ...