Daily Articles

Free Trade, Liberalism, and Peace

by Richard M. Ebeling September 1, 2020

The classical liberals of the nineteenth century were certain that the end of the older mercantilist system — with its government control of trade and commerce, its bounties (subsidies) and prohibitions on exports and imports — would open wide vistas for improving the material conditions of man through the internationalization of the system of division of labor. They also ...

The Tortured Legacy of the Mexican-American War, Part 6

by Danny Sjursen September 1, 2020

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4  | Part 5 | Part 6 But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.… the fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force.… She might become the dictatress of the world.

The Police State’s War on Weed and Backyard Gardens

by John W. Whitehead August 27, 2020

They came again this morning at about 8:00 o’clock. A large cargo-type helicopter flew low over the cabin, shaking it on its very foundations. It shook all of us inside, too. I feel frightened … I see how helpless and tormented I am becoming with disgust and disillusionment with the government which has turned this beautiful country into a ...

A Time That Tries Men’s Souls

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 27, 2020

In the midst of the turmoil in which our country is enveloped, I am reminded of the immortal words of Thomas Paine: These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, ...

Biden’s “Passion and Purpose” is More Political Paternalism

by Richard M. Ebeling August 26, 2020

Political election years are viewed in democracies as momentous events in the country’s history. Through ballots rather than bullets are chosen those who will hold political office, and through them the implementation and enforcement of the laws of the land and a variety of government policies considered to be in the “common good” or the “general welfare.” In other ...

Trump’s Authoritarianism Should be a Warning, Not a Guidebook

by Michael Zigismund August 24, 2020

When President Donald Trump floated the idea of postponing the upcoming presidential election, my social media feeds exploded with howls of “authoritarianism” and “fascism” and “toldya so.” More bark than bite I think we can all agree that the president has at least some authoritarian tendencies. But as presidential scholar Gene Healy recently

Magic Mushrooms

by Laurence M. Vance August 21, 2020

Scientifically speaking, mushrooms are said to be the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Typical are the button or common mushrooms classified as agaricus bisporus that are widely cultivated for food around the world. Governments don’t care how many of these mushrooms that ...

How to Tell RINOs From Elephants

by Michael Tennant August 19, 2020

Conservatives frequently dub Republican politicians they deem insufficiently committed to “free enterprise, private property, and limited government” Republicans in Name Only, or RINOs. But are they really phony Republicans? “The Republican Party was always, from its inception, the party of big government in America,” Thomas DiLorenzo observed in his book Lincoln Unmasked. As the successor to the Whig Party, the ...

Watchwords that Threaten Liberty

by Richard M. Ebeling August 18, 2020

One of the more disturbing aspects of our times is the growing distrust, even dislike, and, therefore, disregard for liberty in a seemingly growing number of corners of life. There is plenty of talk about “equality,” “racial justice,” “democracy,” “socialism,” “privilege,” “oppression” and “racism.” But, of liberty, that is, the liberty of the individual to live his own life ...

Millionaires for Insanity

by Michael Tennant August 17, 2020

A coterie of guilt-ridden rich folks calling themselves Millionaires for Humanity has signed an open letter begging the governments of the world to raise their taxes in order to undo the devastation wreaked by COVID-19. “As Covid-19 strikes the world, millionaires like us have a critical role to play in healing our world,” they write. That role, it seems, ...

NATO’s “Unified Front” at Breaking Point

by Danny Sjursen August 14, 2020

Last month, a Turkish warship came one step away from firing missiles at a French naval vessel off the coast of Libya. In response, Paris suspended its involvement in Operation Sea Guardian — a multinational maritime effort to provide security in the Mediterranean Sea and halt the arms trafficking fueling Libya’s ongoing civil war. Initially, only eight ...

Self-Censorship and Despotism Over the Mind

by Richard M. Ebeling August 12, 2020

The political atmosphere in the United States today is one of the most divisive and polarized in a very long time. In my lifetime, the only period with which I can compare it is the 1960s and early 1970s during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, when there were demonstrations on the streets of many cities throughout ...