Hagel’s Retreat by Sheldon Richman February 6, 2013 Some observers are mystified by Chuck Hagel’s pathetic showing at his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, but there should be no mystery about it. He performed as he did for one simple reason: He wants to be the next secretary of defense, and he (along with the White House) must have calculated that standing up for his past positions ...
The New Scramble for Africa by Tim Kelly February 6, 2013 The deployment of French troops to Mali has put that large and impoverished African nation in the media’s spotlight. We are being told France’s intervention, which the US military is supporting, is necessary to prevent the country from being overrun by Muslim fanatics and terrorists. However, the intervention by a former colonial power into the affairs of yet another African ...
The Federal War on Marijuana by Laurence M. Vance February 5, 2013 Barack Obama and Joe Biden were not the only winners in the November election. Even including the election of the members of both houses of the U.S. Congress, it is on the state level where the vast majority of elections take place. One thing that is unique about state elections is the inclusion of ballot questions — initiatives, referendums, legislative ...
“Hurry Up and Die”: The Inescapable Outcome of Socialized Medicine by Michael Tennant February 4, 2013 Japan’s “universal” health-care system, like all such systems the world over, is in trouble, with costs rising and the population aging. Nearly 25 percent of Japanese are over the age of 60, a proportion expected to increase to 40 percent over the next 50 years. Since the old generally require more — and more expensive — medical treatment than ...
The Jacob Hornberger Show: February 3, 2013 by Jacob G. Hornberger February 4, 2013 The Jacob Hornberger Show airs live every Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. eastern on the Future of Freedom Foundation's Ustream channel.
TGIF: Economy or Catallaxy? by Sheldon Richman February 1, 2013 That the champions of the free market have always understood it, first and foremost, as the most basic form of social cooperation is evidenced by a dissatisfaction with the term economy itself. In volume 2 of Law, Legislation, and Liberty, F.A. Hayek claimed that we cannot properly comprehend the market order unless we free ourselves of the misleading ...
Guns Make Us Safer by Scott McPherson February 1, 2013 Guns and gun owners are a hot topic. A maniac massacred 26 people in Newtown, Connecticut, and now, according to the wise and virtuous, something must be done about crime, particularly violent crime, in the United States. The number one target is gun owners, and the number one solution is more gun control. There is no doubt that the United ...
How to Keep Milk Prices Low by Raising Them by Michael Tennant February 1, 2013 Suppose you’re a bureaucrat charged with regulating the price of milk so that the people of your state — the ones who are forced to pay your salary — can enjoy a glass of moo juice without having to take out a loan. Now suppose you find out that a supermarket in your state is selling a gallon of ...
Time to Nullify the Drug Laws by Sheldon Richman February 1, 2013 Thomas Jefferson said a revolution every 20 years would be a good thing. Regardless of what one thinks of that, perhaps a little constitutional crisis every now and then would have its benefits. One such crisis may be brewing now. On election day solid majorities of voters in Colorado and Washington voted to make marijuana a legal product not just ...
The Continuing Forfeiture Scourge by James Bovard February 1, 2013 A federal crime wave is sweeping the nation, and prosecutors and G-men could not be happier about it. The Wall Street Journal reported that government “forfeiture programs confiscated homes, cars, boats, and cash in more than 15,000 cases . The total take topped $2.5 billion, more than doubling in five years, Justice Department statistics show.” Beginning in 1970, Congress ...
Taxi Tyranny by Laurence M. Vance February 1, 2013 One of the most prevalent and persistent myths about the American economy is that it is based on the free market, or laissez-faire capitalism. True, when compared with much of the rest of the world, the United States appears to have a relatively free economy. The truth, however, is that in some sectors of the American economy, government intervention ...
Milking the Truancy Cow for Cash by Wendy McElroy February 1, 2013 Diane Tran is a 17-year-old honor student who was jailed for truancy in Texas. When a tearful Tran gave an interview for a local television station, the story went viral. Her parents had recently divorced, leaving Tran to support herself and her siblings by working two jobs in addition to attending school. Fury was unleashed on the truancy court ...