The GOP and Education by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999 The Republicans, as the old saying goes, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Gov. George W. Bush of Texas, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, demonstrated that truism when he announced his big education initiative last week. The touted forward-looking GOP leader might have struck a real ...
Free Wal-Mart! by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999 In its untiring effort to lead the United States to fascism with all possible dispatch, the California state legislature has enacted a law to save its unsuspecting citizens from groceries at Wal-Mart! The bill, which awaits the governor's signature, would make it impossible for Wal-Mart and other so-called big-box retail ...
Population Controllers Got It Wrong by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999 World population is estimated to be nearing the six billion mark. The UN Population Fund, which "knows" precisely how many people there should be in the world, also "knows" precisely what day the world will hit six billion: October 12. In fact, no one knows precisely how many people there ...
The Surrender of Choice by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999 Why do Americans continue to support such governmental programs as public schooling, Social Security, and drug laws? Advocates argue that these programs display a deep regard for education, compassion, and responsibility. However, isn't it possible that by surrendering the power of making individual choices in these important parts of ...
A Libertarian Visits Cuba, Part 3 (of 3) by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 When I arrived in Cuba, an El Salvadoran was being tried for terroristic bombing and four Cuban dissidents were being tried for criticizing the Cuban system, and the trials were being shown on national television. Tension was in the air. Nevertheless, even though it is a grave criminal offense to ...
A Libertarian Visits Cuba, Part 2 (of 3) by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Although Castro had not been a member of the Communist Party during the revolution, he quickly began converting Cuba into a Marxist-Leninist economic "paradise," and secured assistance from the Soviet Union. As part of the socialization of Cuba, Castro ended up nationalizing just about everything, domestic and foreign, including American ...
A Libertarian Visits Cuba, Part 1 (of 3) by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Last spring, I spent a most fascinating week in one of the world's last bastions of communism - Cuba. I had applied for a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury to travel to Cuba to conduct an informal study of ...
Time to Curb SWAT Rampages by James Bovard September 1, 1999 SWAT teams are finally getting some overdue bad press. Usually the SWATers are starring in some TV pseudo-docudrama where they go smashing into someone's home and discover him with a dumb look and a bong. However, people are now beginning to ask questions about the wisdom of the routine use of massive police force. Prof. ...
Monetary Central Planning and the State, Part 33: Murray N. Rothbard and the Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar by Richard M. Ebeling September 1, 1999 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 ...
Repatriation: The Ugly Side of Immigration Laws by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999 Recently, off the shores of Miami, Florida, the American people were exposed to the ugly side of immigration laws-the forcible repatriation of illegal immigrants to their country of origin. Television viewers watched in horror as U.S. Coast Guard officials, using water cannons and pepper spray, attacked Cuban refugees in ...
Group of Odd People by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999 What a sorry lot the GOP is. The frontrunner, Gov. George W. Bush, bases his campaign on the slogan "prosperity with a purpose." Pardon me? I have no idea what that means, but I don't like the sound of it. A president of the United States, and the irants ...
Justice, Not Compassion by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999 If the 2000 presidential race continues as it has begun, we might all best take a long nap and wake up when it's over. It might be so insipid that we could all suffer a terminal case of boredom. How many of us are looking forward to a year and a ...