The Censorship Smokescreen
Robert W Tracinski (2000.10.14 )
For the past week, our politicians have been busy constructing the foundations of censorship in America. And worse: They have been doing so unanimously. Censorship is being promoted across the political and cultural spectrum, from Al Gore and Joe Lieberman to John McCain and Lynne Cheney, from Bible-thumping religious fundamentalists to jargon-spouting social scientists. Amazingly, […]
Freedom in Education: Pro Choice or Pro Monopoly
Thomas Sowell (2000.10.14 )
It is amazing how many people who are “pro-choice” when it comes to abortion are against choice when it comes to education. Indeed, that is the official position of the Democratic Party. Despite Al Gore’s rhetoric at the Democrats’ convention in July about being against “powerful special interests,” there is no more powerful special interest […]
A Season of Trivialities
Robert W Tracinski (2000.10.12 )
What an exciting election season. Just think of the campaign issues everyone’s talking about. Al Gore gave his wife a long smooch at the Democratic convention; will this endear him to suburban women? George W. got in trouble when he called a reporter an unpleasant name — something you’re supposed to do only when the […]
Who Owns Your Genes?
David Holcberg (2000.10.11 )
Our genes are stretches of DNA that we got from mom and dad. They have been with us since our beginning. Genes built our bodies. They exist in each and every one of our cells. It seems reasonable that our genes shouldn’t be anybody else’s property. Yet, many researchers, companies and institutions, own patent rights […]
Fight The Anti-Pesticide Pests
Michelle Malkin (2000.10.11 )
The West Nile virus came to my neck of the woods last week, when four dead crows turned up in southern Maryland and Washington, D.C. Am I scared? Yes, the possible presence of infected mosquitoes in my lakeside neighborhood is worrisome. But even more disturbing is the irrational fear-mongering of environmentalists who oppose chemical spraying […]
Astonishing Arrogance vs. Infuriating Cowardice: A Psychologist Analyzes the First Presidential Debate Between Bush and Gore
Michael J Hurd (2000.10.10 )
If individual rights (or lack thereof) are the fundamental issue in politics, then one should judge political candidates for President based upon their stated adherence to (or lack of adherence to) the preservation and expansion of individual rights — that is, to be free from force, fraud, and the initiation of physical coercion by any […]
Al Gore’s Money Grab
Robert W Tracinski (2000.10.09 )
Whose money is it? In a muddled political contest, where there is no basic disagreement on prescription drugs, education, or even foreign policy, the biggest issue might be: Which candidate, if any, thinks you have a right to your own money? Al Gore’s answer is clear: you don’t. Gore’s recurring theme in last week’s debate […]
Who is Al Gore Championing?
Michael J Hurd (2000.10.08 )
Al Gore claims he is trying to fight for “those who need a champion, those who need to be lifted up so they are never left behind.” Exactly who is Al Gore championing, and in what name? Is he championing the ideas of independence and self-responsibility? The idea of personal freedom, and individual rights? Or […]
A Recipe for Economic Collapse in Venezuela: Hugo Chavez’s Anti-Capitalist Philosophy
Andrew West (2000.10.07 )
One of the perennial complaints made of investment analysts is “why didn’t you warn me about this before the crash?” While difficult, it is sometimes possible to identify the makings of a country’s downfall beforehand, while the news about it is still positive. One such situation is Venezuela. Right now Venezuela is riding high on […]
Facts, Anyone?
Thomas Sowell (2000.10.06 )
When demands for rent control were made to the city council of the small, middle-class community of Foster City, California, the members of the city council responded in a way that is very unusual. They relied on facts. The facts they relied on were that cities with rent control almost invariably have run-down apartments and […]
The Microsoft Saga
Andrew Lewis (2000.10.06 )
In a decision generally hailed as a victory for Microsoft, the Supreme Court rejected the government’s plea to hear a direct appeal of the government’s Antitrust case against Microsoft. In April, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft had violated Antitrust law and ordered that the company should be broken up. The decision was stayed […]
The “Feel-Sorry-For-Me” Olympics
Andrew Lewis (2000.10.05 )
Altruism claimed millions of victims at the Sydney Olympics. Instead of focusing on the athlete’s achievements and the drama of live competition, NBC’s commentators sacrificed the minds of the American viewers as well as the athletes’ achievements to a nightly barrage of “feel-their-pain” emotionalism. The morality of altruism holds that need and suffering are the […]
