POLITICS

When Veterans Betray the Chain of Command

The chain of command isn’t just military protocol—it’s the constitutional architecture that keeps American democracy from sliding into chaos. Six Democratic members of Congress just attacked it.

A “Cycle” of Nonsense

A “Cycle” of Nonsense

Now that Israel has responded to rocket attacks and the abduction of its soldiers by terrorists by making military strikes into areas controlled by those terrorists, much of our media are deploring another "cycle of violence" in the Middle East. For reasons unknown,...

“Saving” What From Whom?

“Saving” What From Whom?

When conservationists talk about "saving" this and "protecting" that, a logical question might be: Saving it from whom? Protecting it from whom? And why should the government force what you want on someone else who obviously wants something different, or there would...

Why Peace Eludes the Middle East

Why does peace so elude the Middle East? A recent MSNBC.com news report provides the answer: "Hezbollah [whose attacks on Israel triggered Israel's recent retaliation in Lebanon] is an Iranian-backed militant Shiite faction which has a free hand in southern Lebanon...

The Pretense of Knowledge

One of the great contributions of Nobel Laureate economist Friedrich Hayek was to admonish us to recognize the insurmountable limits to human knowledge. Why? Not even the brightest minds, and surely not the U.S. Congress, can ever have the knowledge to shape an...

A Victory for the Rule of Law

The Florida Supreme Court has just upheld an appellate court decision to throw out a $145 billion verdict in the case of Engle vs. Liggett Group. While the decision is being hailed as a major victory for tobacco companies, it is far more than that. The court...

Back From Vacation

Back From Vacation

There is nothing like returning home to recover from a vacation. They say traveling is broadening and that has certainly been my experience. My waistline broadens by about an inch a week when I am traveling. The most dangerous mode of travel is the automobile. Every...

Bully Boy Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

Bully Boy Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

A special issue of Time magazine celebrates the historic career of Theodore Roosevelt and the implications of his presidency for the development of American society. In the phony familiarity of our times, where you call people by their first names when you have never...

Is Patriotism Obsolete?

Is Patriotism Obsolete?

On the eve of a holiday that used to stir patriotic emotions -- the Fourth of July -- it has been painful to see examples of how little remains of that glue that holds a society together. Perhaps the worst of these signs of national disintegration was the New York...

On a Deluded America

Diana West has written a fiery op-ed that, on its face, seems to provide a well-needed antidote to the moral platitudes that are preventing America from ridding the world of savage brutes ("Deluded America," Washington Times, June 23, 2006). Certainly the defenders of...

Undermining the Rule of Law to Lynch an Unpopular Group

America is a nation that reveres the fact that ours is "a government of laws, not of men." Under this principle, members of government can use their power only to enforce known and clearly defined laws. As a result, we do not worry about losing our property or being...

Why I Refuse to Celebrate Canada Day

I refuse to celebrate Canada Day (July 1st)--as a matter of principle. While I recognize Canada as one of the better countries to live in, this relative evaluation doesn't justify the gross injustices caused by the policies of our three levels of government. Two years...

Focus Investing: The Warren Buffett Way

An excerpt from The Warren Buffett Way, Second Edition by Robert G. Hagstrom. Status Quo: A Choice of Two The current state of portfolio management, as practiced by everyone else, appears to be locked into a tug-of-war between two competing strategies -- active...

Multiculturalism Breeds Terrorism

On June 2, 2006, seventeen Muslims, including five juveniles, were arrested in Canada for planning major terrorist attacks on Canadian soil against innocent people. Because these were "homegrown" Islamic terrorists, blame was rightly directed towards Canada's...

Diplomacy Only Encourages North Korea’s Belligerence

After decades of chasing nuclear weapons, North Korea is on the brink of success. Worse yet, it may already have the means of mounting an attack against us. According to news reports, North Korea is about to test-fire a powerful long-range missile capable of...

Economics and Statistics

Economics and Statistics

An interesting question in economics is the proper role of statistics. Ludwig von Mises is my favourite economist, yet he held that statistics have no valid role in formulating or validating economic theory. It's interesting to explore his reasons. First, Mises held...

“Market Failure” Doesn’t Exist

In a recent column in Canada's National Post (June 10, 2006), "economist" and author Mark Jaccard of Simon Fraser University argued that (alleged) manmade global warming represents a "market failure" that must be corrected by government taxes on carbon dioxide...

An Energy Lesson from Cuba and China

An unlikely political figure is willing to fight for lower gas prices. His name: Fidel Castro.He's working with foreign investors, including China, to find oil off the Cuban coast, close to American waters.In contrast, American companies aren't looking for oil off the...

Health Care and Political Hypocrisy About Privacy

Health Care and Political Hypocrisy About Privacy

In response to the National Security Agency's acquisition of private telephone call databases, a lot of politicians -- even those who were given frequent briefings about the program for more than four years -- claim to be deeply shocked about this government intrusion...

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