Bring in the Legal Goons: First Tobacco, Now Fat

by | Sep 23, 2003 | POLITICS

In Seattle, there is a popular restaurant called the 5 Spot. Its signature dish is a huge, calorie-laden dessert called The Bulge. Access to it, however, is restricted to those patrons willing to sign a waiver agreeing not to sue the restaurant for making them fat....

Oslo Equals Mud: A Historic Failure for Peace

by | Sep 22, 2003 | POLITICS

Ten years later, it is embarrassing to recall the elation and soaring expectations. President Bill Clinton lauded it as a “great occasion of history.” Secretary of State Warren Christopher ruminated on how “the impossible is within our reach.”...

The IRS Versus The Bill Of Rights

by | Sep 22, 2003 | POLITICS

To get an idea of what it’s like to tangle with the IRS, imagine having to fight Mike Tyson — with both hands tied behind your back. The IRS is the most feared government agency, and with good reason. Americans who run afoul of this bureaucratic behemoth...

The Voucher Debate

by | Sep 21, 2003 | POLITICS

In Washington D.C. right now, there’s a huge debate going on about school vouchers. Here’s the debate boiled down to its bare — and honest — essentials. The opponents of school vouchers resent the fact that some kids will end up in superior...

Trading Insults: The WTO’s Cancun Free For All

by | Sep 21, 2003 | POLITICS

Don’t give a starving man a fish, give him a fishing rod. That used to be the mantra in foreign aid circles. The message that came out of the collapsed World Trade Organization negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, last week took the metaphor one step further;...