Daily Articles

Katrina Exposes Government for What It Is

by Sheldon Richman September 14, 2005

If a private-sector employee performed as badly as the federal, state, and local governments performed before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina, he would be summarily fired. But the governments will claim their budgets were too small and proceed to extract more money from the taxpayers. Thats how the ...

Ammunition Registration Unworkable

by Benedict D. LaRosa September 9, 2005

California, the land of innovative gun-control schemes, is at it again. This time the focus is on regulating ammunition — preferably out of existence — within the state. Democratic State Senator Joseph Dunn has introduced Senate Bill 357, which would require that all handgun ...

A Special Message from Jacob Hornberger

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 9, 2005

FFF ALERT: We just received a matching-gift offer of $10,000 from an FFF donor to help us with our radio-outreach program, which is explained in my letter below. Our supporter has committed to match your contribution of $250 or above. That means that if you send us $250, we receive $500; if ...

The Deadly Legacy of the Welfare State Lies in New Orleans

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 7, 2005

Among the most tragic scenes in the Hurricane Katrina disaster was that of the thousands of poor people — almost all of whom were African Americans — who were stranded at the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center, desperately waiting for the federal government to come and save them. Why were they ...

A Methodology for Hope

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2005

A major adverse consequence of the 9/11 attacks has been a feeling of resignation that has come over some advocates of liberty. The feeling is that, given 9/11 and the “war on terrorism,” the omnipotent state is here to stay for the indefinite future. As difficult as it was to restore libertarian principles to our country in the pre–9/11 ...

The Supreme Court Repeals the Constitution

by Sheldon Richman September 1, 2005

An unidentified New York Surrogate Court judge famously said in 1866, “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court we now know (if we needed reminding) that life, liberty, and property are in peril even when the legislature is not ...

A Forgotten Post–9/11 Hoax

by James Bovard September 1, 2005

In the wake of the hijacking and crashing of four airliners and the subsequent shutdown of the nation’s airports on 9/11, many Americans were hesitant to return to fly the friendly skies. Speaking on September 27, 2001, at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, President Bush decried the “atmosphere of fear” created by the terrorist attack. He ...

The New Deal and the Courts, Part 4

by William L. Anderson September 1, 2005

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 No matter who is appointed to replace retiring members of the Supreme Court, the larger issues will remain unchanged, as they have been for nearly seven decades — the New Deal Supreme Court has become a permanent fixture in our country. Changes brought about by Franklin Roosevelt’s ...

Changing the Education Paradigm

by Scott McPherson September 1, 2005

America doesn’t have a Department of Sustenance. Why not? Eating is one of the most important things we do. Without food, human beings die. Still, we’re content to allow individual citizens and families to choose for themselves how best to fill their tummies. Yet, when it comes to the less — though nonetheless very — important job of education, we’ve ...

Economics for the Citizen, Part 7

by Walter E. Williams September 1, 2005

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 There’s a reggae song that advises, “If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty ...

Book Review: Reclaiming the American Revolution

by George Leef September 1, 2005

Reclaiming the American Revolution: The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and Their Legacy by William J. Watkins Jr. (Independent Institute, 2004); 236 pages; $39.95. How do you devise a system of limited government that actually works? It is easy enough to put words ...

Machiavelli and U.S. Politics Part 6: Public Choice and Spending

by Lawrence M. Ludlow August 31, 2005

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Public choice theory Machiavelli would take great comfort in the public choice theory as outlined by economists James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock. Public-choice theory tells us that politicians cannot legislate or spend taxpayer dollars wisely. Why? Because ...