Daily Articles

Book Review: What do Economists Contribute?

by Richard M. Ebeling October 1, 1999

What Do Economists Contribute? edited by Daniel B. Klein (New York: New York University Press, 1999); 156 pages; $14.95. The following is the abstract of an economics article that appeared in the November 1998 issue of the International Economics Review: "The authors investigate confidence intervals and inference for the instrumental variables model with weak instruments. Confidence intervals based ...

Loving Your Country and Hating Your Government

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 2, 1999

After the bombing of the Alfred J. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, President Clinton declared, "There's nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country." I wonder whether the president still feels the same way in light of the government's lies and cover-up ...

Group of Odd People

by Sheldon Richman September 2, 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 for that office, have no business ...

The Nationalization of Income

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999

It's election time and Republicans are making their quadrennial call for income-tax cuts. Democrats are opposing them because the federal government needs the money to shore up Medicare and Social Security. The entire debate obscures an uncomfortable truth — that in 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution effectively nationalized the income of every American. Although most Americans honestly believe ...

Wrong Again, Mr. President

by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1999

Leave it to President Clinton to do the right thing in the wrong way. Last week the President announced that he would forgive, with Congress's consent, more than $5 billion in loans that 36 poor nations owe the U.S. government. This in itself is entirely proper for one simple reason: the governments ...

Loving Your Country and Hating Your Government

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1999

After the bombing of the Alfred J. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, President Clinton declared, "There's nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country." I wonder whether the president still feels the same way in light of the government's ...

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 ...