POLITICS

Many consumers are angry about alleged price gouging at the pump, and politicians are listening. States with anti-"price gouging" laws are investigating and prosecuting complaints, while Washington is discussing a federal anti-"price gouging" law. Senate Majority...

From claims that we've won the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq simply because locals there can now vote, to recent "Get Out the Vote" campaigns, our leaders -- democrats and republicans alike -- consistently imply that the most fundamental American political idea is that...

During the American Bicentennial, my family hosted a cadre of Polish sailors as part of Buffalo, New York's contribution to "Operation Sail." While they were here, the Poles wanted to see an Indian reservation. Being close to several, my family gladly obliged. There...

"We [the Iranians] have a right to have nuclear technology. We are a nation with an ancient civilization and rich culture. I think it's really hypocritical of Mr. Bush to criticize Iran for having nuclear technology while Pakistan, India and Israel have nuclear...

Republican and Democratic big government advocates whine about President Bush's proposed tax cuts, particularly cuts in the capital gains tax. They say it's a $70 billion giveaway to the rich. Listening to demagoguery about the rich, I've sometimes wished that we...

Despite claims that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, poverty is nowhere near the problem it was yesteryear -- at least for those who want to work. Talk about the poor getting poorer tugs at the hearts of decent people and squares nicely with the agenda of...

Philosopher David Hume warned that, "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." That's why we should guard against any encroachment on liberty, no matter how small. Let's look at a couple of instances where, at our peril, we've failed to do so. The...

There was a significant defeat for the whole Intelligent Disguise--excuse me, Intelligent Design (ID)--movement today, when a Harrisburg, PA judge ruled against its being taught in the schools of a local school district. CNN reports: HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (CNN) --...

Ever since Karl Marx wrote about communism as "the end of history,"[1] there have been historians fascinated by his suggestions on how they should be working towards that end. Many have studied and taken up his methods of looking at the past, implicitly accepting...

Since allegations of oil company price-gouging have become topical, let's look at real price manipulation. Suppose a dairyman wants to sell a gallon of milk for 25 cents less than his competitors, would you want him fined or jailed? Federal Milk Marketing Orders would...

"We've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists," McCain said earlier as he sat next to Bush in the Oval Office. "We have no grief for them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of...

Okay gang, only a few shopping days left to make this the biggest grossing holiday in the history of capitalism. And so far, so good. Running the numbers in mid-December, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, predicted this year's Christmas sales will...

Last month, when Rosa Parks was laid to rest in Detroit, her eulogy contained well-deserved praise for her brave defiance of segregation laws that led to the 1955 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott and later the 1956 Supreme Court ruling that banned public transportation...

It is impossible to seal America's 19,857 miles of borders. But to gain a few votes and look "tough," politicians today have no qualms against throwing money at an impossible task. But it would be wrong to seal our borders, even if we could, beyond a defined period of...

Politicians and pundits claim that oil companies' recent quarter of higher profits is mostly a "windfall"--which should be "given back" to society via a proposed $20 billion tax. As Representative Dennis Kucinich and others say, they seek "to tax only excess profits,...

A year ago, French President Jacques Chirac set out the core of a new strategic vision that would exclude the United States in favor of a European realignment with China. "Reasons of international balance justify strengthening links between Europe and China, I'd even...

Four years ago this month, Enron Corporation--number 7 on the Fortune 500--filed for bankruptcy, culminating a collapse that shocked America. It is commonly believed that Enron fell because its leaders, eager to make money, schemed to bilk investors. The ethical...