The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a curious institution--it is both a military academy and a state-supported college. Its history draws back to before the US Civil War (future confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson served as a professor) and all of its...
POLITICS
Attacking Lobbyists: The Real Problem is Government’s Ability to Grant “Favors”
Millions going to the campaign coffers of Washington politicians lies in the awesome growth of government control over business, property, employment and other areas of our lives.
Maryland Wallops Wal-Mart
If you own stock in Wal-Mart Stores, be afraid -- be very afraid. Yes, it wasn't all that long ago that I was recommending buying shares of the giant retailer. But things have changed. Right after I recommended Wal-Mart last October it rallied by as much as 15%. But...
The Myth of “Price Gouging”
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...
Senate Condemnation Hearings
The Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Samuel Alito told us more about the Senators than it did about Judge Alito. First, there were those long-winded preambles to "questions" for the judge. Then there were the Mickey Mouse maneuvers and insinuations, spiced here...
Democracy and the Right to Vote
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...
Poverty Worship
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...
“God’s Land”
Some of the most interesting aspects of the war against terrorism are found not in coverage about the war in Iraq, but from coverage of talk in the United States. Consider this recent news report: Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli...
The “Rights” of Dictators
"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...
Tax Cuts: A $70 Billion ‘Giveaway’ to the Rich?
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...
Education: Then and Now
Recent news that school children in Charlotte, North Carolina, had the highest test scores among children in big cities across the country had a special impact on me. Back in the late 1930s, I went to school in Charlotte and, while I don't know what the test scores...
Curing Poverty or Using Poverty
"China is lifting a million people a month out of poverty." It is just one statement in an interesting new book titled "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford. But it has huge implications. I haven't checked out the statistics but they sound reasonable. If so, this...
Green Lies and “Open Spaces”
Not often do Rush Limbaugh and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman agree on anything but recently both of them pointed out the same pattern in the prices of housing -- and both were correct. The pattern is this: Despite hysteria over high home prices, in most parts...
The Poverty Hype
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...
Serious or Suicidal: The Intelligentsia’s Approval of the Iranian Nuclear Program
When you are boating on the Niagara River, there are signs marking the point at which you must go ashore or else you will be sucked over the falls. With Iran moving toward the development of nuclear weapons, we are getting dangerously close to that fatal point of no...
Imposing Your Preferences On Others Through Government
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...
Some Thoughts on Career Politicians
I don't make a million dollars a year but I think every member of Congress should be paid at least that much. It's not because those turkeys in Washington deserve it. It's because we deserve a lot better people than we have in Congress. The cost of paying every member...
Court Victory Against “Intelligent Design”
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) --...
The Limitations of the Marxist Approach to Writing History: David R. Roediger’s The Wages of Whiteness
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...
Merry You-Know-What
It was just a small thing but I was taken aback when I received a memo saying that the offices at work would be shut down during "winter closure." Then it dawned on me that "winter closure" was what we used to call "Christmas vacation." Various colleges and...
The Consumer Rip-Off
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...
Universal Freedom: The Only Hope for Health Care
"Universal Health Care" is the increasing drumbeat of advocates who want Americans to place all responsibility for their health care in the hands of government. They say health care needs require us to put aside such considerations as personal choice and individual...
McCain’s Compassion for Evil
"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...
Will the Pope Steal this Christmas?
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...
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