Daily Articles

The Libertarian Angle: The Non-Aggression Principle

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 18, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling talk about a basic tenet of libertarianism Go to the podcast.

Society Is Not a Family, Government Is Not a Parent

by Richard M. Ebeling July 17, 2017

Few things are as clear as the bankruptcy of the political “left.” Ranting and raving about Donald Trump and “anti-democratic” trends in the United States and other parts of the world, their own vision and vista for a “progressive” and “renewed” America is nothing but the same old statist and collectivist songs they have been singing for more than ...

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.

The Police State’s Answer to Free Speech Is Brute Force

by John W. Whitehead July 12, 2017

Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek to challenge and ...

Economic Ideas: The Ancient Incas and the Collectivist State

by Richard M. Ebeling July 10, 2017

Examples of government control over social and economic life are as old as recorded history, and they always have features that are universal in their perverse effects regardless of time or place. One of the most famous of these collectivist episodes was that of the Incas and their empire in South America. The Inca Empire emerged out of a small ...

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, ...

Imagine a Boot Stamping on Your Face

by John W. Whitehead July 7, 2017

The Internet is watching us now. If they want to. They can see what sites you visit. In the future, television will be watching us, and customizing itself to what it knows about us. The thrilling thing is, that will make us feel we’re part of the medium. The scary thing is, we’ll lose ...

The Libertarian Angle: Independence Day

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 6, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling celebrate America's independence. Go to the podcast.

A Declaration of Independence from Big Government

by Richard M. Ebeling July 3, 2017

The Declaration of Independence, proclaimed by members of the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, is the founding document of the American experiment in free government. What is too often forgotten is that what the Founding Fathers argued against in the Declaration was the heavy and intrusive hand of big government. Most Americans easily recall those eloquent words with which ...

Separating Economy and State

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2017

Throughout history, governments have controlled and regulated economic activity and monetary affairs. It has been generally accepted that such control and regulation are among the essential functions of government. The notion has always been that without government control and regulation of the economy and money, there would be economic and monetary chaos and disorder that would cause suffering for ...

How World War I Still Haunts America

by James Bovard July 1, 2017

This year is the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s pulling America into World War I. Many people celebrate this centenary of America’s emergence as a world power. But at a time when the Trump administration is bombing or rattling sabers at half a dozen nations and many Democrats are clamoring to bloody Russia, it is worth reviewing how World ...

How Not to Cut Welfare Spending

by Laurence M. Vance July 1, 2017

The U.S. federal budget is now in the neighborhood of $4 trillion. Just ten years ago it wasn’t even $3 trillion. It was “only” $2 trillion in 2002, and didn’t reach the trillion dollar mark until 1987. The greatest component of the federal budget is spending on the welfare state. Welfare programs There are in the United States about 80 means-tested ...