Mission Creep in Iraq by Sheldon Richman August 21, 2014 There are several reasons not to intervene militarily in another country’s conflict, even modestly. One is the potential for mission creep. We already could detect the signs of mission creep in Iraq. Now, with the stepped-up U.S. airstrikes after the Islamic State's horrific execution of American reporter Jim Foley, the signs are clearer than ever. On August 7, Barack Obama sa
Federal Reserve Policies Cause Booms and Busts by Richard M. Ebeling August 20, 2014 Since the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the Federal Reserve – America’s central bank – has expanded the money supply in the banking system by over $4 trillion, and has manipulated key interest rates to keep them so artificially low that when adjusted for price inflation, several of them have been actually negative. We should not be surprised if this ...
The Libertarian Angle: Ferguson, Missouri, and the Militarization of the Cops by Future of Freedom Foundation August 18, 2014 FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: Ferguson and the militarization of local police forces. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.
TGIF: Liberty in America during the Great War by Sheldon Richman August 15, 2014 There’s always plenty for libertarians to complain about in our troubled world, but in many respects, things could be much worse. I’m thinking particularly of how the U.S. government punished dissent before, during, and even after America’s participation in World War I. Although it will be a few years before we observe the centenary of Woodrow Wilson’s idiotic decision ...
Out of Iraq, Etc.! by Sheldon Richman August 13, 2014 Nearly a century ago, after four bloody years of World War I, British colonialists created the state of Iraq, complete with their hand-picked monarch. Britain and France were authorized — or, more precisely, authorized themselves — to create states in the Arab world, despite the prior British promise of independence in return for the Arabs’ revolt against the Ottoman ...
Böhm-Bawerk: Austrian Economist Who Said “No” to Big Government by Richard M. Ebeling August 11, 2014 We live at a time when politicians and bureaucrats only know one public policy: more and bigger government. Yet, there was a time when even those who served in government defended limited and smaller government. One of the greatest of these died one hundred years ago on August 27, 1914, the Austrian economist Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk.Böhm-Bawerk is most famous ...
TGIF: The 100th Anniversary of the Great State Crime by Sheldon Richman August 8, 2014 This week marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, the four-year bloody nightmare that claimed 16 million lives — 7 million of them noncombatants — and wounded over 20 million people. That would have been bad enough, but the conflict was merely Act One in a much bigger war. The “peace” settlement vindictively branded Germany uniquely ...
Independence Day, 2014 by Howard Blitz August 8, 2014 July 4, 2014, was the 238th anniversary of the signing of one of the greatest written documents in history, the Declaration of Independence. This is the reason for celebrating this day every year. The significance of the Declaration of Independence cannot be overemphasized because it proclaims that individuals do not need permission from their government to live their lives in ...
Should the Export-Import Bank Be Reauthorized? by Laurence M. Vance August 7, 2014 The Export-Import Bank is up for reauthorization again. Democrats and Republicans in Congress are divided against each other and among themselves as to reforms that should be imposed on the bank, and, to a lesser extent, whether the bank should be reauthorized at all. But before looking at the question of whether the Export-Import Bank should be reauthorized, we should ...
The U.S. Government Still Tries to Subvert Cuba by Sheldon Richman August 6, 2014 When I saw the headline about the U.S. government and Cuba in my newspaper the other day, I thought I’d awoken in 1961. It was a Twilight Zone moment for sure: “U.S. program aimed to stir dissent in Cuba.” I expected Rod Serling to welcome me to “another dimension.” But it was 2014. The AP news report said ...
The Libertarian Angle: Regime Change in Cuba by Future of Freedom Foundation August 5, 2014 FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: the decades long sparring contest with Cuba. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.
Mr. President: Please Mind Your Own Business by Richard M. Ebeling August 4, 2014 Dear President Obama, For nearly six years, now, you have declared your intention and desire of being my Nanny-in-Chief. Your original campaign slogan of “Hope and Change” was really a promise of “Control and Command.” Well, Mr. President, I have a request: Mind your own business. Let me start out with some simple questions. How do you know what is right ...