Live and Let Live
Last week, I bemoaned New York Times columnist David Brooks’s eagerness to have government impose force on others. He was promoting programs like “National Service.” Why are many conservatives so eager to wield force? Conservatives used to complain...Ashland University Reenters the Dark Ages
Yesterday, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on Dr. John Lewis’ recent travails at Ashland University (subscription required). For those who are unaware, here is a brief recap: After initially denying Lewis tenure this spring because Lewis supports Ayn...Straight Thinking 101
Just about the most difficult lesson for first-year economics students, and sometimes graduate students, is that economic theory, and for that matter any scientific theory, is positive or non-normative. You might ask, “What’s this business about positive...Do People Care?
Back in the late 1960s, during graduate study at UCLA, I had a casual conversation with Professor Armen Alchian, one of my tenacious mentors. Professor Alchian is among the top 20th-century contributors to economic knowledge. During our graduate student/faculty coffee...Bad Government Conservatives
“Reviving the Hamilton Agenda.” That’s the headline the New York Times gave David Brooks’s recent column honoring Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father perhaps least interested in limiting political power. Unlike his rival Thomas Jefferson,...Why Health Insurance Should Not Be Universal
Should the federal government require everyone to buy health insurance? If the goal is “universal coverage,” then obviously the answer is yes. But that isn’t the point. The point is that it isn’t the duty or right of the government to force...The Law Versus Orders
Suppose a person is raped and we arrest the rapist. Should his status, whether he’s a senator, professor or an ordinary man, play a role in the adjudication of the crime and subsequent punishment? I’m betting that the average person would answer that the...Put the Independence Back in Independence Day
Independence is the foundation of America. Independence is what should be celebrated on Independence Day.
