The status quo in American health care is indefensible–an expensive regulatory and bureaucratic mess. What that calls for, however, is not more layers of regulation and complicated mandates. Nor should government take over health care completely and run it as part of a political spoils system. State government proposals have proven too expensive in California […]
Before and After Hurricane Katrina: How Government Makes Disasters More Disastrous
In a speech from New Orleans last week, Republican presidential candidate John McCain lashed out at the Bush administration for its response to Hurricane Katrina. McCain’s remarks, which appeared calculated to make disaster relief a key campaign issue, revived harsh memories of the savage storm that inundated the Mississippi Delta in late August 2005, leaving […]
John Hancock and Cigarette Smuggling
While it’s politically popular to impose confiscatory taxes on America’s 40 million tobacco smokers, there are a number of consequences one might consider, but let’s start out with a quiz. If a carton of cigarettes sells for $160 in New York City, and $35 in North Carolina, what do you predict will happen? If you […]
Obama: An Old Newness
Many years ago, a great hitter named Paul Waner was nearing the end of his long career. He entered a ballgame with 2,999 hits — one hit away from the landmark total of 3,000, which so many hitters want to reach, but which relatively few actually do reach. Waner hit a ball that the fielder […]
Politics and Black Americans
Dr. Thomas Sowell’s recent column, “Republicans and Blacks,” (April 10, 2008) pointed out the foolhardiness of Republican strategy to secure more black votes. He pointed out that it is a losing strategy to reach blacks through the civil rights organizations and black politicians. It’s like a quarterback trying to throw a pass to a receiver […]
The Economics of College, Part III
Why does college cost so much? There are two basic reasons. The first is that people will pay what the colleges charge. The second is that there is little incentive for colleges to reduce the tuition they charge. Those who want the government to provide subsidies to help meet the high cost of college seem […]
The Economics of College, Part II
Those who argue that the taxpayers should be forced to subsidize people who go to colleges and universities seldom bother to think beyond the notion that education is a Good Thing. Some education is not only a good thing but a great thing. But, like most good things, there are limits to how much of […]
The Economics of College, Part I
A front-page headline in the New York Times captures much of the economic confusion of our time: “Fewer Options Open to Pay for Costs of College.” The whole article is about the increased costs of college, the difficulties parents have in paying those costs, and the difficulties that both students and parents have in trying […]
Climate Change 101: Key Global Warming Facts
The Earth’s warming since 1850 totals about 0.7 degrees C. Most of this occurred before 1940. The cause: a long, moderate 1,500-year climate cycle first discovered in the Greenland ice cores in 1983. The cycle abruptly raises our temperature 1 to 3 degrees C above the mean for centuries at a time–as it did during […]
On April 22, Celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day
Because Earth Day is intended to further the cause of environmentalism–and because environmentalism is an anti-human ideology–on April 22, those who care about human life should not celebrate Earth Day; they should celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day. As I wrote for The Objective Standard‘s “Exploit the Earth or Die” campaign: Either man takes the Earth’s raw materials–such […]
Global Smearing Courtesy of ABC “News”
By any standard, atmospheric physicist Dr. S. Fred Singer is a remarkably accomplished scientist. But his outspoken questioning of global warming alarmism has just earned him one of the most outrageous mainstream media smear pieces I’ve ever seen. ABC News reporter Dan Harris interviewed Dr. Singer for more than an hour at the recent International […]
Should Heidi Moore Read Ayn Rand?
On the website of the Wall Street Journal, under the heading “Capitalism Shrugged: Should Ayn Rand Be Required Reading?“–and after stating a few uncontroversial facts, several inaccuracies, and some inconsequential fluff–Heidi Moore gets to her point: Rand has a bit of a reputation problem among those who have not drunk the Kool-Aid. . . . […]
A New Medical System Is Needed — for the British Nation
Five years ago, an expert for the British government prepared a report to recommend a plan for Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). The report was recently released to assess what has happened since. Spending has grown by 50 percent in real terms, with an additional investment of
Anti-Free Trade Paradise
Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, pandering to anti-trade activists, suggest that should they become president, they will restrict trade agreements. Before you buy into their promised paradise, there are a few trade questions you might consider. Suppose you were choosing a country to live in. Which country would you prefer: a country that […]
The Latest Political Crusade: CFL Light Bulbs and Airline Safety
The latest political crusade is the crusade to replace ordinary light bulbs with the new CFL light bulb that is supposed to save electricity, reducing the need for fossil fuels and helping the fight against global warming. Since crusaders seldom stop to weigh the cost of what they are advocating, it is especially important that […]
Senator Barack Hussein Obama: A Living Lie
An e-mail from a reader said that, while Hillary Clinton tells lies, Barack Obama is himself a lie. That is becoming painfully apparent with each new revelation of how drastically his carefully crafted image this election year contrasts with what he has actually been saying and doing for many years. Senator Obama’s election year image […]
“Liberation” Ideology
Scant news coverage has been devoted to the continuing chaos and brutality in Zimbabwe, once the “breadbasket” of Africa when it was known as Rhodesia (and for a few years after its “liberation” from white rule). It is now a destitute, starving nation whose citizens choose flight to neighboring states in search of food and […]
Republicans and Blacks
If Senator John McCain needed to prove that he is a real Republican, he did it when he continued an old Republican tradition of utterly inept attempts to appeal to black voters. Senator McCain was booed at a recent memorial on the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In typical Republican fashion, […]
